Senate bill would repeal the north Lafayette focused development group

Renee Allen
·1 min read

LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — The North Lafayette Redevelopment Authority (NLRA) seems to be on the chopping block. A Senate bill in Baton Rouge to would repeal NLRA if passed.

The President of the Lafayette chapter of the NAACP, Ravis K. Martinez, is asking the senator to rescind the bill.

State Sen. Gerald Boudreaux (D-Lafayette) calls the decision to repeal NLRA hitting the reset button. Boudreaux explains that in 2008 the NLRA was created by the State of Louisiana, but in the years since has remained stagnant.

“We have no assets. We have no liability. We have no office. We have no staff. We have no dollars,” Boudreaux explained.

The senator wants to roll the organization into the Lafayette Economic Development Authority, another state-created authority, and sees the move as a rebrand. Boudreaux says all the statutes and responsibilities that currently reside with NLRA will become LEDA’s responsibility.

Martinez opposes this decision, and would prefer to see new leadership in NLRA.

“Putting it under LEDA, who has a broad mission, just limits our ability,” Martinez said. “Let’s not destroy the tool because we had the wrong people at the table. Let’s get the right people at the table and put this tool to work for north Lafayette.”

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Boudreaux says the NLRA name may go away, but not the function.

“We can still have that tool that hasn’t been used in the tool box but it will be used by people who have demonstrated they understand how the process works,” Boudreaux added.

The senator says SB480 will be on the Senate floor this week possibly Tuesday, April 22.

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