Council approves PepperPlex budget appropriation and cooperative agreement authority with tourist commission

The New Iberia City Council approved a special ordinance to amend the budget and appropriate funds received for the PepperPlex and adopted a resolution authorizing the mayor to negotiate and execute a cooperative endeavor agreement with the Iberia Parish Tourist Commission for those funds.

Council members said the funds will be used on-site for project needs such as constructing an access road and installing barriers to keep children away from nearby transmission infrastructure; Cleco (the local transmission owner) declined requests for a permanent fence at one spot, so staff said the city will place telephone poles as removable barriers and add signage. The mayor said the appropriation will cover site items not included in larger construction costs.

The council also briefly discussed related drainage and other budget items and voted to approve the special ordinance and the cooperative agreement authorization. The city indicated it will communicate project timelines and hold a walk-through event to set public expectations as architecture and state approvals proceed.