August/September 2023

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GOVERNOR’S COLUMN Rising to the Challenge Happy fall, y’all! I hope everyone is doing well and is as excited about cooler weather and football season as I am. It’s been a busy two months since my last column, and I’m looking forward to sharing with you some exciting announcements we’ve made in Louisiana, from broadband to coastal restoration to energy investments. Congratulations on holding your 86th annual convention this year. It’s an event I always enjoy attending but unfortunately, could not be there. While I was able to send a proclamation congratulating LMA President Derrick Johnson, Sr. and board members, please know that I will forever treasure your partnership during my administration and am grateful for all of the things that we have been able to accomplish together for the people we are blessed to serve. Although my time in office is winding down, we have until the end of this year to continue our good work and I’m looking forward to it. In fact, I want to encourage you to reach out to Leslie Durham with LITACorp. She is doing great work and is available to assist you with information about funding opportunities for important projects. I recently testified before the U.S. Senate Budget Committee about the fiscal impact of extreme weather, sea level rise driven by climate change on our infrastructure, and the importance of building climate-resilient systems to mitigate damage to our economy and our people. The concept of resilience means doing everything we can to avoid the cost of disasters to our people, to our land, and to our way of life, and we are rising to the challenge. Here at home, I was proud to sign legislation authored by Rep. Jerome Zeringue that establishes the first statewide Chief Resilience Officer. It’s a high-level policy position designed to ensure that successive governors will keep Louisiana ahead in mitigating the impacts of climate change on our economies and ecosystems. And speaking of resilience, we recently broke ground on the largest ecosystem restoration project in our state’s history. The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, the first project of its kind, that will restore and rebuild over 26,000 acres of coastal land and provide better protection to our most vulnerable communities and critical infrastructure. I’m grateful to the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority and our federal, state, and local partners for their decades-long efforts to make this critically important project a reality. Others are taking notice of Louisiana’s role as a global leader in the energy transition, and it’s bringing good-paying jobs and historic investments to our state. Our talented workforce, and the embracing of lower carbon technologies, have attracted funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to create a commercial-scale direct air carbon capture facility in Southwest Louisiana. Dubbed Project Cypress, the facility is expected to create 2,300 good-paying jobs and remove one million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year from the atmosphere—an amount equivalent to roughly 222,500 gasoline-powered cars. Last month was also a historic month for broadband expansion in Louisiana. We broke ground on the largest GUMBO project to date that will bring highspeed affordable and reliable internet to 9,140 households and 535 small businesses in Avoyelles Parish. With the GUMBO grant program, along with the $1.3 billion awarded to Louisiana from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we will continue to work toward our Gov. John Bel Edwards goal of high-speed, affordable internet for every home and business by 2029. Lastly, I want to encourage you and those in your municipalities to visit the newly-unveiled Louisiana Heritage Monument. This first of its kind monument is located in the Capitol’s Louisiana Veterans Memorial Park and is a truly stunning tribute to all of our African American veterans, from the formerly enslaved soldiers who fought in the Siege of Port Hudson during the Civil War in 1863 through modern conflicts. It pays tribute to those men and women who have served our nation with distinction and bravery. I want to again express my gratitude for all your work to better the state of Louisiana every day. Thank you, and God bless. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4: DIRECTOR The mission of the LMA is to educate, advocate, and empower progressive and effective leadership through a united network of municipalities. My deepest appreciation goes to the staff members of the LMA, LaMATS, and RMI for their tireless dedication and teamwork. Their efforts have ensured that even during the most challenging times, including storms and pandemics, the LMA will succeed in fulfilling our calling to serve Louisiana’s municipal leaders. It was my pleasure to present this report in person at our 86th LMA Annual Convention in Alexandria in the presence of our delegates. It is with great humility, gratitude, and appreciation that I have the privilege of serving as your Executive Director. Thank you for your continued support through attending our events, engaging in legislative initiatives, and participating in our programs and services. Together we are #LMAStrong. Page 6 LMR | AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2023</strong>
TREASURY NOTES LA Treasury Unclaimed Property, LA Wallet Team Up to Reunite Citizens with Lost Money I am a firm believer that priority should be placed on what is most convenient for taxpayers, not on what’s easiest for government. As elected officials and government employees, we work for them – not the other way around. Treasury is always on the lookout for ways to benefit citizens. I have long been calling for expanded electronic options for government to accept payments such as Paypal, Venmo, and Cash App. I’ve also advocated for responsible electronic meetings for boards and commissions as Building roadmaps from right now to what's next CONTACT ANITA TILLMAN 800-920-9826 EXT 700 WWW.TEAMAMCORP.COM We help you find your voice, own your narrative, and captivate the right audience. Messaging Crisis Communication Speechwriting Transition Management Social Media Management Strategic Planning Publication Development Outreach Process Improvement Communication Training legal for the conducting of business. This is not only more convenient for board members and savings for the state in terms of travel expenses, but it’s also about greater access and convenience for citizens who no longer must travel to Baton Rouge to attend meetings and participate in government. A bill this past Legislative Session will make this a reality once all the procedures are in place. I’m proud to announce that Treasury has found an additional way that Unclaimed Property can assist citizens. A groundbreaking partnership between the Louisiana Treasury Unclaimed Property Program and LA Wallet, the state’s leading digital identification platform, streamlines the process of reconnecting Louisiana citizens with their unclaimed property. The LA Wallet app, which is utilized by over 1 million Louisianans for driver’s license and identification purposes, now also features an easy-to-use Unclaimed Property search, enabling users to effortlessly check for unclaimed assets in their name. Nowadays people can run their households and sometimes even their businesses from their cell phones. An app-based solution for accessing unclaimed property makes perfect sense. The LA Wallet app with the Unclaimed Property component securely harnesses the power of technology in order to simplify the process for citizens, allowing them to reclaim their lost funds with ease. John Schroder, State Treasurer Envoc President Calvin Fabre, co-founder of LA Wallet, shared his thoughts on the collaboration, stating, “We are thrilled to be part of this process. Address discrepancies have historically been a major reason why unclaimed property remains uncollected. By incorporating the Unclaimed Property search feature in the LA Wallet app, we can assist in returning money to the rightful owners.” Unclaimed property includes uncollected funds from payroll checks, old bank accounts, royalties, utility deposits, interest payments, stock certificates, and life insurance proceeds. One in six individuals in Louisiana has unclaimed property, with average claims amounting to $900. There is currently $1 billion waiting to be claimed. Checking for your unclaimed property is easy through LaCashClaim.org, calling the Treasury’s Unclaimed Property Division at 888-925-4127 (Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.), and now by also checking within the LA Wallet app. There is no charge to utilize the LA Wallet app, which is available on both Apple and Google. LMR | AUGUST/SEPTEMBER <strong>2023</strong> Page 7
Page 1 and 2: Aug-Sept.23 Louisiana MUNICIPAL REV
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Page 5: PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE To My LMA Fam
Page 9 and 10: LEGAL BRIEFS Legislative Session Ex
Page 11 and 12: LaMATS and LPS Project Coordinator
Page 13 and 14: LMR | AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023 Page 13
Page 15 and 16: ALWAYS ON FOR YOU. JOHN M. SCHRODER
Page 17 and 18: innovative ideas coming from so man
Page 19 and 20: 86 TH ANNUAL CONVENTION LMR | AUGUS
Page 21 and 22: District Vice Presidents 2023-2024
Page 23 and 24: Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser was th
Page 25 and 26: Workshops We presented participants
Page 27 and 28: Singing, and dancing, and an air sh
Page 29 and 30: 86 TH ANNUAL CONVENTION Sarah Traha
Page 31 and 32: 86 TH ANNUAL CONVENTION BEST OF SHO
Page 33 and 34: At this year’s Board Meeting, Pas
Page 35 and 36: The Louisiana Municipal Association
Page 37 and 38: The main disadvantages of pay-as-yo
Page 39 and 40: LOUISIANA ASSOCIATION OF MUNICIPAL

August/September 2023

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