I want to bring you up to date on a few things that happened regarding St. Tammany Parish this week.

First, the arbitration hearings in Washington, D.C. regarding who will ultimately pay to clean the post-Katrina debris from the Coin du Lestin canals went well.  It was tough and frustrating at times.  FEMA continued to argue against our case, but I am hopeful that the arbitration panel will find in our favor. 

Second, we got some good news at Thursday evening's meeting of the Parish Council.  Our bond attorney presented the bids to purchase the SELA utility system. The interest rate bids came in lower than we'd expected, with the lowest at 4.99%.  This low interest rate will greatly help in keeping the line on utility rates in this area.

I want to acknowledge the hard work of our finance department for their work, which helps give St. Tammany Parish the outstanding bond ratings...    -  Continue