Council tackles variance denial, tax assessment appeal, and agricultural zoning simplification at September meeting
PORT ALLEN — The West Baton Rouge Parish Council addressed multiple property disputes, approved zoning code changes, and received updates on major infrastructure projects during their September 25 meeting.
Container Storage Variance Denied
The council unanimously denied variance requests from Workbox LLC to increase container stacking height from 15 to 16 feet and reduce property setbacks from 30 to 10 feet at 2160 Lobdell Highway in Port Allen.
Road Superintendent John Andre and Chief Building Official Brandon Bourgoyne submitted written objections citing safety concerns. Council members noted the property operates under a 2016 consent judgment as a legal non-conforming use.
Tax Assessment Appeal Heads to State Commission
The council upheld the parish assessor’s $368,700 valuation of a commercial property on Highway 1 South in Brusly, sending the dispute to the Louisiana Tax Commission for resolution.
Cerniglia Enterprises LLC, represented by Lewis Barcelona, requested the assessment be reduced to $208,651, arguing the 2.81-acre property lacks road frontage and has unusually narrow dimensions that limit development potential.
The Louisiana Tax Commission’s professional appraisal valued the property at $421,500 — significantly higher than both the parish assessment and the owner’s requested value.
Barcelona told the council he’s prepared a signed purchase agreement for $208,650, available to anyone willing to buy the property at that price. “I’ve got the appraiser for $160,050,” he said, referring to the difference between his requested value and the state’s appraisal.
Parish Assessor Chris Guerin noted this marks the second consecutive year the same property has been appealed. The 2024 appeal is scheduled for Tax Commission hearing on October 8.
“We certainly are not assessment experts,” said Chairman Denstel, explaining the council’s standard practice of deferring technical valuation disputes to the state commission.
Agricultural Zoning Simplified
The council unanimously approved consolidating three separate agricultural zones into a single AG designation, eliminating red tape for property owners subdividing agricultural land.
The change removes the need for “AG to AG” rezoning when splitting agricultural property, while maintaining animal control regulations through a separate code section.
Planning and Zoning Commissioner Brandon Bourgoyne explained the previous system required rezoning even when no actual use changes occurred, creating unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles for landowners.
The ordinance received a 9-0 recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Highway 190 Property Rezoned for Mobile Home
The council approved rezoning Martha B. Lawson’s Highway 190 West property from commercial to agricultural designation to accommodate a mobile home for her grandson.
The reverse zoning — from less restrictive commercial to more restrictive agricultural — is unusual but allows long-term mobile home placement on the family property.
LA-415 Connector Project Faces Delays
Parish officials expressed frustration over continuing delays to the $126.3 million LA-415/LA-1 connector project during a project update.
Councilman Alan Crowe questioned whether the parish should continue investing in planning if right-of-way issues might prevent construction. “It’s time to really say, can we do this project or not?” Alan Crowe said.
Parish President Jason Manola said he recently participated in a conference call with the DOTD Secretary, Senator Caleb Kleinpeter, and former Senator Rick Ward to emphasize urgency. The project has cycled through four different project managers, each bringing new ideas that slow progress.
Brandon Bourgoyne, representing the parish in project planning, said the design team is addressing right-of-way concerns at the I-10/415 intersection while progressing on 30% design plans. No local dollars have been spent on the project.
Parish Approves Community Event
The council approved the “Erwinville Raised Me – Family Day Kickback” scheduled for October 4 at 10120 Bueche Road in Brusly. Organizer Lamoura Butler expects 400 attendees for the community event focusing on unity and cultural heritage.
Road Improvements Approved
The council approved a change order for the 2025 asphalt rehabilitation program to include Rebelle Lane, where multiple road failures have prompted resident complaints. The work falls within the project budget using savings from other roads.
Other Actions
The council:
- Set trick-or-treat times for October 31 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in unincorporated areas
- Renewed Special Legal Counsel Kristen Canezaro’s contract
- Authorized the parish president to execute agreements with DOTD for the Court Street sidewalk project
- Approved the 2025 tax assessment roll presented by Assessor Chris Guerin
- Canceled the July 10, 2025 meeting due to National Conference conflicts
Parish President’s Report
Manola reported on a statewide 911 outage that affected multiple Louisiana locations during the meeting. The parish activated an alternate emergency line (225-490-8589) until systems were restored.
The parish is continuing department budgeting meetings ahead of the fiscal year 2026 budget presentations scheduled for October 27-28. Manola also noted that parish officials held a mayor’s luncheon this week where they discussed the drainage tax renewal and its impact on all municipalities and the school board.
The parish recently completed a major culvert installation project at LA Scrap.
Chief of Administration Phillip Bourgoyne reported drainage crews completed excavations of the North Woodland Ditch, continued digging on Labauve Ditch and Antonio Subdivision Ditch, and cleaned concrete ditches under the interstate. Crews also dug out ditches along Triple B Ranch Road, installed culverts, and dug out the west side of Andre Lane.
Tax Assessment Report
Parish Assessor Chris Guerin presented the annual tax roll, showing total parish values of approximately $800.1 million — down $11.35 million from 2024. The largest decrease came from a $15 million reduction in inventory values.
One mill of property tax generates approximately $781,391 in revenue for the parish.
Gary noted 32 first responder homestead exemptions are currently active. The exemption, which increases the homestead exemption from $75,000 to $100,000 for qualifying first responders, has seen lower participation than initially expected.
The next regular council meeting is Thursday, October 9, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. at the WBR Governmental Building, 880 N. Alexander Avenue, Port Allen.
The West Baton Rouge Parish Council meets the second and fourth Thursday of each month. Meeting agendas and videos are available at wbrcouncil.org.
WBR Independent will provide detailed coverage of individual items from this meeting in separate stories.
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