State Soil and Water Conservation Commission public meetings in 2020

State Soil and Water Conservation Commission

The Commission will meet to discuss reports from the NRCS and LSU AgCenter. The body will also address supervisor resignations, appointments, and reappointments.

• NRCS/OSWC Farm Bill Cooperative Agreement
• LACD and NACD Annual Meetings
• NRCS State Conservationist Report
• LSU AgCenter Report
• Supervisors Resignation/Appointments/Reappointments

The Commission approved the resignation of one supervisor and the reappointment of another. Members also received reports on NRCS conservation contracts and upcoming virtual meetings for LACD and NACD.

• Approved October 27, 2020 minutes (unanimous)
• Approved resignation of Douglas Foreman from Lafayette SWCD (unanimous)
• Approved three-year reappointment of Steve Horvath to Capital SWCD (unanimous)

State Soil and Water Conservation Commission

The commission will consider routine business including approval of minutes, reports from the NRCS and LSU AgCenter, and a staff meritorious achievement award. Unfinished business includes a Farm Bill Cooperative Agreement and election conventions for Commission Areas I and II.

• NRCS/OSWC Farm Bill Cooperative Agreement
• State Commission Areas I and II Election Convention
• LACD Annual Meeting / NACD Annual Meeting
• SWCD staff meritorious achievement award
• Supervisors resignations/appointments/reappointments

The State Soil and Water Conservation Commission established guidelines for rewarding high-performing employees with monetary or non-monetary awards. The Commission also approved election results for Area I and II members and processed supervisor appointments.

• Approved amendment to PPM #1 establishing SWCD staff meritorious achievement award guidelines (Unanimous)
• Approved Area I Member Reggie Skains and Alternate Pat Boudreaux for terms ending Oct 27, 2023 (Unanimous)
• Approved Area II Member Ed Yerger and Alternate Chris Carter for terms ending Oct 27, 2023 (Unanimous)
• Approved resignation of Dorcheat SWCD supervisor Buddy Thomas (Unanimous)
• Approved three-year reappointment of East Carroll SWCD supervisor Donavon Taves (Unanimous)
• Approved three-year reappointment of Madison SWCD supervisor Carter Moberley (Unanimous)
• Approved September 22, 2020 meeting minutes (Unanimous)

State Soil and Water Conservation Commission

The Commission will meet to address unfinished business including farm bill cooperative agreements and state convention planning. The agenda also includes reports from the NRCS State Conservationist and LSU Ag Center, as well as supervisor appointments.

• NRCS/OSWC Farm Bill Cooperative Agreement discussion
• CPA-SWCD Agreements review
• Supervisor resignations, appointments, and reappointments
• NRCS State Conservationist Report
• LSU Ag Center Report

The Commission approved four CPA engagement letters for soil and water conservation districts and processed several supervisor resignations and appointments. The board also received updates on NRCS hiring and COVID-19 operational phases.

• Approved CPA engagement for Avoyelles SWCD with J. Aaron Cooper, LLC ($575 fee) (unanimous)
• Approved CPA engagement for D’Arbonne SWCD with J. Aaron Cooper, LLC ($650 fee) (unanimous)
• Approved CPA engagement for Jefferson Davis SWCD with J. Aaron Cooper, LLA ($1,250 fee) (unanimous)
• Approved CPA engagement for Lower Delta SWCD with J. Aaron Cooper, LLA ($575 fee) (unanimous)
• Approved resignations of James Deshotel (Avoyelles SWCD) and Keith McCallum (Feliciana SWCD) (unanimous)
• Approved appointments of L. Scott Bickham (Feliciana SWCD) and Richard Holier, III (St. Landry SWCD) (unanimous)
• Approved reappointment of Patrick Hebert (Vermillion SWCD) (unanimous)
• Approved September 22, 2020 agenda and September 1, 2020 minutes (unanimous)

State Soil and Water Conservation Commission

The Commission approved several supervisor resignations, appointments, and reappointments. It also established a new requirement for board members with excessive absences to submit reinstatement waiver requests to both the Commission and their district boards.

• Approved Area 1 and 2 Convention information to be sent by month end
• Approved new absentee waiver policy requiring reinstatement letters to Commission and district boards
• Approved Caddo SWCD CPA engagement with J. Aaron Cooper, LLC ($575)
• Approved Iberia SWCD CPA engagement with Maraist & Maraist, CPA ($1,200)
• Approved St. Landry SWCD CPA engagement with J. Aaron Cooper, LLA ($575)
• Approved 2 supervisor resignations (St. Landry and West Carroll)
• Approved 1 supervisor appointment (West Carroll)
• Approved 4 supervisor reappointments and 40 unopposed elected supervisors

State Soil and Water Conservation Commission

The State Soil and Water Conservation Commission will hold a meeting on August 25, 2020, at the Veterans Auditorium in Baton Rouge. Agenda items include a report on the NRCS Farm Bill Cooperative Agreement, district funding, and supervisor resignations/appointments. The meeting is open to the public.

State Soil and Water Conservation Commission

The Commission will meet to discuss unfinished business regarding the NRCS/OSWC Farm Bill Cooperative Agreement, district funding, and supervisor elections. The agenda also includes reports on the Feral Swine Project and updates on supervisor appointments.

• NRCS/OSWC Farm Bill Cooperative Agreement discussion
• District Funding review
• Supervisor Elections and appointments
• Feral Swine Project report

The Commission approved the state fund allocation formula for districts for FY 20-21, totaling $1,685,292. The board also approved several supervisor appointments, reappointments, and resignations, and authorized an audit contract for St. Martin SWCD.

• Approved FY 20-21 district allocation formula of $1,685,292 (Unanimous)
• Approved contract for St. Martin SWCD audit with Maraist & Maraist, CPA LLC for $1,200 (Unanimous)
• Approved resignations of supervisors Leeland Lee, Roland Bourgeois, and Jim Harper (Unanimous)
• Approved appointments of supervisors David Hoover, Danny Hebert, and Andre Danos (Unanimous)
• Approved reappointments of supervisors Preston Broxson, John Gay, and Max Johnston (Unanimous)
• Approved June 10, 2020 meeting minutes (Unanimous)

State Soil and Water Conservation Commission

The commission will review candidates and select a candidate for the SSWCC Director position. They will also discuss the NRCS/OSWC Farm Bill Cooperative Agreement, legislative sessions, and impacts of shutdowns on Soil and Water Conservation Districts. Other items include a postponed supervisor election, resignations/appointments, and reports from NRCS and LSU AgCenter.

• Review candidates and select candidate for SSWCC Director position
• NRCS/OSWC Farm Bill Cooperative Agreement discussion
• Legislative Regular Session and Special Session update
• Review of Shutdown Impacts on SWCDs
• District Supervisor Election postponed to June 13, 2020

The State Soil and Water Conservation Commission rescheduled the 2020 Annual Supervisor Election and nomination period due to COVID-19. The Commission also approved attendance waivers for six supervisors and unanimously approved nine supervisor reappointments for three-year terms.

• Approved June 2020 meeting agenda (unanimous)
• Approved February 26, 2020 minutes (unanimous)
• Approved support for Calcasieu SWCD to explore conservation servitude options
• Rescheduled nomination period to July 1-30, 2020, and election to August 8, 2020
• Approved attendance requirement waivers for six supervisors
• Approved nine supervisor reappointments for three-year terms (unanimous)

State Soil and Water Conservation Commission

The State Soil and Water Conservation Commission will meet to approve previous minutes, discuss the NRCS/OSWC Farm Bill Cooperative Agreement and the NACD Spring Fly-In, and consider new business including supervisor resignations/appointments, the upcoming district supervisor election on June 13, review of board meeting attendance, and review of director position applications. Reports from NRCS and LSU AgCenter will also be presented.

• Review of SSWCC Director Position Applications
• District Supervisor Election scheduled for June 13, 2020
• NRCS/OSWC Farm Bill Cooperative Agreement discussion
• Supervisor Resignations/Appointments/Reappointments
• NACD Spring Fly-In discussion

The State Soil and Water Conservation Commission approved several supervisor reappointments and three new appointments for various districts. The Commission also approved travel requests and processed multiple supervisor resignations.

• Approved agenda change to move director position reviews to the end (unanimous)
• Approved previous meeting minutes as amended (unanimous)
• Approved out-of-state travel for John Alan Williams to Washington, D.C. (unanimous)
• Approved resignations for Robert Freeman, Jerome Cantrelle, and Jerry Robinson (unanimous)
• Approved 10 supervisor reappointments for three-year terms including attendance waivers (unanimous)
• Approved appointments of Benson Langlinais, Jason Richard, and Ethan Poland (unanimous)
• Entered executive session to review SSWCC Director position applications (unanimous)

State Soil and Water Conservation Commission

The State Soil and Water Conservation Commission will meet to approve minutes from December 4, 2019, discuss unfinished business including the NRCS/OSWC Farm Bill Cooperative Agreement and LACD/NACD annual meetings, and take up new business such as electing officers, handling supervisor resignations and appointments, and hearing the NRCS State Conservationist report.

• Approval of December 4, 2019 Commission minutes
• NRCS/OSWC Farm Bill Cooperative Agreement (unfinished business)
• Election of State Commission Officers
• Supervisors Resignation/Appointments/Reappointments
• NRCS State Conservationist Report

The Commission elected Dr. Ernest Girouard as Chairman, Steve Horvath as Vice-Chairman, and Larry Sayes as Secretary-Treasurer. The body also approved three supervisor reappointments and travel requests for the 2020 NACD Annual Meeting. Additionally, the Commission established a timeline and process for recommending a new SSWCC Director to Commissioner Strain.

• Elected Dr. Ernest Girouard as Chairman
• Approved Steve Horvath as Vice-Chairman (unanimous)
• Approved Larry Sayes as Secretary-Treasurer (unanimous)
• Approved three-year reappointments for Dean Smith, Jerry Robinson, and Theron Ty Rogers (unanimous)
• Approved travel requests for Donavon Taves, Brenda Archer, John Alan Williams, and Zacki Cummings to attend the 2020 NACD Annual Meeting (unanimous)
• Approved rescheduling February meeting to Feb 26 and March meeting to March 17 (unanimous)
• Approved memo to districts regarding candidate submission procedures for SSWCC Director (unanimous)
• Approved minutes as amended (unanimous)