All In for Arnaudville...

My vision:
I envision an Arnaudville that carries the best of our past into the promise of our future.  Not a return to a bygone era, but a community where the values that once made small towns strong - neighbors knowing neighbors, thriving local businesses, pride in our homes and streets, and a shared sense of belonging - are strengthened by thoughtful planning and new opportunities. 
We don't have to choose between preserving who we are and becoming what we can be.  I believe we can do both.

A 100-day plan is not a promise to solve every problem in 100 days. It is a commitment to get organized, establish priorities, begin the work, communicate consistently, and report back to the people of Arnaudville.

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1  KNOW EXACTLY WHERE WE STAND

• Establish an accessible Mayor’s Office. Be present at Town Hall and meet with employees and department heads to understand responsibilities, workloads, equipment needs, training needs and ideas for improvement.

• Get a complete financial picture. Review funds, restricted revenues, reserves, debts, utility receivables and bad debt, major expenditures and existing obligations before making new commitments.

• Inventory every active and pending project and grant. Create one master list showing funding, town match, deadlines, current status, responsible parties and next steps. Keep worthwhile projects already underway moving.

• Review Town Hall operations. Examine accounting processes, personnel policies, IT and cybersecurity, records, permitting, purchasing, insurance/risk management, legal services and staff training.

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2  GET SERIOUS ABOUT INFRASTRUCTURE

• Launch a comprehensive street assessment. Evaluate every town-maintained street, document its condition and develop objective repair priorities.

• Review unresolved abandoned roads and rights-of-way. Identify every road, alley, right-of-way or public passage where abandonment, closure, sale or transfer has been requested or tabled. Review plats, ownership history, prior council actions and legal requirements, and establish a path toward resolution.

• Develop a preliminary street improvement schedule. Identify the highest priorities, approximate costs, possible funding sources and a realistic sequence for addressing them. Clearly distinguish town streets from state-maintained highways.

• Establish scheduled routine ditch maintenance. Develop a geographic rotation for routine cutting and cleaning so residents can reasonably anticipate when their area will be addressed.

• Begin a technical drainage review. Identify chronic trouble spots and determine whether ditch grades, culvert elevations and sizes, obstructions or inadequate outlets are contributing to problems. Use surveying or engineering expertise when needed.

• Review water and sewer infrastructure. Look at immediate needs, system capacity, aging infrastructure, future capital expenses and grant opportunities.

• Assess both town parks. Inventory equipment, bathrooms, ADA accessibility, lighting, safety, maintenance needs, unused space and operating costs before making major new commitments.

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3  MAKE TOWN HALL WORK SYSTEMATICALLY

• Create a maintenance tracking system. Log potholes, streetlights, drainage complaints, signs, park repairs and other issues from report through completion.

Address blight through cooperation and accountability. Develop a phased approach to problem properties. Identify blighted properties and work first with property owners to understand the circumstances and determine whether cleanup, repair, assistance or other reasonable steps can bring the property back into acceptable condition. Coordinate with parish officials and other partners where appropriate. When voluntary efforts are unsuccessful, consistently follow the town's legal process for enforcement.

• Improve how residents report problems. Establish a clear way to report potholes, drainage problems, streetlight outages, blight and other concerns—and connect those reports to the tracking system.

• Meet with key outside partners. Strengthen working relationships with DOTD, parish government, the legislative delegation, LMA resources, grant agencies, utility partners and others whose work affects Arnaudville.

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4  PLAN BEYOND THE NEXT PROJECT

• Launch the 10-Year Arnaudville Plan process. Build a framework covering roads, drainage, utilities, public safety, parks, population, economic development, tourism, facilities, finances and quality of life.

• Begin meaningful community input. Ask residents what needs attention now, what Arnaudville should look like in ten years, what is missing and what must be protected.

• Begin a structured economic-development effort. Meet with existing businesses, identify obstacles and opportunities, and consider what infrastructure future business growth would require.

• Connect tourism, arts and culture to economic planning. Work with people involved in the Teche, French culture, arts, festivals, paddling and other community assets.

• Explore youth, family, senior and community opportunities. Bring together the school, police, churches, nonprofits, cultural organizations and volunteers to identify practical programs and partnerships.

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5  COMMUNICATE CONSISTENTLY

• Build a stronger town communication system. Improve the website and social media so residents can easily find agendas, minutes, ordinances, forms, project information, emergency notices and regular updates.

• Establish a weekly Sunday Mayor’s Update. A short, informal video explaining what happened that week, what the town is working on and what is coming next—even when the news is not exciting.

• Take residents to the job sites. Use occasional short videos from streets, drainage projects, parks and utility projects to explain what is being done, why, how it is funded and what happens next.

• Spotlight Arnaudville. Regularly feature local businesses, nonprofits, cultural organizations, school activities, volunteers and other community assets.

• Strengthen livestreaming and transparency. Keep public meetings available online and make recordings easy to find. Explain significant council actions afterward in plain language.

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6  REPORT BACK

• Issue a public 100-Day Report. Tell residents what we found, what we fixed, what we started, what remains unresolved, what requires funding and what comes next.

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THE COMMITMENT

“100 days won’t solve every problem. But by Day 100, we should know what needs to be done, what comes first, who is responsible, what it will cost, and what happens next.”