re: EPA claims no knowledge of Mayor Broome’s stormwater utility fee NDA

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What is the plausible explanation for why the EPA would require an NDA preventing local officials from discussing the nature of the solution with their local constituents?

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Per the article linked above:

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We’re told the city parish is under the threat of a federal consent decree. And this proposed fee is a chance to keep stormwater management in local control.

With the federal consent decree, the federal government would come in, they would tell you what kind of plan you have to implement. They would tell you pretty much how much money you’d have to borrow to implement that plan. The federal government would be in charge, and we would just be following orders under a federal consent decree,” said Metro Councilwoman Laurie Adams, District 11.

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The mayor's office claims they signed an NDA with the DOJ and EPA and can not discuss the terms of the dissent decree, but demand $42 million to fix the stormwater issues. The also claimed that the vote must be held 10/26 because of reasons they can't discuss per the NDA.

At the stormwater meetings, the mayor's office refuse to answer any questions as to how long this stormwater fee is to be in effect. They just say "it will be on your property tax bill".

The parish attorney's office have since stated, that by law, no fee's can be attached to one's property tax bill without approval from the legislature.

Looks like Broome was trying to quickly launder some money for her office.

From my councilmen's facebook page:

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"Taxation without representation!" This is the cry from many residents across the parish regarding Mayor Broome's proposed Stormwater Utility Fee. While we can all agree that addressing stormwater maintenance is extremely important we also must ensure that the plan to do so is 1) legal and 2) well thought out and thoroughly vetted. Unfortunately this plan fails both of these tests.

A key component of the administrations plan is that the Stormwater Utility "Fee" will be on your property tax bill. This is advantagous for two reasons:
1) It ensures that collection costs will be as low as possibe.
2) Remittance will be high as property owners will have to pay or face liens on their private property.
It is now clear that the enacting legislation for this proposal does not authorize the City Parish to place this "fee" on your property tax bill. The Parish Attorney's Office advises that the City Parish will need to go back to the legislature to seek approval for this in the next legislative session.

It is critically important that members of the Council be able to trust that the information they receive from the Mayor's office is thorough and well thought out. To learn that a central piece of this plan with significant cost and remittance implications does not have legislative approval is an grave disservice to the public trust.

To be clear, I will be voting no on this proposal.

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A 3rd option is the mayor's office didn't have to sign an NDA with the EPA, but had to with whichever company is helping plan or will develop this system.

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That isn't "having" to sign an NDA. That is choosing to do so because you don't want to actually face the public.

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WAFB has confirmed that everyone in the administration involved in the negotiations with the DOJ and the EPA, has had to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

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This could mean the mayor made everyone in their (mayor's) office sign one.

It may just mean the mayor wanted her people quiet.

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With whom?

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I don't think WAFB has EPA and DOJ on speed dial. Common sense would say the mayor's office.

To lend credence to that, Councilmen Hudson was on Brian Haldane's show earlier this week talking about this. He stated that the people involved (mayor's office) had an NDA with the DOJ/EPA and could not get the specifics of the consent decree because of this.

I like him even more then

Let's be clear about one thing...

I don't really give a watery shite over whether there is, or isn't, an NDA.

The mere fact that these fricking retards were going to jam through a goddamned property tax on EBR property owners and not tell them a fricking thing about the specifics of why it was required, what it was supposed to do or how long it would be in place alone is enough of a reason to fricking kick every one of their worthless asses to the curb.

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Someone is lying/telling a half truth.

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Its pretty transparently the Mayor's office.

Sure, people involved "had" to sign an NDA, because she wanted them to have to.

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Sure, people involved "had" to sign an NDA, because she wanted them to have to.

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See this is a 4th option that would make Graves a liar, still. Either these NDAs exist or they don't. He says they don't.