Sheriff to bring stats to council

Iberia Parish Council will hear from Sheriff Louis Ackal Wednesday about statistics on alcohol sales and the new ordinance that forces bars in the parish to close earlier.

The council passed an ordinance that took effect Jan. 2 requiring bars to close at 2 a.m. on weekends and midnight on weekdays. The decision came after Ackal addressed the council in October and said bars staying open until 4 a.m. in the parish were creating late-night problems in the area.

At that meeting, the council asked Ackal to provide statistics on which specific problems the parish was having because of the bars. He said he would research them.

In other business, the council will vote on a resolution to request that the city of New Iberia immediately obtain all necessary rights-of-way for the Armenco Canal Drainage Project. The project, which is to help alleviate flooding and drainage problems in the West End, is being funded by the parish and the city because part of the canal is in the parish and part of the canal is in the city.

Councilwoman Maggie Daniels said it is important to make sure the parish has all necessary rights-of-way to add new and larger pipes as part of the project.

“The first phase is making sure we have everything in line before we start the work,” Daniels said. “If we don’t, it could slow things down later, and we don’t need to slow anything down at this point.”

The council will meet at 6 p.m. in the Iberia Parish Council chambers on the fourth floor of the Parish Courthouse. The meeting is open to the public.