Lafayette Parish Library Board President Robert Judge holds "This Book is Gay" while speaking for its removal on Monday, November 15, 2021 in Lafayette, La..
Board President Robert Judge is pictured during a Lafayette Parish Library Board of Control special meeting Monday, July 25, 2022, at the South Regional branch of the Lafayette Public Library in Lafayette, La.
Parish Councilman AB Rubin speaks during a press conference on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, at City Hall in Lafayette, La.
Parish Councilman Kevin Naquin asked how the council might remove Lafayette Library Board of Control President Robert Judge at a meeting Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022, in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Parish Councilman Josh Carlson is seen during a meeting of the Lafayette Parish Council on Tuesday, June 6, 2021, at City Hall in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Lafayette Parish Library Board President Robert Judge holds "This Book is Gay" while speaking for its removal on Monday, November 15, 2021 in Lafayette, La..
Questions about the Lafayette Parish Library Board of Control's handling of proposals to build a Northeast Regional Library, the availability of money to operate a new library and the behavior of the board's president dominated a Parish Council budget hearing Thursday.
The proposed 2022-23 budget includes $8 million in capital funds to build a new library on the east side of Evangeline Thruway, south of Interstate 10 in an economically challenged area of the city that is geographically isolated from other libraries.
Former City-Parish council member Kenneth Boudreaux, in the waning days of his council term in 2019, secured the money for construction. Only in the past year or so has real progress been made. The board may, at its meeting Aug. 15, select a property to buy and move the process forward, Library Director Danny Gillane said.
In February, the library board of control voted to seek requests for proposals to purchase land in that area on which to build the library. Four proposals submitted range from leasing land for 30 years at $1 per year to buying 5 acres of land for $600,000. They included two offers to sell land on Louisiana Avenue, one offer to sell land on Chappuis Drive near the Moss Street post office and a proposal to lease land at Holy Rosary Institute on Louisiana Avenue for $1 a year.
The library board decided to ask two property owners to submit their best offer. The board rejected Holy Rosary Institute's proposal because the RFP specified land that is for sale.
Parish Councilman AB Rubin speaks during a press conference on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, at City Hall in Lafayette, La.
Parish Council Chair A.B. Rubin was displeased with that decision, saying if two of the proposals were being amended, why couldn't Holy Rosary's be amended. Library Board President Robert Judge also allowed one property owner to change the location of the land he was offering, Gillane said.
"That name keeps coming up all the time when they say 'We're just going to do what we want to do,'" Rubin said. Now he's disregarding the Northeast library committee's recommendation. "He's saying 'It’s good to be the king and I’m going to do this.'"
Rubin said, according to the language in the RFP, the proposals cannot be amended once the submittals are opened.
"That’s illegal," he said. "It’s 100% illegal to do what he’s trying to do right now."
"Somebody needs to put a harness on Mr. Judge," Rubin added.
Parish Councilman Kevin Naquin asked how the council might remove Lafayette Library Board of Control President Robert Judge at a meeting Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022, in Lafayette, Louisiana.
Council member Kevin Naquin asked who can remove a library board member if it is learned the RFP process was violated. The Parish Council appoints all but one library board member and appointed Judge in a controversial move.
Later in the meeting, Naquin said he received a message from one of the council's attorneys who advised a library board member can only be removed for cause. A hearing must take place during an open meeting of the council and the accused has the right to defend himself, Naquin said.
Council member John Guilbeau, who voted to appoint Judge to the library board, along with Parish council members Josh Carlson and Bryan Tabor, said several people asked him the procedure for removing library board members.
One library patron at a recent Parish Council meeting asked the board to consider removing Judge.
Board President Robert Judge is pictured during a Lafayette Parish Library Board of Control special meeting Monday, July 25, 2022, at the South Regional branch of the Lafayette Public Library in Lafayette, La.
Judge attempted to fire the librarian at the North Regional Library in Carencro in July for "willful insubordination." He notified her the Friday before the meeting the following Monday and did not tell her what she was accused of until the meeting had begun.
Documents obtained by The Acadiana Advocate through a public records request show Gillane on July 12 advised Judge that the librarian, Cara Chance, would be on medical leave starting July 26. Judge still summoned her to the July 25 evening board meeting with the intent of firing her. The rest of the library board was unaware of his intent until just before the meeting when Gillane, on vacation, emailed the board asking they take no action. The decision was postponed until Aug. 15.
Parish Councilman Josh Carlson is seen during a meeting of the Lafayette Parish Council on Tuesday, June 6, 2021, at City Hall in Lafayette, Louisiana.
The board is not violating the RFP, Carlson said. It could have allowed Holy Rosary to change its proposal, he said.
Library operations manager Larry Angelle said the library would have had to restart the RFP process to allow Holy Rosary a second shot because Holy Rosary's proposal did not meet the specifications to sell land.
There are too many unanswered questions, Carlson said, about the RFP process and the library proposal. He questioned whether the $8 million set aside to build the library is enough given rising construction costs and suggested leasing space for up to 10 years to judge how much the library would be used.
Carlson also questioned whether the library system will have enough money to operate a Northeast Regional branch if it is built. He said he was prepared to pull $4 million reserved to build the library and put it into operating the library system.
Gillane has told the board other libraries will have to sacrifice hours to free money to staff and operate the new library. He already has implemented cost-saving measures such as closing all libraries on Sundays to reduce the amount of money the library system uses from its fund balance.
Rubin warned if "they continue to play with these RFPs," the council and mayor-president have the right to decide where to build the Northeast library.
Email Claire Taylor at ctaylor@theadvocate.com.
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