LIVINGSTON – Livingston Parish voters denied the measure to let the Parish Council hire its own lawyer rather than work with the parish president and parish attorney.

Parish President Randy Delatte said initially that he liked the idea of the council being able to hire its own lawyer, but last month said that a year in office changed his mind.

"The reality is that our resources are limited" and that recent rejections on tax proposals has put the parish in a tough spot, he said in a Facebook post. He said he fears that letting the council go its own way would harm "essential services."

The matter came up after the parish was found liable for legal expenses involving a dispute over the Deer Run subdivision. A settlement announced in July led to the parish owing developers legal fees and giving them a credit toward future permits.

Voters in Gravity Drainage District No. 1 also reauthorized a sales tax for 20 years. The half-cent tax is expected to raise $3.2 million annually to build and maintain a series of canals and ditches to prevent flooding. Under the proposal’s language, Denham Springs sales are not covered by the tax as long as the city remits an appropriate share from its own revenues.

In Recreation District No. 3, voters denied a 15-mill property tax renewal to raise $4.25 million a year for parks.