Jefferson Parish, Louisiana

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Jefferson Parish is one of sixty-four parishes in Louisiana. A parish, in Louisiana, is the equivalent of a county in other states. The seat of parish government is Gretna. According to the 2000 census, Jefferson had a population of 455,466. The Greater New Orleans area, which includes both Jefferson and Orleans parishes, is the largest metropolitan area in the state.

[edit] Website evaluation

Main article: Evaluation of Louisiana parish websites

[edit] The good

  • A complete listing and contact information for the Parish Council is available,[1] along with the Parish President.[2]
  • Administrative staff is listed, with contact information available for most.[3]
  • Budget information is available. [4]
  • A complete list of meetings for the year is available, along with the most recent agenda.[5]
  • Zoning and building information is online, with contact information.[6]

See also:
There is a site for contract bids.[7]

[edit] The bad

  • There is an address to write to for annual parish audits, but none are available online.[8]
  • No information is provided about how parish residents can request access to public documents of the parish under Louisiana's sunshine laws.

[edit] Making it better

[edit] Public records

Louis Gruntz is the public records custodian for Jefferson Parish. According to Gruntz, the parish averages "hundreds" of record requests a week.

The parish attorney's office issued an order in March 2009 that requires all people who request public information to fill out a new form and provide official photo identification to verify they are at least 18 years old.

However, it is not clear why the parish is requiring those who want copies of public records to verify that they are at least 18, sincce the state legislature amended the state’s public records law in 2004 to allow minors to receive copies of public records.[9]

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ↑ Parish Council
  2. ↑ Parish President
  3. ↑ Administrative Staff
  4. ↑ Budget
  5. ↑ Parish Council Meetings/Agendas
  6. ↑ Board of Zoning Adjustments
  7. ↑ Jefferson Parish, Contract Bids
  8. ↑ Finance Department
  9. ↑ New Orleans City Business, "Public records requests flood local governments", May 11, 2009
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