February 26, 2004

                                                                                    Lake Charles, Louisiana

            The Police Jury of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, met in Special Session at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, February 26, 2004, in the Police Jury Meeting Room of the Parish Government Building, 1015 Pithon Street, Lake Charles, Louisiana, with The Honorable Brent Clement, President, presiding, and the following members present:

Mesdames Elizabeth Conway Griffin and Sandra J. Treme; and Messrs. Francis Andrepont, Calvin Collins, Mike Danahay, Tony Guillory, Chuck Kleckley, Chris Landry, Charles S. Mackey, D.D.S., Don Manuel, Cornie Moon, Tony Stelly, and Alvin Stevens

Absent: Mr. Hal McMillin

            Also present were Mr. S. Mark McMurry, Parish Administrator; Mr. Bryan Beam, Assistant Administrator; Mr. Richard Gremillion, Director of Emergency Preparedness; Mr. Jerry Milner, Director of Finance; Mr. Claude D. Smart, Parish Engineer; Mr. Allen L. Smith, Jr. of the firm of Plauche, Smith and Nieset, General Counsel; Mrs. Kathy P. Smith, Recording Secretary; Mr. Gerry Trahan, Director of Facility Management; and Mr. Jim Vickers, Director of Planning and Development.

            President Clement called the meeting to order. The invocation was pronounced by Mrs. Griffin which was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. The roll was called with the result being as outlined above.

            President Clement advised that the bid opening for Calcasieu Parish Project No. 2004-02 (Hardsurfacing and Overlaying of Various Roads in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana) which was advertised to be held at 5:30 p.m. on this date at the Public Works Committee Meeting would be taken up immediately following the Special Meeting, if there was anyone in the audience waiting for said bid opening.

            President Clement stated that another item on the Public Works Committee agenda would be taken up at this time, that being the appearance of members of the Calcasieu Legislative Delegation to present grant awards under the Rural Development Grant Program.

            Representative Gerald Theunissen and Representative Dan Morrish then appeared before the Police Jury for said presentation. Representative Theunissen apologized for the rest of the delegation not being able to attend, but everyone was busy with preparations for the Special Session of the Legislature which would begin on March 7^th and the Regular Session which would begin on March 29^th.

            Representative Theunissen advised that the Rural Development Grant Program had started the year with $148,000 but that amount had been cut back to $97,000. He further advised that eight different entities had applied for funding under the program, so they had divided the available funds equally among the entities which had applied for same.

            The following grant awards were presented at this time (representatives of the various entities shown in parentheses):

            Community Center & Playground District No. 7 of Ward 2                   Bleachers        $12,428

(Mr. David Robinson of the Board of Commissioners)

            Sewer District No. 13 of Ward 4                                                         Upgrades         $12,428

(Mr. Charles Tippen of the Board of Commissioners)

            Ward 5 Fire Protection District No. 1                                                  Radios              $12,428

(Mr. Willard White and Mrs. Mildred White of the

            Board of Commissioners)

            Ward 6 Fire Protection District No. 1                                                  Equipment        $12,428

(Mrs. Sandy Treme, Police Juror, and Mrs. Coleen Clark,

            Secretary to the Board of Commissioners)

            Waterworks District No. 5 of Wards 3 & 8                                         Computers       $10,000

(Mr. Al Lyles, Manager of the District)

            President Clement expressed appreciation on behalf of the entire Police Jury for the grants and asked that Representatives Theunissen and Morrish express the Jury’s appreciation to the rest of the legislative delegation, all of whom he said worked hard for the Police Jury and Southwest Louisiana.

            President Clement stated that the main purpose of calling a Special Meeting on this date was to consider participation by the Parish, in conjunction with the City of Lake Charles and the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Partnership, in the joint funding of an economic incentive package being developed for presentation to a company proposing to locate a call center operation in Lake Charles, which was estimated to provide 400 jobs as early as June, 2004.

            Mr. McMurry advised that it had been anticipated that action by the Police Jury would be needed on this date and even though no action was currently needed, this would be a good opportunity to bring everyone “up to speed” on the work in progress in trying to secure the call center operation. Mr. McMurry further advised that President Clement, Mr. Kleckley, Mr. Vickers, and he had met with representatives of the call center, as well as representatives of the Southwest Louisiana Economic Development Partnership and the City of Lake Charles about the prospect and also to build an incentive package to lure the company to the Southwest Louisiana area. Mr. McMurry pointed out that the local area was in competition with another city on the east coast.

            Mr. McMurry explained that the call center would contract with major companies to handle their customer service relations and that while the jobs would not be real high-paying jobs, the call center would operate 24-hours a day in three eight-hour shifts, providing approximately 400 new jobs.

            Mr. McMurry also explained that the negotiating team had offered to help subsidize the rental of a building to house the call center and wanted to work with the owner of the building to provide structural improvements with a possibility that the City of Lake Charles would become lessee of the building in question.

            Mr. McMurry stated that the negotiating team would like the “blessing” of the Police Jury in their efforts to secure the call center as the team worked toward a final incentive package and hopefully the Police Jury’s final approval at its next regularly scheduled meeting on March 4, 2004.

            Motion was made by Mr. Andrepont and seconded by Mrs. Treme that President Clement and Mr. McMurry be authorized to continue to represent the Police Jury in negotiations with the call center to locate its facility in Lake Charles and to come back to the Police Jury with the ultimate result of such negotiations.

            In answer to a question by Mrs. Griffin, Mr. McMurry explained that the call center was not a telemarketing firm but rather it contracted with major companies who had found it more effective and efficient to out-source and contract with a call center company to handle complaints and/or customer service calls, for example, a cell phone company might contract with a call center company to handle all of its customer service calls through a 1-800 telephone number.

            Mrs. Griffin stated that she realized the negotiations were just beginning and no determination had yet been made as to whether the local area would win its bid for the center, but she asked if any discussion had taken place about hiring women and minority workers.

            Mr. McMurry stated that the company would hire almost exclusively from the local area and that of the 400 proposed jobs, maybe less than ten would come from the outside due to management reasons. He pointed out that the company wanted to be up and running by June 1, 2004.

            Mrs. Griffin asked if an existing building was being considered, to which Mr. McMurry answered affirmatively, pointing out that the company would not have time to build a new office building and that it had been difficult to find a suitable building.

            Mrs. Griffin stated that any time something of this nature was discussed, she was always concerned about the unions and the hiring of women and minorities.

            Mr. Kleckley stated that a key component was the financial strength of the company and the fact that the company had opened many of these call centers throughout the country. He further stated that the company was not trying to “ride the backs” of the Police Jury and City Council for funding.

            Mr. McMurry advised that the company had started in 1986 or 1987 and had opened many of these centers and had never closed one down. He stated that this was a testament to Mr. Kleckley’s earlier remarks.

            Mr. Kleckley agreed, pointing out that it was not unusual to hear of companies wanting the local government to finance an entire project but that this was not true in this particular case.

            In answer to a question by Mr. Moon, Mr. McMurry explained that the company immediately needed a sizeable fiber optic capability which limited the number of buildings available to them.

            A vote was taken on the motion on the floor to authorize President Clement and Mr. McMurry to continue representing the Police Jury in negotiations with the call center to locate its facility in Lake Charles and to come back to the Police Jury with the ultimate result of such negotiations, and said motion carried unanimously.

            There being no further business, motion was made by Mrs. Griffin, seconded by Mrs. Treme and carried unanimously that the meeting be adjourned.

                                                                                /s/ Brent Clement, President

/s/ S. Mark McMurry, Parish Administrator &

Ex-Officio Secretary