IBERIA PARISH (NEW IBERIA) — A cooperative endeavor agreement between the City of New Iberia and Iberia Parish, in place since 2018, was intended to provide consistent rabies and animal control services; but residents and law enforcement say the system isn’t working.
Now, both city officials and parish leaders are publicly calling for change.
Last week, Iberia Parish President M. Larry Richard informed New Iberia Mayor Freddie DeCourt that the parish will not renew its contract for animal control services—set to expire in March 1, 2026.
“Last Thursday, I got a phone call from the parish president..." said DeCourt. "...That gives me a six-month window to try to figure something out.”
Richard said the situation has evolved far beyond the original scope of the agreement.
“When we started this thing in 2018, we were simply trying to help,” said Richard.
The original two-year contract had the city paying the parish $21,000 annually for animal control services—at a time when the New Iberia Police Department was dealing with major leadership and operational issues.
“After the first year, they didn’t have everything ready, and we extended it—[and] we have continued to extend it,” Richard said.
Eight years later, the city is now paying over to $200,000 annually for the same services. But according to DeCourt, the results don’t match the cost.
“The services we’ve had are lacking. $200,000 a year is a good price to pay—we’re willing to pay it, but we would just like the services that are spelled out in the contract.”
DeCourt says this all started after a letter was sent by New Iberia Police Chief Todd D’Albor, who raised public safety concerns over a reported “pack of dogs” roaming city streets.
“In the contract, you are to enforce our ordinances—especially our dangerous dog one,” said DeCourt. “This is an example—we need some help.”
DeCourt said the lack of response from parish animal control officers has heightened the urgency of the issue. When asked whether the parish employs a designated dog catcher, Richard responded, “We have three.”
Despite that, Richard said the parish is no longer in a position to continue serving the city.
“I can’t continue to manage the animal control department that they’re supposed to be having,” he said. “Iberia Parish Rabies Control and Animal Control is going to be able to focus on Iberia Parish—the unincorporated area of the parish.”
He is encouraging the city to consider entering into a private contract with another agency. DeCourt said he remains concerned about how the city will manage its animal control needs moving forward.
“[The unincorporated areas] are much smaller, but still—I find it odd that only the city of New Iberia is going to be excluded,” he said. “I don’t think it’s something we can afford right now, so we’ll just see how this plays out.”
