The Guillory administration's proposed budget contains a change to economic development funding.
Last year, the administration recommended $250,000 for the Lafayette Economic Development Authority, a tax-funded governmental entity that is governed by a board appointed by local government and educational entities. Their board meetings are public and their records are subject to state public records laws.
This year, the administration has recommended half of that funding for LEDA, with the other half going to the chamber of commerce, re-branded as One Acadiana around 2015. One Acadiana is a private, pay-to-join organization; the board meetings are not public and it is not subject to public records laws. The group has an agenda that's determined by a board selected by its membership.
In the past the group has operated a political action committee, has made endorsements of candidates, and has taken positions for and against local tax initiatives. Here's a link to their most recent positions, and here's a linkto their Impact campaign.
If you'd like to see the application to join the PAC, which was still on their website today, scroll down. The PAC filed a "statement of dissolution" in 2021. In 2020, five years after the rebranding, a "statement of organization" listed One Acadiana as the affiliated organization for the PAC. If you want to see the reports that accounted for how the money that passed through the PAC was spent, and who contributed to it, click here.
We reached out the LEDA about the proposed change, but haven't heard back.
When we reached out to LCG, the Chief Administrative Officer of the administration, Cydra Wingerter, provided us with this statement:
"The proposed appropriation is intended to support economic development in Lafayette, as was done in the current budget of $250k as an external appropriation to LEDA. The proposed budget amount remains $250k however is proposed as an equal allocation of $125k to both LEDA, and One Acadiana. Both of these community partners work in tandem on economic development, with One Acadiana focusing on urban revitalization, downtown development, workforce development, talent attraction, business support services, and legislative advocacy."
We asked for a copy of the agreement between LCG and One Acadiana, and were told that "the agreement has not yet been finalized as the funding has not been approved."
We also reached out to One Acadiana, and asked about the issue.
"The allocation from LCG is an economic development allocation that was in the budget last year. This year, One Acadiana has been added to the allocation," said Troy Wayman, President and CEO. "LCG is proposing this allocation because they recognize that One Acadiana’s efforts across urban revitalization, workforce development, new business recruitment, business support services, and legislative advocacy at the Capitol are important to the success and vibrancy of the city of Lafayette."
When we asked about the chamber's political activities, a spokesperson provided us with this response:
"One Acadiana is a nonpartisan organization, and we do not endorse candidates. That said, we do have a business-focused policy agendaand will take positions on certain policy issues that impact economic development, including ballot propositions from time to time.
"For the upcoming election, we are aiming to be a purveyor of fact and to help get out the vote. In the coming weeks, we will be releasing an Elections Hub to help our members and the public stay informed ahead of the election.
"During election seasons, One Acadiana also works to ensure candidates for public office understand our region’s most critical policy issues. As the voice of the regional business community, One Acadiana communicates our organization’s public policy positions to Acadiana’s elected officials at the local, state, and federal levels, providing a unified voice on behalf of the 600 businesses and individuals we represent."
Since LEDA is overseen by a board that's appointed by public entities, we asked how the chamber determines its policy issue agenda. Here's what they said:
"Perspective gained from industry experts, public officials, and other thought leaders shapes the focus of 1A’s policy efforts, helping to identify and target the most critical issues facing our community. Following initial issue exploration and research, 1A develops position statements with key stakeholders and through our policy committees, which are vetted and adopted by our Executive Committee and Board of Directors.
"Chamber membership is open, though members participate at a different level than our Executive Committee and Board of Directors leadership."
One must also pay to join One Acadiana. According to the membership application on their website, the minimum membership is $375, for businesses with 10 or fewer employees.
Here's the application to join their PAC. The application references the old name of the organization, the Greater Lafayette Chamber of Commerce. The name change happened around 2015.
*This document was downloaded at 9:03 a.m. on August 16, 2023 from this url: https://oneacadiana.org/sites/default/files/PDFs/EMPOWERPAC2013Form.pdf
