The Kenner City Council convened on January 8, 2026, beginning with a proclamation honoring Special Olympics athlete Emily Heinrich and a prayer by Pastor Melvin Hearst. The meeting covered routine consent items, public hearings regarding airport expansions, zoning reappointments, contract approvals, and significant public discussion regarding municipal safety, policing agreements, and traffic management.
The proclamation is gonna be in one minute. Please return to your seats. Ready? All right, guys. Thank you. And I have a proclamation here. I think this is what, how many? What number proclamation from the City of Ken are you on? This is more than two, I believe. But whereas Emily Heinrich is a dedicated and accomplished Special Olympics athlete and a proud resident of the Driftwood subdivision in the city of Kenner. Whereas Emily has demonstrated remarkable athletic ability by competing in multiple sports and proudly representing Louisiana at the twenty twenty-two Special Olympics USA Games in Orlando, Florida, one of the largest and most celebrated sporting events for athletes, athletes with intellectual disabilities in the nation. And whereas at the 2022 USA Games, Emily competed in swimming events, including the one hundred yard breaststroke, two hundred yard freestyle, and the four by fifty yard medley relay, showcasing her skill, determination, and competitive spirit on a national stage. Whereas Emily's performance included achieving a gold medal winning showing, helping to highlight Louisiana's strength in competitive sports and bring pride to her community. And whereas, in recognition of her outstanding athletic achievements and leadership, Emily was honored with the title of Outstanding Female Special Olympics Athlete of the Year for 2016 and was selected to serve on the Special Olympics Louisiana Athlete Leadership Council, demonstrating her commitment to leadership and inclusion within the Special Olympics movement. Whereas Emily has earned the distinguished honor of being invited by Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser to ride in the 2025 Rose Bowl Parade, a prestigious recognition that celebrates her success and brings further recognition to the city of Kenner. And whereas Emily Heinrich serves as an inspiration to all athletes of all ages and abilities, demonstrating how passion, perseverance, and dedication can lead to success, both in competition and in life. We're gonna start the meeting in one minute. Are there any special intentions? See none, I'd like to invite Pastor Melvin Hearst from Guiding Light Missionary Baptist Church up to lead us in the prayer. Eternal God, our Father, who is from everlasting to everlasting truly your God. Besides you, there is none other. That if we trust in you with all of our hearts and lean not to our own understanding, if we acknowledge you in all our ways, you will direct our path. And Father, we pray that those that you allow to lead us will follow those instructions. And my Heavenly Father, we spend so much time asking you to give us things. Father, I just want to pause the moment to say thank you. Thank you, Father, for those that you've allowed to lead us and touch their minds and hearts that they will always remember that you allowed them to be where they are. And Father, you allow them to lead according to your word and to your will. But Father, I just want to say thank you. Thank you, Lord, for our leadership. Thank you for the city. Thank you for the prosperity. Thank you for all the blessing that you bestowed upon all of us, acknowledging that we don't deserve anything from you, but you bless us still. And Father, we will always remember that it's by your grace and your mercy that we stand. And Father, we will ever forever be grateful to what what you do what you've done, what you're doing, and what you're going to do. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, we pray, Amen. Councilmember Dunn, would you please lead us lead us lead us in the pledge? And to the Republicans, which is one nation. In accordance with council resolution number B, one four five five zero, please be advised that all cellular telephones and other devices of this nature must be deactivated or silence throughout the council meeting. Next up we have correspondence reports from the mayor, CAO, and department heads. Uh to report since we just starting a new year. But I think Councilwoman Dunn, you're going to handle it at the end of the meeting. All right. So at the end of the meeting, Councilwoman Dunn will have some stuff. We and I guess we'll have a council meeting the day before the Driftwood parade, so I'm sure you're going to mention something before we get to that. But that's coming up two Saturdays. Uh Kennegra will happen at the ISIS parade. Crew of ISIS is happening, so that's always coming up. It's all on our uh website. Landigra is gonna be coming up also. So just to put it on a radar, we'll be making more announcements as it gets closer.