By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – With one year and one month as St. John the Baptist Parish President under her belt, Natalie Robottom said organization, transparency and trust have been the keys to a positive first term in office.

When Robottom took the helm in May 2010, the parish was still reeling from the widespread scandal involving former Parish President Bill Hubbard. An investigation that ultimately led to Hubbard’s resignation and imprisonment also uncovered shady dealings between Hubbard’s contracting company and officials in Jefferson Parish.

In the wake of that negative atmosphere surrounding the parish, Robottom said re-establishing trust with residents, employees and existing administrative leaders was critical.

“Trust is something you earn, and we had a great deal of work to do in order to earn that trust back,” Robottom said. “Some things have been difficult to change, but now I think people see what we have in place is there for the right reasons.”

Robottom said her administration has worked to alter parish procedures that govern the way engineers, architects and other contractors are chosen. There is now more emphasis on requesting proposals or qualifications as opposed to simply selecting a favored firm.

“Requests for proposals and qualifications has helped us achieve more competition among those looking to work in the parish,” Robottom said. “It makes us sit down and identify what we want. It’s not just about price. There are many other factors that go into the selection.”

Although the process is more meticulous, Robottom said the council still always has the final say on recommendations. The difference is that they are often provided with more information beforehand to allow them to make a more informed decision.

“We don’t spring things on the council,” Robottom said. “We don’t blindside them with new agenda items. They know what is coming because they have seen it already. In fact, there are often council members who sit on the committees in charge of reviewing proposals.”

The parish has also made an effort to add as much information as possible regarding contracts, RFPs, RFQs, bids, and project statuses to the parish website. Robottom said it is important that the average resident can visit the parish website to get as much information as they can about a particular project or contract. She said it also allows competing contractors the chance to see why they were not selected.

“We have had an influx of records requests in the past year,” Robottom said. “People want to be more knowledgeable when it comes to government.”

Robottom has also made sure that her staff is not left in the dark. There is regular communication between directors, as well as quarterly all-staff meetings, which she said had never happened in the past.

“The meetings follow a strict agenda that is mostly business,” Robottom said. “They are well attended and there is often good interaction among staff members.”

There are also project meetings every other week that include department heads, project managers and employees. She said it has allowed more coordination between department heads when necessary.

Another important aspect of Robottom’s first year has been management of the parish’s $29.5 million public improvement bond project approved by voters in 2008. Robottom said it has been pivotal to have complete organization and regular status regarding the multitude of drainage, recreation and road construction projects presently in motion.

“All of the projects developed within the bond program had been assigned, but there was still some work as far as getting them designed and out for bid,” Robottom said. “All of the original projects, plus some additional projects we were able to add to the mix, are now managed step by step.”

Robottom said with many of the bids for projects coming in under budget, the parish has been able to bring forward additions like the Homewood Place drainage project and a more expansive recreation plan for the west bank park complex.

“We are working on an annual report that matches all of the money to each project,” Robottom said. “It all has an impact on how we operate.”

There has also been more of a push to notify residents when projects come up in a specific neighborhood. Robottom said the parish uses text notifications to inform residents when a project or work will affect them. She used the recent bridge replacement projects on Country Club Drive and Greenwood Drive as examples.

“Residents were informed before work got started so that they could make arrangements,” Robottom said. “We are going into neighborhoods more to get their feedback regarding what they want to see done.”