By T. Scott Boatright
Ruston’s City Council made a pair of key moves concerning Phase 2 of the Tarbutton Road-to-Grambling North Service Road Project during its May meeting Monday evening at City Hall.
The council approved an ordinance to annex approximately 115.5 acres of land into Ruston’s corporate limits for development of Phase 2 of the project. It also authorized the city to enter into an entity-state agreement with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development related to the same project.
The council agreed to annex six parcels of land that will be used to develop the new service road, along with additional land for potential business development along the corridor.
“Each of the owners of the six parcels was approached with the annexation paperwork, and all agreed to sign the petitions. Those petitions have been certified by the registrar of voters and the Lincoln Parish tax assessor,” said City Attorney Bill Carter. “The proposed zoning of these properties will be designated as B-4 highway business, which is typical for a high-intensity business district.”
Public Works Director John Freeman said the agreement with DOTD will help fund the approximately one-mile section of road that will fall under the jurisdiction of the city of Ruston following annexation.
“Federal funds have been appropriated to finance a portion of the project under the administration of the Louisiana Department of Transportation,” Freeman said. “As always, when we are spending federal dollars, we enter into an entity-state agreement that spells out the do’s and don’ts — the whats and wherefores.”
The council also passed a resolution authorizing the city to enter into a contract related to the 2026 Road Project Phase I, awarding the low bid of $2,038,430 to Amethyst Construction of West Monroe, with a contract time of 135 days.
Streets included in the overlay project are Magnolia Drive, Saratoga Street, Lee Avenue, East Louisiana Avenue, East Texas Avenue, South Bonner Street, East Mississippi Avenue and Bernard Street.
Also approved was authorization for the city to enter into a cooperative endeavor agreement with the Lincoln Museum and Historical Society for the city to pay utility costs for the Lincoln Parish Museum, which average $2,000 annually.
The council also approved a resolution outlining actions the city will take regarding the Municipal Water Pollution Prevention Environmental Audit Report to maintain compliance and prevent effluent violations under requirements of the Louisiana Water Discharge Permit System.
After the resolution was approved, Freeman told the council the city had “finally” attained an A rating for its drinking water.
“That’s a tough thing to do,” Mayor Ronny Walker said.
The council also approved a resolution authorizing Walker to execute any agreements and documents with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development’s Office of Multimodal Commerce related to planned work at Ruston Regional Airport.
New housing developments are also planned after the council approved preliminary plats for Country Club Estates and Pelican Pointe Unit 3, which will create 121 new housing lots.
Also approved were developmental plats for Twin Lakes 2022, Lakeview Place 2022 and Ruston Holdings LLC Development.
The council also authorized the start of the condemnation process for properties located at 1207 Jones St. and 2001 Beech St.
City Treasurer Julie Keen announced the city received its 11th consecutive unqualified (clean) audit report for 2025. The council then approved ordinances levying 2026 property taxes on all taxable property within the city.
