Provides for compensation to the members of the Lake Charles planning commission. (8/1/26)

Senate Bill 148 amends Louisiana Revised Statutes 33:103(C)(1)(l) to add the city of Lake Charles to a statutory list of municipalities authorized to compensate members of their planning commissions. The bill modifies existing law that generally requires planning commission members to serve without compensation by creating an exception for Lake Charles, permitting its governing authority to pay per diem compensation to planning commission members who attend meetings. The specific rate of per diem and the number of meetings for which compensation shall be paid remain to be determined by ordinance enacted by the Lake Charles city government, giving the municipality discretion in structuring the compensation arrangement within the framework established by this statute.

The practical effect of this legislation is that Lake Charles planning commission members will become eligible to receive per diem payments for their service, whereas under present law they must serve without compensation. The Lake Charles city council or other governing authority will have the responsibility and power to adopt an ordinance establishing both the dollar amount of the per diem and the attendance threshold or number of meetings triggering payment eligibility. Planning commission members in Lake Charles will benefit from this compensation opportunity, while the city government must determine whether, when, and to what extent to exercise this authorization, with any resulting compensation costs borne through the city budget.

This amendment operates within the existing statutory framework of R.S. 33:103, which establishes the general authority for municipalities to create planning commissions and sets their foundational purposes and composition requirements. The statute historically imposed a universal no-compensation requirement on planning commission members, but has long included carve-out provisions for specific municipalities. By adding Lake Charles to the list of municipalities already including Addis, Arcadia, Brusly, Delhi, Gramercy, Haughton, Haynesville, Iowa, Jena, Lake Arthur, Lockport, and Many, the bill extends a permissive exception to a larger city while preserving the underlying statutory scheme. The effective date of August 1, 2026 allows municipal government time to adopt the necessary implementing ordinance before compensation obligations begin.