LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- The Lafayette Consolidated Government announced that the Mardi Gras parade route will return to its historic path on Jefferson Street in 2026, sparking concerns from local officials about the lack of consultation.

District Five City Councilman Kenneth Boudreaux expressed that the decision made without input from the entire city council, highlighting potential impacts on neighborhoods in his district, left him with questions.

"When I first started getting flooded with calls and messages, I wanted to be clear that the council, myself nor any other city council member that I'm aware of was involved in any of this decision making or consideration," Boudreaux said.

LCG described the move as bringing the tradition full circle. Boudreaux emphasized the importance of public input, suggesting that a charrette or poll could have been conducted to engage the community and assess the impact on neighborhoods.

Despite the decision being made without council discussion, Boudreaux remains hopeful that the upcoming city council meeting will provide an opportunity for community members to express their views and potentially find the best solution.

The return of the Mardi Gras parade to Jefferson Street has sparked a debate about community involvement and the impact on local neighborhoods, with city officials and residents eager to discuss the changes at the upcoming council meeting.

News 10 contacted LCG for comment, but have not heard back as of news time.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.

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