ST. MARTINVILLE — The St. Martinville City Council will meet tonight, with some agenda items touching on recent developments in the city’s search for a new chief executive officer and the work of the accounting firm it hired in the interim.

One item the council will be addressing is holiday pay that has been paid in the past to part-time employees. According to Mayor Melinda Mitchell, Faulk and Winkler Managing Partner Jacob Waguespack noted that part-time employees have been being paid for holidays, but a search could not locate any ordinances or resolutions authorizing the practice.

“We could not find any ordinance for this, so we need to discuss it and, if the council wishes, pass an ordinance approving that,” Mitchell said. “Our part-time employees are not making a lot of money, so I would like to see them continue to be paid for holidays.”

The council voted to enter into a contract with Faulk and Winkler, a Baton Rouge based accounting firm with experience in municipal financial operations, in early April while the CAO search is underway. Waguespack said his firm would do an assessment of the city’s financial condition and requirements within two weeks.

“I expect us to discuss that assessment at the next meeting, on May 20,” Mitchell said.

As for the search for a new chief administrative officer, interviews with five candidates were conducted last week. According to District 1 Councilman Mike Fuselier, resumés of two candidates, Avis Gutekunst and Alexandra Alleman, have been forwarded to the city’s independent auditor, Burton Kolder, for review prior to an offer being made.

“The mayor sent the two qualified applicants to our auditor and he is going to determine which one he feels to recommend,” Fuselier said Sunday. “They are definitely the two best, so I think we’re going to come out with a really good CAO. We will probably have to hold a special meeting for that.”

Aside from its typical regular actions regarding approval of minutes and bills, the council also is slated to discuss a rezoning from residential to commercial for the Florsheim family property at 211 N. Main Street, which was destroyed in a massive fire in 2016, and a variance for the property of Jude St. Julien. The council will also discuss compensation for the secretary of the Police Civil Service Board.

Police Chief Ricky Martin is slated to several clerical issues, including adding him as a designee to purchase State Police surplus property.

The St. Martinville City Council meets at 6 p.m. Monday night in the city council meeting room at city hall, 120 New Market St. in St. Martinville.