St. Martinville City Council to consider ordinances amending city charter Monday

Published 11:00 am Sunday, October 4, 2020

ST. MARTINVILLE — The St. Martinville City Council will be considering final approval of two ordinances to amend the city charter — as well as a resolution authorizing the city’s legal counsel to file a lawsuit with the 16th Judicial District Court to clarify whether Mayor Melinda Mitchell has the power to veto the proposed amendments.

At the council’s Sept. 21 meeting, Mitchell said she would veto a proposal to make the mayor’s position part-time after the next mayor is sworn in, citing powers that she said allow her to wield that power under the state’s Lawrason Act.

At the meeting, City Legal Counsel Allan Durand said that his interpretation of the act, which establishes basic rules for municipal governments, does not supersede the city’s special legislative charter, which limits the mayor’s legislative power to casting a vote in case of a tie.

The other proposed amendment would set a limit of three terms for any elected official in the city.

According to Louisiana Municipal Association Executive Director John Gallagher, there has not, to the best of his knowledge, been any legal action to test whether or not the Lawrason Act could be applied to guarantee the mayor veto power.

Mitchell has already said she plans to hold a town hall meeting on Oct. 17 to talk about the move. She has actively lobbied to have the city’s charter thrown out and move the city back under the Lawrason Act, which is a strong mayor-weak council form of government.

No city has ever forsaken its charter, whether special or home rule, in favor of the Lawrason Act.

If the council approves the two amendments, they would then be sent to Gov. John Bel Edwards for final approval.

The council will also hear a presentation from representatives of the Louisiana Rural Water Association on proposed changes to the city’s water rates. The discussion of raising the rates has been ongoing, pending the input from LRWA, at Mitchell’s request. At a previous town hall, she accused the council of trying to raise rates without her input, at which point the council left the issue until she had determined a course of action.

In other business, the council is scheduled to:

• Present awards to the winners of the St. Martinville Garden Club’s ‘Save Our Tree’ drawing contest.

• Discuss and amend the city’s vacation and sick leave accrual policy.

• Discuss a community “Coats for Cajuns” outreach project and plans for a Christmas event.

• Discuss the “Save the Duchamp Opera House” campaign.

The St. Martinville City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Monday evening in the city council meeting room of city hall, 120 New Market St. in St. Martinville.