St. Martinville council to meet Tuesday, discuss anti-violence rallies

Published 7:11 pm Saturday, September 4, 2021

ST. MARTINVILLE — The St. Martinville City Council will hear requests from two separate groups seeking to hold rallies in St. Martinville to bring the community together in an effort to lower the volume of violent crime that has marked the city’s streets in recent months.

Stephen Menard, founder of the Justice for Unsolved Murder Victim Project, will ask the council for the use of the Festival Grounds to hold a candlelight vigil for victims of murder and domestic violence. Additionally, Joseph Cormier is scheduled to ask the mayor and council to support a proposed Crime Prevention and Gun Violence Rally.

The requests come after months of gun violence in the city, including two recent deaths, one involving the grandson of former Mayor Thomas Nelson.

On a related note, St. Martinville Chief Ricky Martin is scheduled to ask the council for permission to hire two full time police officers and to change the employment status for Ivan Francois.

The council is also scheduled to hear a report from City Legal Counsel Allan Durand on the status of litigation between the city and the owners of Evangeline Mobile Home Park. A discussion had been scheduled for the council’s last meeting, but had to be delayed because no response had been heard from the attorney for the Brignac family trust, which now controls the park after the death of owner Mark Brignac.

The St. Martinville City Council will meet at 6 p.m. on Tuesday evening, Aug. 7, in the city council meeting room of St. Martinville City Hall, 120 New Market St. in St. Martinville.

At its regular meeting rescheduled for Tuesday evening, the St. Martinville City Council is also expected to:

◼︎ Grant authority for Mayor Melinda Mitchell to sign and submit documents for the Water Sector Program, Louisiana Community Development Block Grant Program, the state’s 2021 capital outlay, and an annual contract for engineering services. 

◼︎ Approve resolutions to open a checking account and hire a consultant to aid in the administration of the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds.

◼︎ Discuss and consider adopting new permit rates for residential and commercial projects.

◼︎ Consider adjusting the salary of the interim Public Works maintenance supervisor and animal control officer, as well as discuss compensation for any certifications employees earn.

◼︎ Consider hiring a part-time grass cutter.