The St. Martinville City Council got heated Monday when Councilman Mike Fusilier asked Mayor Jason Willis on the status of several adjudicated properties around town that had overlong grass that wasn’t being cut. 

Fusilier said several properties that are in the city’s charge were not being tended to in terms of grass cutting, which is especially important in the summer months. Willis, however, said the issue was something that should have been addressed prior to the meeting. 

“That’s why I said you should have communicated or called me,” Willis said. 

For some of the complaints, Willis said the obligatory letter condemning a blighted property must have been sent for 10 days before city crews can begin cutting the grass. However, Willis also said the grass crew is currently short.

“We need to hire somebody,” Fusilier said. “We can’t have our city looking like this.”

“What I’ve been telling you is that we’ve got three guys cutting all of the grass, and it’s been raining,” Willis responded. 

The mayor also said Fusilier, a veteran council member, should be able to keep up with his district and inform the city if there is a property in his district that needs the grass cut. 

“The districts are small,” he said. “As a council member you should ride your district and make a complaint.”

In other business, the council chose not to remove a speed bumper on Theater Street following the complaint of a local resident in the area. 

Bernard Mitchell petitioned the council to remove the speed bump, which is located near St. Martinville’s swimming pool, due to damage from his car, he said.

But the speed bumps, which are installed only after complaints from those in the neighborhood, were important due to their proximity to the pool and the children who regularly play in the area, Councilwoman Janise Anthony said. 

“I did take the liberty to go to the people on both ends of Theater Street, they wanted to leave it because they were able to sit outside and not have to worry about people passing the stop sign,” Anthony said. 

Police Chief Ricky Martin agreed that the bumps should stay if they are so close to the community area, which includes a pavilion. 

“It needs to stay there,” he said.