ST. MARTINVILLE — The St. Martinville City Council took several steps Monday night to rein in the free-wheeling meetings that have, over the last year, sometimes descended into chaos. But the discussions over how to fix the problems demonstrated the communication dysfunction between the council and administration.

In addition to requesting a police presence at every meeting, District 1 Councilman Mike Fuselier proposed changes to the council’s “yellow card” program. Members of the public who wish to speak during the meeting fill out a yellow card so they can be recognized. Unlike other public bodies, however, members of the St. Martinville audience often mark one card with a request to speak on every agenda item, with no specific questions or positions made clear in advance.

“This isn’t to debate with the council or the mayor,” Fuselier said. “We need to get control of our meetings.”

Fuselier recommended that speakers fill out a card for each agenda item they wanted to speak on, including any specific questions and whether they were for or against the specific item.

“If you go off topic or start arguing, you will give up the remainder of your time to speak,” Fuselier said.

District 4 Councilman Juma Johnson said the proposal was a waste of time and energy.

“This will just make us go through more cards,” Johnson said. “What we need is mutual respect. We’re just wasting money on cards.”

Mayor Pro Tem Craig Prosper told Johnson the cards would fix the disruptions, only to have Mayor Melinda Mitchell snap “You have to give respect to get respect.”

A group of Mitchell supporters applauded her comeback.

City Legal Counsel Allan Durand was tasked with drafting a proof of a new speaker sign in sheet to be presented at the next meeting.

Prosper recommended that Durand be appointed as parliamentarian to keep discussions and public comments on point, a move that passed the council unanimously.

“We’re going to have orderly meetings,” Prosper said.

As if on cue, former Assistant Police Chief Nary Smith stood after Mayor Melinda Mitchell recognized him.

“You say you want to have orderly meeting and turn around and say I called you a liar?” Smith asked loudly, referring to an earlier argument.

Unlike her quick response to Prosper, Mitchell was more restrained with her gavel when Smith spoke out, or when Phillip James was arguing for use of the city pool for his summer enrichment program.

The program had been discussed at the council’s May 6 meeting, at which time the council informed Helen James Bourdas that the pool could not be used free of charge for a commercial enterprise.

James returned to ask for use of the pool again, but refused to allow council members to ask about the funds raised from student fees. He then accused Fuselier and Prosper of never attending the camp or meeting with him, even though both councilmen had offered to help find sponsors for the camp.

Eventually Mitchell offered to pay the swimming fees for campers herself. Prosper and Fuselier also pledged to help.

In other business, the council passed a rezoning for the Florsheim family property on Main Street and its neighboring lot, which currently houses a business. The council also approved paying a change order for work done on the Maison Duchamp once the work was inspected as well as a bill for work at the location from a previous project.

Prosper also asked Durand to determine how many pages of city finance records had been provided to Janine Smith Coleman last month in answer to her public records request and send her the appropriate bill at the city’s standard rate of 50 cents per page.