Monday’s city council meeting was the first for newly installed Mayor Melinda Mitchell and it was standing room only at city hall. A light agenda and Mitchell’s easy-going nature made for a smooth christening of the new administration.
At the mayor’s request, the council approved a change of firms to conduct municipal audits. “I think it would be a good idea to have a fresh set of eyes looking at our finances,” she said. Kolder, Slaven and Co. LLC will take over the city audit contract, replacing Champagne and Co. LLC of Breaux Bridge.
Another change requested by the mayor, but tabled for the time being, is a switch from a city-provided vehicle to an allowance for the use of her own car. A monthly allowance in the range of $570 to $670 was suggested as a figure that will keep the cost to the city about the same.
The measure was tabled to allow a full comparison to be made. Either way, the city traditionally pays all costs of the mayor’s vehicle for both personal and official use.
In other business, Dist. 1 councilman Mike Fuselier proposed that the Louisiana Dept. of Transportation and Development be petitioned to remedy a problem on LA 96/Bridge Street. Vehicles passing over a metal cover on a storm drain just west of the bridge has been the cause of several noise complaints. The measure passed.
Also, a question tabled at the previous meeting regarding salvage vehicles and equipment was resolved. A resident questioned whether sufficient legal notice was given for bids to purchase the vehicles. Dist. 2 councilman Craig prosper said he had researched the issue and found that two notices of the sale were published.
State law requires only one notice, so the procedure followed was more than adequate. The contracted sales, therefore, will go forward.
And, the council gave approval for the mayor to sign a certificate of substantial completion for Bulliard Construction Co.’s renovations to the Maison Duchamp building. The mayor and council now have 45 days to inspect the work and produce a punch list before full payment will be authorized.
Finally, a resolution was passed to place Mitchell’s name as signatory on all city bank accounts and official documents.