School board bond issue passes parishwide
St. Martinville voters overwhelmingly chose Saturday to adopt a new model for governing the city, adopting the Lawrason Act by a 2-1 margin at the polls.
A parishwide $30 million school bond also was passed by a similar margin, with 60 percent voting “Yes” Saturday for a general obligation bond that the school board plans to use to finance capital expenditures including construction, acquisition and improvements to schools.
About 9.6 percent of the parish’s 35,505 registered voters went to the polling precincts Saturday, and 3410 votes cast.
Voter turnout in St. Martinville was much higher with 1,447 votes cast, 38.5 percent of the city’s 3,755 registered voters.
In St. Martinville, 975 voters said yes to the Lawrason Act (67.4 percent) and 472 voted no (32.6 percent).
The issue had divided the city council and mayor when it was proposed in February, with Mayor Jason Willis breaking a 2-2 tie vote on the council to add the issue to the May ballot.
Council members Mike Fuselier and Carol Frederick had voted against the proposal and Flo Chatman and Jonas Fontenette had voted for it. Janise Anthony abstained on that vote.
Fuselier and Frederick argued that the city’s special legislative charter, established in 1898, was needed to ensure that no single person as mayor would have too much power. The city is one of 24 in the state governed under a legislative charter.
The Lawrason Act gives the mayor broader administrative powers, including setting the agenda for council meetings, as well as daily supervision of city employees and the right to hire or fire city employees without council approval.
Under the Lawrason Act, which is used byabout 250 villages, towns and cities in the state, the council must approve the hiring or firing of a nonelected chief of police, the city clerk, the city attorney, or any department head.
Election
The board of aldermen (city council), however, can call a special meeting at any time to discuss any agenda item by a simple majority vote, and the mayor cannot keep items off the agenda for those meetings.
The city council also retains strong budgetary control under the Lawrason Act, approving all expenditures and approving or denying the mayor’s proposed budget. The mayor cannot spend any money not approved by the council under the Lawrason Act.
The school board bond issued passed with 2,043 Yes votes (59.9 percent) to 1,367 No votes (40.1 percent).
