Council also informed of Registrar of Voters vacancy
– A St. Martin Parish resident asked the St. Martin Parish Council at its meeting on Jan. 6 to consider changing its contract for work being done on the Cypress Island/ Joe Daigre Drainage System Maintenance Project to include removing all the trees along the drainage canal instead of just those directly in the right of way that block access for clearing the canals.
Billy Broussard of Breaux Bridge said that the work done in clearing the drainage canals usually kills the trees that are left standing after the work because the root systems are so damaged by clearing the canals.
Broussard said he had seen that happen to trees along drainage canals of property he owns, and other properties. What happens is the tree eventually dies, then begins to rot and fallen limbs and tree trunks go into the drainage canals soon after and clog them, costing the parish more money when it has to clear the drainage canals again.
Either cutting all the trees in the rightsof- way as low as possible, and grinding the stumps, or removing the trees completely from the rights-of-way along the drainage canals costs a little more initially, he said, but saves the parish having to clear the canals again once those trees die.
Council Chairman Chris Tauzin thanked Broussard for bringing the issue up but told him that the council could not do that for the current project because it was only allowed to vote to accept the low bid for Phase II of the project, which was a $1,227,872 by Down South Construction Services.
Trees
Broussard was invited to talk to either Parish President Pete Delcambre or the head of the parish Public Works department about the issue.
Delcambre also thanked Broussard for bringing the matter to the council’s attention and said he would be willing to meet with Broussard to talk about it and try to ensure that the council keeps that issue in mind for future drainage clearing projects.
Councilwoman Carla JeanBatiste also addressed continuing roadwork for the Industrial Park in Cade, which has led to one-way traffic in some areas near U.S. 90.
“Please bear with us,” she said. “I know this is a long project and it’s an inconvenience, but the end results will be real good. Right now it’s a one-way when you come up the Industrial Park, you either can go right or left, which will bring you coming around up to 90, and then that roadway is just a one-way, so you can come down from 90 on the Parkway. I just wanted to remind everybody to just be patient while we finish this major project.”
Tauzin tied that request in to a general one for the public regarding the parish Public Works Department’s road repairs projects throughout the parish.
“A lot of our road projects are going to be starting, so the same thing with that, just be patient,” he said. “The roads need to get repaired and I’m sure they’re going to work diligently to get the work done. We’ve got to put up with the bad to get to the good. I’m sure we’ll be traveling on good roads soon.”
Council officers
The council also voted in new officers for the 2026 calendar year, with Chris Tauzin re-elected as council chairman, Chris Courville voted in as council vice-chairman and Vincent Alexander elected Temporary Presiding Officer.
Alexander was also nominated by Councilwoman Tangie Narcisse for both council chairman and council vice-chairman but lost both of those votes by 7-2 margins.
Resolutions
The council passed a resolution acknowledging the resignation of parish Registrar of Voters Patricia Guidry effective Jan. 31, and declaring that a vacancy will exist starting on Feb. 1.
The resolution also sets the procedure and deadlines for filling the vacancy. Applications for the position should be sent either via email to bgillespie@ stmartinparish. net or hand delivered or mailed to 301 W. Port St., St. Martinville, LA 70582.
All applications and resumes will be made to the attention of the St. Martin Parish Council, Attention: Clerk of the Council, Brooke Thibodeaux.
The council also passed resolutions that:
• authorized the parish president to execute a change order for an increase of $54,360.24 for the Burlington North Santa Fe railroad crossing portion of the Spanish Trail Industrial Park Access Road Project;
• authorizing the parish president to execute a change order for an increase of $42,129.49 and a nine-day contract time extension for the Henderson Water Level Control Structure Repairs Project by Reliant Industrial Solutions; • awarding the contract for the Cypress Island/ Joe Daigre Drainage System Maintenance Project - Phase II to low bidder Down South Construction Services for $1,227,872;
• approving the budget for the Acadiana Criminalistics Laboratory for 2026;
• authorizing the parish president to enter into a contract with Sheriff Becket Breaux for a trusty crew for maintenance work;
• reappointing Travis Latiolais to serve as a member of the St. Martin Parish Board of Waterworks Commissioners District No. 4;
• and a resolution opting out of the statewide solar siting requirements.
Ordinances
The council introduced several ordinances for publication, including ones that:
• increased the speed limit to 45 mph on Division Road in Arnaudville;
• established collection fees at the Uncle Dick Davis Park;
• and prohibiting the parking of motor vehicles on either side of Orchard Park Drive in District 7.
