ST. MARTIN PARISH — After Monday’s Saint Martinville City Council meeting, residents will have the opportunity to change their local government structure, which has been in place for over 100 years. Mayor Jason Willis and local government consultant Karen White offered insight into the issue and the potential change that could reshape the city’s governance.
Since 1898, the City of Saint Martinville has been governed by a special legislative charter approved by the Louisiana Legislature. This charter vests the responsibility of managing the city's affairs in both the mayor and the city council. However, Mayor Jason Willis explained that the current system has led to confusion among council members over who holds authority in certain situations. “We started getting into a lot of conflicts and not agreeing on anything, and what that does is it doesn’t do anything and it hurts the people of Saint Martinville,” he said.
Karen White, a local government consultant, provided further context regarding the structure of Saint Martinville’s charter. “Saint Martinville is one of only 24 municipalities that operate under a legislative charter. It doesn't model the separation of powers doctrine that essentially every other government, including our federal and state government, operates under. Unfortunately, Saint Martinville’s charter, which dates back about 130 years, gives a disproportionate amount of what would be executive authority to the legislative branch,” White noted.
At Monday's city council meeting, the council voted to allow residents to decide whether to keep the current charter or switch to the Lawrason Act form of government. Mayor Willis emphasized that the Lawrason Act would provide clearer delineation of duties between the mayor and council members. “The Lawrason Act shows the mayor what his duties are, the council what their duties are, and if you end up crossing into somebody's lane, you can say, ‘Hold up, that’s my lane,’” Willis explained.
Under the Lawrason Act, the mayor would gain more authority in areas such as the hiring process of government workers, and the responsibilities of the council would be more clearly defined. White acknowledged the advantages of this system, stating, “Although no system is perfect, having a separation of powers model makes for the most effective form of government.”
Residents will have the opportunity to vote on this proposed change in the May 3 election.
