VP Council talks ordinance amendment, reflective gear

Meeting a day earlier due to federal elections on Tuesday, the Ville Platte City Council approved an amendment to its culverts ordinance Monday evening. It also heard discussion of its reflective gear ordinance.
Spurred by the historic rain and subsequent flooding in August, the Council dusted off an existing ordinance directing the installation of culverts. The ordinance, which had not been enforced, requires property owners to get a permit to install culverts. After receiving the permit, the City will install the culvert, making sure that the work maintains proper drainage.
The amendments to the ordinance are minor. They include adding PVC pipe to the list of materials and requiring a catch basin every 50 feet.
The most important part of the ordinance, according to Mayor Jennifer Vidrine, is that it will be enforced from now on. Because people have not been properly installing the culverts, it has caused poor drainage and flooding.
“Going forward,” she said, “we will have a more pleasant situation.”
Vidrine noted that if property owners do not follow the approved procedure, the City will remove the culvert and reinstall it, tacking on the cost to the owner’s property taxes.
In connection with the drainage problems, the mayor announced a windfall from FEMA: the federal agency will pay for at least six workers to help clean out ditches and drainage in Ville Platte for the next year.
FEMA has approved 18 workers for the entire parish but if the other municipalities don’t meet FEMA requirements then Ville Platte could receive more than the allotted six workers.
“We are glad to have the assistance of FEMA in cleaning out our drainage systems,” Vidrine said. “For our residents, if there is a ditch in front of your house that needs to be cleaned, then call us.”
Alex “Sonny” Chapman addressed the Council with concerns about Ville Platte’s reflective gear ordinance. Chapman suggested that, like the curfew ordinance, the reflective gear ordinance may be unconstitutional.
The ordinance requires people to wear reflective clothing after dark if they are walking the streets of the city. The ordinance does not specify what kind of clothing is required; only that it be visible from all directions.
Chapman, a defense attorney, noted that the ACLU is continuing to monitor Ville Platte. He said that a law like the reflective gear ordinance could end up excluding important evidence collected during a stop-and-frisk.
He noted that when a police officer stops someone without reflective gear to issue a citation, the officer can conduct a search of the person. Defense lawyers could claim because the ordinance leading to the search was unconstitutional, then anything found in the subsequent search could be ruled inadmissible as evidence.
“If a weapon is found on the person that can be traced to a serious crime” like murder, Chapman warned, “then the courts might throw that evidence out.”
Chapman also complained about two other aspects of the reflective gear ordinance. He worried about the financial impact on the city’s residents and felt that it placed an undue inconvenience on people.
“People who are cited for this ordinance end up having to pay $217 for the fine and court costs,” he said. “It might be good money for the City, but it comes on the backs of people who can’t afford it.”
Chapman gave a personal example of what he considers an onerous aspect of the ordinance.
“I recently got a new dog, and I take it for a walk in the evening,” he explained. “Now, I have to worry about putting on reflective clothing just to go around the block. It makes me wonder, is this still America that I’m living in.”
The mayor and councilmen responded by saying that their ordinance is meant to protect residents.
“This is not about money. It’s about saving lives,” Vidrine said. “We’ve had people killed on our streets because they got run over. They were walking in the street, and drivers couldn’t see them.”
Police Chief Neil Lartigue agreed with Vidrine, adding, “This also is for drivers. I wouldn’t want my 16-year-old daughter to hit someone without reflective gear, and have to live with that the rest of their lives.”
Councilman Bryant Riggs mentioned he has benefited from the ordinance, but he also was hesitant to give it a full-throated endorsement.
“This has helped me not to hit people because they were wearing reflective clothes,” Bryant said. “I know that it has created some touchy-touchy feelings, and it might need to be looked at.”
While promising to have the City’s legal department look at the ordinance, Vidrine added that the City is currently doing its part to improve visibility at night.
“We’re putting up new street lights and brand new 400 watt bulbs,” she said. “We’re cutting tree limbs across the city. We’re trying to make a safer situation, but there are some areas of town that we still can’t see well in.”
The Council voted to raise the pay for the chief of police to $51,454.77; and the city marshal to $39,382.56.
In other business, Vidrine told the Council that sales tax receipts are up nearly ten percent over last year. “I want to thank our citizens for shopping here and our business owners for making it so attractive for their customers to stay in town.”
Vidrine announced that the Christmas decorations are going up across town and in City Hall. However, she said, they won’t be lit until Dec. 1. The Christmas Parade will be on Dec. 11 at 5:30 p.m.