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New Iberia council advances ordinances to limit standing-water damage and ban grass clippings in storm drains
Summary
The City of New Iberia introduced and advanced two ordinances aimed at reducing neighborhood flooding and storm-drain blockages: one penalizes operating vehicles that create wakes in standing floodwater; the other bans discharging grass clippings and lawn debris into streets and storm drains and allows enforcement using cameras and private video.
The New Iberia City Council moved forward on two measures intended to reduce flooding damage and clogged drains after recent heavy rains.
The council introduced Ordinance No. 2025-11, amending section 86‑1‑30 of the city code to prohibit operation of vehicles in standing water when that operation creates a hazardous wake or contributes to flooding damage. The ordinance establishes enforcement by the police department, allows for fines and contemplates enforcement using the city's electronic surveillance. The mayor said the penalty for creating a wake in a flood event is $1,000 and urged public education about the change.
Council members discussed enforcement and public outreach. Councilman David Merrill said the measure addresses a public‑safety hazard: “You shouldn’t be driving that fast when you got streets full of water like that.” The mayor added enforcement will include outreach and education: “We don’t want the money, but it's a battle of inches,” he said, noting that a single inch of additional water can flood homes.
The council also introduced Ordinance No. 2025-13 to amend section 70‑4 of the code to prohibit discharging grass clippings and lawn debris onto public streets, sidewalks and storm drains; the ordinance sets penalties and provides for enforcement and the use of video evidence. Council discussion covered whether police must witness violations or whether private camera footage could be used; council members said home videos and other footage will be admissible evidence but complainants may need to be prepared to testify.
Council members and staff discussed next steps: public education, posting information on the city's Facebook page and using the new ordinance language to give code enforcement more authority when first issuing warnings. The ordinances were introduced and set for public hearing on June 3; the council called for members to vote by machine on the measures at the meeting and proceeded to the next agenda items after the vote was called.
