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St. Martinville council asks voters to replace 1895 charter with Lawrason Act in May election
Summary
The St. Martinville City Council adopted a resolution to hold a special election May 3, 2025, asking voters whether to convert the city's 1895 legislative charter to government under the Lawrason Act; the mayor cast the tie-breaking vote to adopt the resolution.
The St. Martinville City Council voted Feb. 3 to call a special election on May 3, 2025 to ask residents whether the city should convert from its 1895 legislative charter to government under the Lawrason Act.
The resolution, offered by Councilwoman Flo Chatman and seconded by Councilman Jonas Fontenette, produced a split vote among council members. The tally recorded two yeas (Fontenette and Chatman), two nays (Mike Fuselier and Carol Frederick) and one abstention (Janise Anthony). Mayor Jason Willis cast the deciding yes vote, and the resolution was declared adopted. The resolution states that any conversion would take effect immediately after certification of election results by the Secretary of State.
City Attorney Allan L. Durand read a letter from attorney Chester Cedars asserting that the current charter hampers the city's ability to function. Consultant Karen White of Karen White Consulting summarized differences between special legislative charters and the Lawrason Act, noting, "24 out of 304 municipalities still operate under special legislative charters." The council recorded the recommendation to submit the proposition to voters and certified the resolution through City Clerk Lorrie M. Poirier.
Why it matters: converting to the Lawrason Act would replace a city-specific legislative charter with the standardized municipal governance rules in the Lawrason Act, changing the legal framework that governs mayoral and council powers, elections and administrative procedures. The council also separately authorized submission of Ordinance 20-05 (previously adopted in 2020) to the governor's office to amend the charter to provide term limits; that submission is a distinct administrative step already authorized by the body.
The special election is scheduled for May 3, 2025. The resolution becomes effective following certification of the election results by the Secretary of State.
