Ville Platte City Council - Meeting, Tuesday, February 6, 2024 The Ville Platte City Council met Tuesday night, and Council members asked about specific drainage ditches and sewer lines, and requested signs for churches and schools as well as cross walks. The City Council also voted to set Utility Deposit Rates for Residential Customers at $75.00 and Commercial Customers at $150.00. Charles Tate and Sarahi Sawtelle presented their request for a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with the City. Freedom Family Church is planning to build two outdoor courts behind the Hundredfold Coffee building as well as an indoor facility for inclement weather in order to provide supervised activities for children in the Parish. Under the CEA, they requested $6,000 to go towards the expense of completing the courts and buying the necessary supplies. The Council approved the Resolution. The City Engineer, Ronnie Landreneau, updated the Council on various projects. The Phase 4 Water Improvement Project has been funded. The plan is to refurbish all the lift stations. The estimated time to start is 45-60 days, with an estimated completion time of 6-9 months. Mr. Landreneau recommended a Subsurface Evaluation of Utilities. The State has approved the plans for the Heritage Garden. A few changes are needed to meet federal guidelines, and they are about 2 weeks from getting approval to get bids. The preliminary plans are finished for the big parks. The design and construction is approved for half of the project, and they are working with our Representative and Senator for the second half. Fire Chief Chris Soileau reported from the Fire Department. The water leaks under discussion also affect fire prevention and ratings, and he indicated that they may need to change out some fire hydrants. There were 31 incidents handled by the Fire Department in January. In the City, there were three structural fires, one electrical wiring, one carbon monoxide related, one cooking fire and one travel trailer. If you have a generator, you should have a carbon monoxide detector. The Fire Department is working to replenish their staffing. They are recruiting volunteers for the junior program, advertising and taking applications. Chief Soileau introduced and obtained Council approval to hire Dennis Scott as a Full Time Probationer Firefighter/Operator and Christopher White as a Full Time Provisional Firefighter/Operator. The Police Chief, Al Perry Thomas, reported to the Mayor that there were 633 calls in January – down 151 from December. The police made a total of 30 arrests and three of those were felony arrests. There were 20 accidents, four with injuries. The Mayor reported the following: 1. He appointed Eric Fontenot to Cabot’s Economic Development Board. 2. The City street and drainage crews are staying on the Canal project. The sewer issue is an obstruction. The City invested in a pipeline inspection camera. It showed that 125’ from the man hole, there was a tree root growing through the main line. Two Sewer Pipe Jetter Machines were purchased to clear the pipes. 3. There have been numerous calls to add or repair street lights. The Mayor is looking into some new long term solutions. Please report street lights that are out so they can be addressed. 4. The City is going to participate in the Clearance Program created to address and eliminate slum and blight. The Council approved a Resolution for the City’s application for the 2023-2024 LGAP. This is the Local Government Assistance Program - $50,000 for the removal of blighted and abandoned properties. The next meeting will be Tuesday, March