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DELCAMBRE - Five months into the Mayor Pam Blakely administration in Delcambre, the new mayor is still discovering items to cut in order to save the town money, and she also learned that some residents are not getting billed for utility services.
Blakely, from Delcambre who beat out long time mayor Carrol Broussard, has already stopped employees from using town vehicles for personal use. She also got rid of using Cintas for work uniforms and providing rugs for city hall. Total savings of just over $1,000 a month.
Through her looking at the financial books and bills, she recently learned that a handful of residents were not getting a bill from the town for water, sewerage and trash pick up.
This has been taking place since 2012.
After Blakely added the total amount the town lost because of at least five residents not paying a bill, it equaled to just under $15,000.
One resident’s savings over five years totaled $5,500 while another’s totaled $4,000.
She is looking into why these residents never received a bill. But as of this month, those residents will begin getting a bill from the town.
Blakely said those residents will not get off cheap. The town plans to send them a letter letting them know that they owe the town money for free services they have been getting over the years.
One of the things Blakely and the aldermen did not decide is how the residents will pay back the town.
In her short five months, Blakey also learned that some workers had I-phones and the bills were being paid by the Delcambre residents. It was not uncommon for the town to pay cell phone bills that totalled $1,300 a month, because many had I-Phones.
No longer.
Now, the aldermen voted to do away with I-phones, unless it is the employee’s personal phone, and give the town employee two options.
The first option is for the town to furnish city workers with a flip phone and pay the monthly bill.
The second option is for the town employee to use their personal phone and town contributes $30 or $50 a month towards their cell phone bill.
The head of the department will be paid a stipend of $50 a month and a city worker will get $30.
Alderman Tim Derise asked the question, what if a city worker drops his personal cell phone in the water, will the town pay for a new phone? Blakely said no. They have the option of using a town’s cell phone for free, she said.
The aldermen were also informed that the town’s garbage pickup will be going up just over a dollar a month more. Blakely said Progressive, the company that picks up garbage in the Iberia Parish side of the town, is raising its rates from $12.51 a month to $13.99 a month. The town will be billed the increase and the town will pass it on to Delcambre residents.

Abbeville High baseball team had only one player land either on the first or second all-district team.
Abbeville first baseman Hunter Duhon, a junior, was selected on the District 5-4A first team, which was selected by the district coaches.
Duhon hit .704 in district with three home runs.
The Wildcats finished the overall season 15-15, and they also won three district games (3-9) under second-year head coach Joey Roy.
The player of the year in district is Cale Boudreaux of Cecilia. The coach of the year is Kyle Cormier of Breaux Bridge.
On the first team, Cecilia and Breaux Bridge had six players each.
On the second team, Breaux Bridge landed five players each. The BBHS Tigers had a total of 11 players on the first and second team and Cecilia had 10.
Out of 34 positions on the first and second team, Abbeville and St. Martinville got one each.
Roy was not happy when he left the all-district meeting.
“So when you think about it, when they have their starting nine on the field, they still have someone on the bench better than my second best player who hit .464,” said Roy.
The Wildcats did manage to land four on the honorable mention team. They are juniors Kyle Choate, Channing Spears, Dominic Nunez and senior Damien Landry.
On the girls all-district softball team, Abbeville’s Alexis Broussard, a senior, made first team all-district outfielder. Cecilia’s Chalisse Huval, pitcher, was voted the MVP of the district.
Abbeville also had two on the second team: Brandi Pedigo at second base and Holli Mire at short stop.
Ann Marie Richard was selected as a utility player on the second team.
Abbeville’s Chelsea Baudoin and Calley Roper were honorable mention selections.

LAFAYETTE — Undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees will be conferred during the University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Spring 2017 Commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 12, at the Cajundome and Convention Center and at Bourgeois Hall.
The General Assembly will be held at 11 a.m. at the Cajundome. Doctoral candidates will be hooded at this session. All graduating seniors and faculty members will attend, wearing full academic regalia.
Master’s and bachelor’s degrees will be conferred at ceremonies for each academic college. A schedule and locations are below.

Cajundome
8:30 a.m. College of Liberal Arts
1:30 p.m. B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration

Cajundome Convention Center - Exhibit Hall A and B (1st floor)
8:30 a.m. College of Education
1:30 p.m. College of Engineering

Cajundome Convention Center - Festival Ballroom (2nd floor)
8:30 a.m. College of the Arts
1:30 p.m. Ray P. Authement College of Sciences

Bourgeois Hall
8:30 a.m. College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions
1:30 p.m. University College

The General Assembly will be broadcast on the Internet via livestream. It can be accessed for free via computer, smartphone or tablet. Users can create an account or log in with their Facebook account information.
Parking for the general public will be available at Cajun Field; motorists are encouraged to enter through Gate 8 on West Congress Street, and through Gate 11 on Souvenir Gate. Security measures will be in place at the Cajundome and Convention Center, and at Bourgeois Hall. University Police officers will examine the contents of purses, bags, and packages of attendees. Extremely large bags or oversized packages won’t be permitted inside the Commencement venues.
Learn more about Spring 2017 Commencement at commencement.louisiana.edu.