Following major decisions at the Ville Platte City Council's July regular meeting, the city will have another choice in ambulance service and ten new single-family homes. In a unanimous decision the Council voted Tuesday to allow MedExpress Ambulance Service to operate in the city limits. Up to this point, only Acadian Ambulance served Ville Platte. MedExpress will now begin looking for a location in the city to put its office, where it will house one unit. Until then, its ambulances will be dispatched from Opelousas. Director of Operations Tyler Martin told the Council that the move will bring eight jobs to the city, including four EMT positions, four paramedic positions, and two office jobs. He said that MedExpress is committed to having local workers fill the jobs. Mayor Jennifer Vidrine said that she has already spoken to Evangeline Parish 911, which told her that there would be no problems with rotating the calls between Acadian and MedExpress. Martin told the Council that having two ambulance services in the city would ensure that the patient is always getting the closest ambulance in the case of an emergency. Although MedExpress can only operate within the city limits for emergency calls, Martin also told the Council that the company is investigating putting a unit in Mamou, and possibly one in Vidrine. MedExpress has a VIP Membership plan that does not have any membership fees. Anyone who is enrolled in the VIP plan receives up to 30 percent off of transportation costs. Martin and MedExpress attorney Alyssa Tassin emphasized the community outreach that MedExpress is dedicated to providing, including cooperating with public schools to conduct EMT classes and partnering with the police department for telemedicine. In another important decision, the Council agreed to sell twelve lots in the Eloi Demourelle Subdivision along North Dossman Street to Community Directions, Inc., for $20,000. The non-profit organization based in Opelousas will develop the 1.7 acre property, building ten single-family detached homes for rent or purchase. The homes will have two bedrooms. Chad Hesnor Contractors will build the homes, using local laborers and purchasing the material locally. In other business, Mayor Vidrine reminded residents and business owners of the Gov. Edward's recent mandate for people to wear masks. "The City of Ville Platte is following the mandate," Vidrine said. "We are also requesting that business put a sign on its doors when entering that masks are required." "Let's take politics out of it," she said. "It's not political. It's about health. It's to save lives. Be kind. Be considerate. Be good Ville Platte human beings that car about each other." In an interview with KVPI after the meeting, Vidrine said that business that fail to enforce the mask mandate could be cited, but the citations do not apply to individuals. Before citing the businesses, Vidrine said that the police would first have a discussion with the business owner to emphasize the seriousness of following the mandate. "But, I hope it doesn't come to that," she said. The mayor added that the citywide curfew is still in effect: from 11 pm – 5 am for adults; and from 8 pm – 6 am for minors. Councilman Bryant Riggs suggested a bonus program to help with hiring police officers. He noted that Ville Platte has raised it's salary to $15/hour for officers, which is higher than the surrounding police departments. Riggs mentioned that both Opelousas and Eunice pay just $12/hour for its officers. He suggested a hiring bonus for experienced, post-certified new hires. Mayor Vidrine said that the city's legal department will look into the possibility of such a program and implement it if possible. "Unlike in other places of the United States," Vidrine said, "we do not believe in defunding the police. In fact, we added $300,000 to the police budget. The City Council has done everything in its power to have officers on the road patrolling and protecting our community." Vidrine reminded the public that there are openings in the police department and encouraged people to pick up an application. She also noted that there are currently 12 positions open in the city's street department, and encouraged people to apply for those positions. The Council approved spending $18,040 to repair a cave-in at the intersection of South Dossman and Magnolia streets. According to City Engineer Ronnie Landreneau, there is a chance that the cost could go up if the proposed method of repair isn't feasible. Mayor Vidrine announced a partnership with Evangeline Parish Tourism to clean up and improve Heritage Park.