The Westlake City Council and Mayor Hal McMillin honored Westlake High School athletes at its Monday meeting and Police Chief Chris Wylrie invited the public to attend a special inspection event at Westlake City Hall on Friday, May 19 at 11 a.m.

As part of Police Week, equipment and officers in dress uniforms will be at City Hall. Lunch will be served.

McMillin invited local veterans to attend The Mayor’s Armed Forces Council meetings held the second Monday of each month around 5:45 p.m. at City Hall. Officers for the coming year are Waymon Jones, Matthew Richard, Melissa Judkins and Richard Morgan.

McMillin reported on the City’s first trash pick up under his administration. Plans are already underway for the next event to include the acceptance of more types of trash as well as recyclables. McMillin picked up 500 cigarette butts, which are made of a material that can take 14 years to degrade.

“Those cigarette butts wash right into a storm sewer, right out to our rivers and that can affect our wildlife. So I’d ask you please don’t litter; don’t throw your cigarette butts out the window.”

Ordinances were introduced for amendments that could speed up the clean up of blighted properties in the City and have the possibility of impacting utility rates and discounts.

“Currently, it takes us from eight months to a year to go through the process of condemnation and demolition of these blighted properties,” McMillin said. “If we adopt the same procedures as the Parish, it could decrease the process to  four months. Moreover, the plan is to hire a City Inspector during this budget cycle who would train with the Parish to learn the process.”

Utility rates and discounts are reviewed every year during the budget cycle, according to McMillin. More discussion will ensue at the next Council meeting.

The City no longer owns the Post Office property. After 25 years of renting it at market rate, it will be purchased by the USPS for $310,000 as was set forth by the original contract.   

Westlake High School athletes honored at the Council Meeting were Collin Jones, LHSAA State Golf Champion; Jillian Garrett, who finished 6th in the state for shot put; Tristan Goodly, state champion in the outdoor long jump and triple jump; Olivia Bartlett, Simone Boyette and Kyla Winfrey, Girls Track LHSAA Academic All-State and the baseball team who made it to the State Quarter Finals. Those team members are Treylon Brown, Jackson Hardesty, Gavin Robertson, Gavyn Duraso, Gunnar Robertson, Brady Duplechin, Garyn Pearson, Jace Dawson, Ethan Koonce, Kameron Elliott, Kash Martin, Brody Boudreaux, hadley Hardesty, Konner Reinking, Adam Gaynard, AJ Lee, Conner Estes, Mason Powell, Cooper Cryer, Peyton Kile, Cooper Williams and Rieland Devillier. Coaches are Blake Reed, Keith Lemelle, Brett Diamond, Ethan Logan and Caleb Abshire.