The Mandeville City Council voted 4-1 Thursday night to invoke its authority and hire an outside agency to investigate an incident involving Mayor Eddie Price.

Soon after this spring’s Causeway tollbooth incident that caused several members of the Causeway Police Department to lose their jobs, Mandeville Police Chief Tom Buell reported that two of his officers came forward and told him of an incident involving the mayor one night in 2006. They said they stopped Price for driving erratically and brought him back to City Hall without issuing a citation or field sobriety test. Several hours later they received a call from a local gas station worker notifying them Price was at the station and in no condition to drive.

By the time the officers arrived at the station, Price had already driven off. Buell admitted the department would conduct its own investigation of the incident, but Mayor Pro Tem Trilby Lenfant said earlier this week she believed an investigation should be carried out by an external, independent agency.

During Thursday night’s council meeting, Lenfant read a handwritten statement supporting the recent independent report released by the Metropolitan Crime Commission on the general workings of the MPD.

“In continuing with this commitment, I believe it is incumbent upon the council to conduct an independent investigation into the alleged incident of 2006 recently reported in the media involving Mayor Price and the Mandeville Police Department,” Lenfant said.

She continued, saying the investigation would primarily focus on the proper procedures and policies currently in place related to drunk driving and if these procedures were properly followed at the time of the incident.

The majority vote passed the resolution, and Lenfant said details of when and who would conduct the investigation are unavailable at this time.

The lone nay came from Councilwoman Adelaide Boettner, who said she voted against the resolution because she felt it is too soon for an investigation.

“It just came out, and I think the police department, the chief, administration and police officers need a little more time to digest it,” she said.

This decision came the day after Price relinquished the keys to his city-owned Ford Expedition after admitting he had enrolled in a 13-week counseling program after the release of details about the Causeway incident and now the MPD incident, where alcohol played a major role in both events.

Thursday night also marked the first meeting of the newly formed council, with rookie council members Jeff Bernard and Carla Bucholz welcomed to their seats.