As the Gonzales City Council prepares for Monday’s vote on the city's budget, at least two council members say they will not approve it because it includes more than $280,000 for several job positions not created by the council.
The budget conflict concerns how much power Mayor Tim Riley should wield. Several council members insist the mayor must seek council approval when creating new government jobs in his administration, pointing to an ordinance created roughly two decades ago that says as much.
Riley argues the ordinance violates the Lawrason Act, which states that no “ordinance may limit the authority granted to the mayor by this Paragraph.” Earlier this year, he asked the Louisiana Attorney General for an opinion on whether the ordinance unlawfully infringes on his mayoral powers. The office has yet to issue an opinion.
Additionally, the ordinance has yet to be enforced. Violations of city ordinances are punishable with 60 days in jail, a $500 fine or both. Every day a violation occurs counts as a separate offense.
Multiple new positions in budget
Riley said Friday that his administration is currently funding two roles not created by the council: a chief of staff position paid around $94,000 annually and a Department of Public Works secretary role. He said he consulted former City Attorney Matthew Percy, the Louisiana Municipal Association and the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s office before creating the two roles.
In the proposed budget, Riley seeks to also fund four new jobs: a purchasing manager, a warehouse associate, a business license clerk and a human resources clerk. Riley said people working at City Hall have asked for those positions and that the jobs would “be able to get the city running more efficiently.”
Mayor Timothy Riley bangs the gavel after the vote on the city clerk position that failed on Monday, August 11, 2025 at the Gonzales City Hall in Gonzales, Louisiana.
The salaries for those positions cost roughly $194,000, according to an email Division D Council Member Tyler Turner sent to Riley on Aug. 18. Turner said he won’t vote for the budget unless those four positions and the chief of staff job are removed from it.
Division E Council Member Terri Lambert wrote in an email to Riley that she wanted the DPW secretary role removed as well and argued the ordinance is legal until a court determines otherwise.
“You failed to file a lawsuit or ask for an Attorney General Opinion in advance of unilaterally creating and funding the ‘Chief of Staff’ & ‘DPW Secretary’ positions without Council approval,” she added.
Budget approval seems tenuous
The city has been operating with a roughly $11 million general fund for more than 100 days, as state law requires municipalities to use half the previous year’s budget if a new one is not ratified. Riley has said he could start having to make cuts in November if no budget is approved by then.
In an emailed response to Turner, Riley wrote that the failure to pass a budget “is not acceptable” and said he expected the Attorney General’s Office to issue a favorable opinion for him about the ordinance.
“I will not accept a General Fund Budget which limits this administration's ability to operate our city, which, in my view, your proposal would do,” he added about Turner’s request to remove the positions. “Should your proposal be adopted by a majority of the council, I will exercise the mayoral veto.”
Gonzales councilman Tyler J. Turner listens to an issue posed by councilman Kirk Boudreaux before voting on the city clerk issue on Monday, August 11, 2025 at the Gonzales City Hall in Gonzales, Louisiana.
Monday’s public hearing and vote are set for 5:30 p.m. at the Gonzales City Hall. The council has previously rejected Riley’s budget, and three council members must vote for it to pass. Following this week's email exchanges, that appears tenuous.
In her email to Riley, Lambert wrote that she “will not compromise with you or your Administration on the Budget when I believe there is a clear violation of the Gonzales City Code.”
“It will be a very dark day in Gonzales' history when we approve a Budget laden with political patronage positions, rather than a healthy Budget, which benefits the welfare of our citizens and the future of the City of Gonzales,” she added.
