Lafourche council grants its members, president raises

The Lafourche Parish Council granted pay hikes to positions of the parish president and council seats that will take effect when the next term begins in 2016.

The parish president’s salary will nearly double when the new rates take hold, and salaries for most council seats will rise by about 23 percent from 2015 to 2016.

A 7-1 vote granted the parish president’s raise, with Councilman Daniel Lorraine in lone opposition.

“The parish president is in charge of the day-to-day activities, and I agree the salary, $65-70,000 is understated for a multi-million ($68.3 million) budget the parish president has to deal with, as well as the staffing and number of employees they are responsible for,” Councilman Phillip Gouaux said. “The parish president is also responsible for the parish during emergency situations. That’s a lot of weight on one person’s shoulders, to be making $70,000 a year.”

Parish President Charlotte Randolph will earn $72,317 this year, according to the parish budget.

Two years from now, the parish president will earn the average of the parish clerk of court’s, tax assessor’s and sheriff’s salaries. Councilman Lindel Toups, who sponsored the ordinance, said this would equate to roughly $130,000 based on compensation levels today. That would represent a roughly 79.8-percent raise.

Randolph, who stayed out of the council’s discussion, said after the meeting a compensation rate that puts the position closer in touch with the superintendent and other executives who serve the parish as a whole is warranted.

“It’s time for this position to be elevated to that level,” she said.

State laws regulate salaries for the three parishwide positions Lafourche chained its parish presidency to. Sheriffs are paid based on the Orleans Parish district judges’ compensation, and tax assessors and clerks of court receive salaries commiserate with parishwide populations.

Lafourche’s president’s salary will be adjusted annually. The human resources director is tasked with certifying the salary levels for the three positions the prior year.

The Home Rule Charter prohibits the council from granting council or parish president raises that take effect during the current term. The legislative body is also barred from approving raises to the positions in the last year of its term, which is next year.

The council rejected a raise for the parish president in 2010, with some members then stating voters would be given the opportunity to grant pay raises to elected officials. That didn’t occur.

Councilman Joe Fertitta, who opposed the raise in 2010, said he changed his mind because he’s come to consider the current pay rate an “insult” to the position. Fertitta also said the status quo would deter some people from qualifying as candidates for the position.

The parish president’s last raise was approved in 2005 – Randolph’s second year in office – by a 6-3 council vote. An amendment to the Charter permitted that raise to take effect immediately.

Lafourche Parish Government does not set term limits for its parish president or councilmembers.

Dist. 9 Councilman Lorraine said he voted against the raise because he believes the current rate is fair compensation.

Lorraine was joined by councilmen Fertitta and Phillip Gouaux in opposing the council raise, which bumped up the minimum rate to $17,064 per year with the chairman taking home $19,200, effective in 2016.

Councilmembers’ salaries will continue to rise by 2 percent each year, with no sunset date set according to the ordinance passed last week.

“It’s considered a part-time job,” said Councilman Jerry LaFont, who late last year tried to stop pay raises Randolph sought to give parish employees. “I’ve never had a part-time job where my phone rings so much and I’ve got to be everywhere. We only make $1,000 a month. I’m making $1,000 a day answering phones sometimes,” he joked. “It seems I should be paid that much with some of the complaints I get. … I’m in favor of it because it’s not much of a raise.”

The Charter set the councilmembers’ salary at $12,000 annually beginning in 2008 and provided for a 2-percent increase every year through 2027. Each district leader will bring home about $13,566 this year and $13,837 in 2015.

The jump from 2015 to 2016 will represent a 23-percent hike for eight councilmen. The chairman’s salary will increase by roughly 39 percent.

“I think we should serve for free,” Gouaux said.

Charlotte Randolph