Brakes Applied On 2025-26 Budget
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Landry Now.com Editor
Although the Opelousas Board of Aldermen approved a 2024-25 budget during a special meeting on Thursday night, there are still some questions about what lies ahead financially for the city next year.
At this point the Board is expected to again debate the acceptance for a new budget which becomes effective Sept. 1.
That opportunity will occur when the Board convenes a regular September meeting.
Alderwoman Sherrell Roberts and alderman Charles Cummings cast “no votes” on Thursday, which blocked passage of the 2025-26 budget ordinance.
The 2-2 vote included approval from alderman-at-large Marvin Richard and Budget Committee chairman John Guilbeaux. Alderwomen Delita Broussard and Chasity Davis-Warren were absent.
A major expenditure for 2025-26 includes the 2.5 percent annual salary supplements for city workers.
Salaries for city workers are projected to cost $4.36 million for city employees. The additional 2.5 percent adds $87,798.
Roberts thinks there is room for budgetary adjustments which could move money from the city administration and municipal police accounts into the general fund in order to increase revenues for infrastructure projects.
Roberts says she also feels there are problems with efforts to remove a $500 monthly car allowance for city CAO Anthony Daniel, who according to Roberts, commutes to Opelousas from his home in Lafayette.
During the meeting Roberts told Guilbeaux, “You can’t just take away something that has already been given. I think this is something that needs to be looked at,” Roberts added.
Roberts is interested in making further inquiries about the projected budget for the upcoming year.
Roberts says there is still more budget information she needs to discuss with City Treasurer LaWanda St. Ann.
Alderman Charles Cummings questioned Mayor Julius Alsandor at length during the two-hour meeting about the number of city-owned vehicles that are taken home by municipal employees.
Cummings also questioned Alsandor about which employees have access to city-issued credit cards.
Alsandor identified 13 vehicles that are routinely driven to residences by municipal workers.
“I’m just looking for transparency,” Cummings told Alsandor during the meeting.
Opelousas Fire Chief Bryan Chavis said he and the departmental training officer drive vehicles to their homes in Lafayette.
St. Ann said the annual 1-cent, citywide sales tax approved by voters on Aug. 16, will be collected starting Oct. 1.
The current 2025-26 budget does not include revenue projections for the reinstatement of the sales tax, St. Ann said.
St. Ann said she has informed the Board about the city budget status each month with statements provided to them during meetings.
Beginning in May, St. Ann pointed out, she began meeting with city department heads and after the meetings.
At the end of the discussions, St. Ann pointed out, the department heads have agreed to 10 percent cuts for 2025-26.
St. Ann told the Board that she offered to meet with each of them last Thursday about questions they might have had about the budget.
“No one showed up and I was here all day. To say we need more time, nothing has changed (with the budget) in over a month,” said St. Ann.
St. Ann added that she still has to calculate the expenses and revenues from August, before providing a final picture for 2024-25 and asked why some on the Board still have questions about city finances.
“The budget shows where we are and what’s the balance. You have 11 months of information. It’s baffling to me why you didn’t ask questions,” St. Ann said.
