Lafayette Councils Set Joint Meeting To Override Guillory’s Veto

The Lafayette City and Parish Councils are set to hold a joint meeting on Tuesday, October 4, to override Mayor-President Josh Guillory's veto of their budget.

Previously, the councils had both passed an amended budget that did not include nearly a quarter of a million dollars in raises for top officials working for Lafayette Consolidated Government.

Guillory proposed the increases for his department directors, who are unique among LCG employees in that they serve at the pleasure of the mayor-president and are not protected by civil service rules.

Council members previously have balked at the size of some of the raises. Guillory asked that five of the positions received $25,000 or more in annual pay bumps after receiving a 2% cost-of-living raise earlier this summer.

In previous budget meetings, council members objected to the increases, saying they were too large and that they far exceed the pay for comparable positions in the consolidated governments of East Baton Rouge and Terrebonne parishes.

However, Guillory restored the raises to the budget using line-item veto powers. The City and Parish Councils have since come back and decided they would challenge that veto, holding a joint meeting to override that as the battle between Lafayette's legislative and executive branches rages on.

The agenda states that "In accordance with Section 2-13(C) of the Lafayette City-Parish Consolidated Government Home Rule Charter, vetoed ordinances shall be submitted to the Lafayette Parish Council and the Lafayette City Council no later than the next regular meeting held after publication of veto statement."

October 4 is the next available regular meeting and the councils will meet and are expected to override Guillory's veto.