Harahan council rejects resolution urging hiring, salary freeze for non–civil-service employees

Councilman Asville introduced a resolution July 17 asking the Harahan City Council to express a hiring and salary freeze for all non–civil-service employees through Dec. 31, 2025. The measure, introduced from the floor, was intended to signal the council’s preference while recognizing it does not bind the mayor.

The resolution’s sponsor, Councilman Asville, said the text was meant as a “signal to the public” while acknowledging it “doesn’t hold the force of law against the mayor. If he goes out tomorrow and hires 10 people, he does that.” He said the goal was to pause new hiring until the council had up-to-date budget projections.

Council members discussed several practical exceptions. Councilman Asville accepted an amendment adding a carve-out for maintenance staffing: the mayor may hire to maintain the maintenance department at five employees “not to exceed the current budget.” The amendment passed on a separate voice vote, but the full resolution as amended did not.

Opponents argued the resolution would encroach on executive authority. Mayor Timothy Baudier said he opposed the resolution as an overreach and warned he would veto it if it passed, calling it a limitation on his ability to manage city personnel. Several council members said they were sympathetic to the goal of better budget transparency but not to restricting the mayor’s hiring authority.

Council members also pressed on immediate maintenance staffing needs raised during the debate. Speakers said the maintenance department had recently lost staff to illness and resignation and that the city could be short-handed for grounds and sewer work. Council discussion included repeated estimates that the department should be maintained at five workers to meet current responsibilities.

After debate, the resolution failed on a recorded council vote. The clerk announced the motion did not pass.

The council did not adopt any binding hiring restrictions; the record shows only a nonbinding resolution was considered and rejected. Members repeatedly urged the finance director to provide month‑to‑date numbers so the council could decide on personnel and line‑item adjustments with more complete information.

Next steps: Finance Director Todd Turney told the council staff would close books through June 30 and provide reconciled numbers in advance of the August meeting; council members said they would revisit staffing and budget items once those figures are available.