The Harahan City Council voted June 26 to create the position of deputy municipal clerk (Ordinance 2025-4) and later set the compensation for that municipal officer at $42,000 (Ordinance 2025-6).

Council debate was lengthy. Supporters said the municipal clerk is a critical position that requires a trained backup to maintain continuity for essential functions including records, FEMA reimbursement coordination and other time-sensitive tasks. Supporters noted the city recently lost a staff member who handled state and grant relations and argued a trained deputy would help sustain those efforts.

Opponents said existing city staff could be cross-trained and warned against adding recurring payroll and "invisible costs" (benefits and employer taxes) that would raise overall personnel costs. Several residents and council members urged the city to avoid growing personnel costs and proposed using existing salary savings (for example, unfilled positions) rather than increasing the overall payroll.

Councilman Asbille proposed, and the council adopted, an amendment clarifying the deputy clerk may perform duties assigned by the municipal clerk and the city council. The amendment passed 4'1 but the overall vote to approve the ordinance creating the position passed 3' 2 after further debate. The separate ordinance setting the deputy clerk salary at $42,000 passed 4' 1.

Council members agreed the ordinance creates the position but does not require the city to fill it immediately; filling the post would be subject to subsequent budget decisions. Several council members said they would not vote to fill the job unless the council could show the city's overall personnel cost would not increase compared with the recent budget baseline.

Council members also discussed a candidate already hired into a city-office role (a newer hire referred to in the meeting as "Mark") and said the council would seek clarity about whether that person would occupy the deputy position if the council approves filling it. The council did not appoint or hire anyone to the deputy position at the meeting.