Council approves adjusted parish president salary, funds back pay after Lockton audit
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Summary
Following a Lockton compensation review, the council approved an amended salary for the parish president and a budget amendment to cover past-due pay. Lockton calculated roughly $9,003.73 in back pay and the council amended the proposed salary before voting.
The Iberia Parish Council spent substantial time Nov. 12 reviewing a Lockton compensation report and approving a budget amendment to adjust the parish president’s salary.
Eugenie Guillot of Lockton presented a retrospective audit requested by the council. "We had to track back to every payroll period..." Guillot explained, and her firm’s calculations initially totaled $6,340.46 in past-due pay for 2023–2025; after receiving updated payroll dates and amounts from benchmark offices, Lockton revised the total back-pay figure to $9,003.73. Guillot summarized the calculation steps and said the review relied on payroll documentation provided by the clerk and the three benchmark offices (sheriff, assessor, clerk of court).
Council members debated whether the charter’s use of the term "salary" should include additional compensation items (car allowances, expense reimbursements, insurance). Legal counsel noted that the charter does not define "salary," giving the council discretion to interpret compensation components.
On a finance committee resolution to amend the 2025 general fund budget, the body initially considered raising the parish president’s salary to $191,533.05 but members proposed and approved an amendment setting the salary at $188,495.06. Separately, the council voted earlier in the meeting to increase the budget line for back pay in a related resolution: an initial $6,500 request (Resolution 259) was amended on the floor to $9,500 and carried.
Parish president and council members framed the vote as compliance with charter triggers and a correction of prior underpayments. The finance committee recorded the amended budget adjustment and related personnel pay-grade increases (clerks and assistants were granted 5% raises under separate resolutions).
What happens next: The clerk will reflect the salary change and budget amendment in the general fund accounting; Lockton’s report and the supporting payroll spreadsheets were placed in the council packet for reference.
Sources and testimony: Lockton consultant Eugenie Guillot provided the back-pay calculation; multiple council members debated the charter’s interpretation and the inclusion of allowances in the salary calculation.
