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New Iberia council calls election on charter amendment to raise mayoral pay after heated debate
Summary
The New Iberia City Council voted to call a special election on a proposed home-rule charter amendment to raise the mayor’s base pay to $120,000; council discussion focused on timing, procedural speed and an automatic civil-service-linked annual adjustment that could compound future pay increases.
A majority of the New Iberia City Council voted to order a special election to let voters decide whether to amend the city’s home-rule charter to increase the mayor’s base salary to $120,000 and make related changes, the council announced after an extended meeting debate.
Council members debated the package for more than an hour before the final vote. Several members, including Councilman Ron Davis, said they supported placing the question before voters but urged a slower review of the charter language that ties annual adjustments to the same percentage applied to municipal civil-service employees — the session repeatedly referred to this as a '2%' annual linkage. Opponents raised concern that combining a large one-time base increase with automatic annual percentage adjustments could compound the mayor’s pay over time and reduce the council’s control over compensation policy.
Supporters argued the measure would apply to the next elected mayor and could help the city attract qualified candidates. Mayor Pro Tem told the council the change would not take effect immediately; the package as drafted would become operative for the next mayoral term in 2029. Several council members said that scheduling the question for public consideration in November gives potential candidates time to evaluate running and the public time to weigh in.
Opponents asked for clearer legal guidance on how the charter's language and the civil-service percentage adjustments interact with an elected official’s pay. Councilman Davis and others requested that staff provide a concise legal explanation and historical context before implementing the ballot measure to ensure residents understand the long-term fiscal effect.
What happens next: The council’s resolution calls the election; administration will publish official notice and the item will appear on the ballot according to the city and state election timetable. Council members said they will circulate additional explanatory materials and seek clarification from legal counsel on how the automatic adjustment is applied to an elected mayor.
