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Attorney General says prior appointment vote lacked proper notice; council debates remedy and a proposed resolution
Summary
After the City Council read an Attorney General letter finding that appointments were acted on under a vague agenda heading, council members and residents debated a resolution to tighten boards-and-commissions rules and whether the remedy would improperly shift appointment authority.
Council President Kates read an October 7 letter from the Louisiana Attorney General's office saying the council's August 19 actions to confirm mayoral appointments were not described with "reasonable specificity" on the meeting agenda and therefore failed to provide meaningful notice to the public under Louisiana law.
The AG letter said the appointments were discussed and acted on under the generic agenda heading "administrative remarks," which "does not satisfy the law mandating that action items be listed with specificity." The office concluded the council's August 19 action "violated law" but also noted the defect can be cured: the council may place the appointments on a future agenda with appropriate specificity to ratify, reconfirm or nullify the prior votes.
That reading set off an extended council debate and public comment. Some council members said the proposed resolution to add background checks, application forms and other requirements for commissioners was intended to cure the AG finding and improve transparency; others said the draft resolution risked upending the elected mayor's appointment authority and could be an overreach.
Public commenters and commission members told the council many commissions lack secretaries, adequate notice, and administrative support, and they urged the council to make it easier — not harder — for volunteers to serve. "We have a problem. It's a serious problem. We have a lot of them that are nonfunctional," one commenter said, urging improved support for commissions.
Council members discussed procedural remedies: relisting the appointments with clear agenda descriptions, amending the ordinance language to require website posting in addition to the official journal, and directing staff and the city attorney to prepare a compliant agenda and timeline. Several council members said they would direct the city attorney to work with the AG office guidance and bring a corrected item back for a lawfully noticed vote.
The council recorded its positions in roll-call exchanges and directed the city attorney to follow up; the AG letter and the council's process for curing the notice defect remain a near-term administrative priority.
