Iowa council names Russell J. Stutes III municipal attorney, introduces ordinance on attorney pay and approves patrol hire

The Town of Iowa on Aug. 11 appointed Russell J. Stutes III to replace retiring Town Attorney Eugene Bouquet and approved hiring a full-time patrol officer.

Mayor Douglas N. Watkins recommended Stutes as municipal attorney and Mayor’s Court prosecutor effective Sept. 1, 2025; the motion to appoint was moved by Council Member Julie Fontenot and seconded by Council Member Daniel Hennigan and "passed unanimously," the minutes recorded. Retiring Town Attorney Eugene Bouquet told the council he had met with Stutes and recommended him based on his municipal law experience. Stutes, introduced to the council, "confirmed that it would not change one bit," when asked about his approach.

The appointment matters because the municipal attorney handles council legal advice and prosecutions in Mayor’s Court. Mayor Watkins also introduced Ordinance 2025-04, which would amend the town code (Chapter 2, Article III, Section 2-64) to fix the retainer or salary for the municipal attorney; the ordinance was introduced for later consideration and a public hearing on adoption is scheduled for Aug. 25, 2025. The ordinance text and any salary figure were not specified in the minutes.

On separate personnel business, Chief of Police Keith Vincent recommended hiring Bryce Cloud as a full-time patrol officer at the rank of patrolman. The motion (moved by Daniel Hennigan; seconded by Julie Fontenot) passed unanimously.

The minutes record the motions as passing unanimously but do not provide individual roll-call votes. The council’s attendance on Aug. 11 included Mayor Watkins and four council members (Gerald Guidry, Julie Fontenot, Daniel Hennigan and Vernessa Guillory); one member, Joe Becnel, was absent.

The council adjourned at 7:22 p.m. A special meeting and a reception for outgoing Town Attorney Eugene Bouquet were announced for later in the month.