Council members press administration over storm cleanup and jail housing costs

At the April 14 Monroe City Council meeting, members questioned administration officials about unbudgeted storm‑cleanup costs and sharply higher jail housing expenses.

Vice‑Chairman Mr. Muhammad raised concerns about how Winter Storm Fern expenses were recorded and why landfill charges appeared in the city’s accounts. City staffer Mr. Moore told the council the $3.7 million figure reflected contractor and monitoring company costs (Tetra Tech and contractor work tied to the winter storm) and that landfill charges were part of public‑works expenses. City Attorney Mr. Creekbaum said invoices from SDR could be handled two ways—paid by SDR and passed through to the city or invoiced directly to the city—and he was not sure which approach was being used for certain landfill fees.

Mr. Muhammad pressed for clarity on billing practices and said he was not prepared to support a last‑minute budget amendment because the lines were “out of whack.” He also called attention to prisoner housing costs at the Ouachita Parish Correctional Center (OCC), noting an internal auditor projection that expenses would reach about $900,000 for the year compared with a prior year budget of $447,000. Mr. Muhammad said the jail housing line item was “173% over the budget” and asked whether late invoices or contractual late fees were being assessed.

Chairman Rodney McFarland criticized administration practices and contract awards, saying some vendors were paid at levels that did not reflect prior statements to the council and suggesting local contractors had been overlooked. "It looks like nothing has been cleaned up and then another company was given $223,300 ... when you first came before this council you said you were going to involve local contractors and you didn't," McFarland said. He asked administration to provide detailed line‑item explanations for specific account codes the next day.

Why this matters: unbudgeted storm costs and rapidly rising corrections expenses can force mid‑year budget adjustments, affect service delivery and prompt scrutiny of procurement and invoice processing.

Next steps: Council members asked staff for line‑by‑line clarifications and documentation on SDR invoice handling, landfill fees, and the OCC billing practice ahead of future budget decisions.