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DeRidder council adopts clerk salary, city-attorney contract and meter agreements; sets several public hearings
Summary
At its July meeting the DeRidder City Council set the city clerk's salary, approved a city-attorney contract and adopted financing and service agreements for water meters and advanced metering; the council also set public hearings for several lease and business-support ordinances.
The DeRidder City Council on a June/July session adopted a resolution setting the salary for the clerk of council at $52,000 annually and approved several contracts and financing measures for municipal services.
Council members adopted the clerk-compensation resolution, which names Ashley Atonas as clerk and lists the salary as $52,000 annually effective 07/13/2026. The council moved, seconded and approved the resolution by unanimous roll call.
The council also voted to designate and contract with Shandy Williams as city attorney through a formal legal-services agreement. The motion to adopt the attorney contract carried on a roll-call vote.
On infrastructure finance and utility services, the council adopted an ordinance authorizing a master governmental lease with Internet Public Finance Corporation for acquisition and installation of water meters and related equipment. Council members said company representatives were present to answer questions before the vote, which passed unanimously.
Separately, the council approved a master professional service agreement with Utility Meter Solutions LLC for advanced metering infrastructure and related services; that ordinance likewise passed by roll call.
In addition to measures adopted at the meeting, the council introduced several ordinances and set public hearings for 07/27/2026. Introductions included a proposed cooperative endeavor agreement to lease office space in the 1st Street School to the local Erdheim-Chester Disease Global Alliance (ECDGA) to provide temporary patient support and diagnosis assistance, and a professional-services agreement with Smart Start Business Development LLC to deliver small-business development and training (an initial term cost of $14,625 to be reimbursed by a Louisiana Main Street grant). The council also introduced an ordinance to contract for telephone and high-speed Internet services; each introductory ordinance was approved for public hearing.
All formal motions and votes taken during the meeting were recorded by roll call and announced by the presiding officer. The council did not receive public comment opposing the clerk's compensation or the attorney contract during the required comment periods.
The council's next scheduled public hearings on the introduced ordinances are set for Monday, July 27, 2026.
