GONZALES — The Gonzales City Council held a special working budget meeting on Tuesday, in part to discuss salaries, cost of living increases and city job positions. The meeting concluded early after the power went out and Mayor Timothy Riley adjourned the meeting.
Councilwoman Terri Lambert called into question the raises some employees were receiving, which bumped their salaries considerably after some had worked for the city for only a few months.
Lambert reviewed a list of positions and salaries that she said were “above range” according to the city’s salary schedule. Multiple accounting staff members received raises.
In the utility department, Lambert pointed out a utility supervisor whose salary jumped from $71,000 annually to $91,000 annually.
“That’s a $20,000 raise. This is how cities go bankrupt,” Lambert said.
The director of public works’ salary, which was originally at $103,000, should have gone to $111,000, Lambert said. However, the information was showing that the new salary was $122,000 annually, showing an increase of $16,000.
Another position would see a $55,000 annual raise.
“You add all these up and we’ve got about half a million dollars over budget,” Lambert said in the meeting. “Where’s this money coming from?”
In addition, Lambert said some positions were roles that the council did not approve, including the Chief of Staff’s role. According to the councilwoman, the position has never been in the City Organizational Chart or the city’s budget, so it is not a budgeted position.
“I don’t know how the chief of staff is getting paid, but I want somebody to tell me. It’s not been approved by the council,” she said.
MORE: Gonzales City Council discusses Chief of Staff city vehicle crash
Lambert also brought up Mayor Riley’s salary changes, including multiple changes after the 2025/2026 budget were approved. During the meeting, she alleged that Riley was responsible for raising his own salary multiple times, including just one day after the budget had been passed.
“That would be asinine, ridiculous and out of order for me to raise my own pay. I did not raise my own pay,” the mayor said in response to Lambert’s statements.
The city’s 2025/2026 budget was passed in August 2025. The current budget is projected to be over by more than 2.1 percent, according to administration.
The meeting ended after the power went out in the building and Mayor Riley moved to adjourn and hold a meeting at another time.
Download the Unfiltered with Kiran app from the Apple App Store and Google Play to stay updated on the latest news across the Capital area.
Support UWK and its mission to deliver The News You Deserve. Unfiltered. Become a monthly patron on Patreon today!
