Claudette Olivier / Church Point News
The Church Point Town Council approved paying about $20,000 of employee comp time at its regular meeting on May 6.
Church Point Mayor Ryan “Spanky” Meche said, “This is a business nightmare.”
Meche said past town administrations used a comp time system instead of paying town employees overtime.
Meche urged the council to pay the employees what they are owed, some as much as 300 hours of comp time.
Meche added, “From now on, if a man works eight hours of overtime, we will pay him eight hours of overtime because that’s what he worked, and we are not kicking the can down the road and hiding it from the taxpayers here and saying this, that and the other. We’re just not doing it.
Alderman Chris Lebas asked if all the time needed to paid at once due to the large amount, and Meche said that the town has funds to cover the payout.
Lebas also said, “Apparently they don’t want it, or they would have asked for it.”
Church Point Water Department Water Superintendent Jonathan Murphy said, “We did ask for it. We asked for it. We didn’t receive it. That’s why the comp time started. They did not want to pay us overtime. We didn’t have a choice. It was either receive comp time, or you go home.”
Police Chief Dale Thibodeaux also weighed in on the discussion.
“Two years ago, the town council, on the previous administration, took all the comp time from the police department and told them they weren’t able to make comp time anymore, and they took it from them and did not pay for it,” Thibodeaux said. “Two years ago, they said the police department could no longer turn in comp time, and their comp time was wiped from the books.”
Lebas asked if Thibodeaux could prove the time was wiped from the books.
“I sure can,” Thibodeaux said.