LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)-- The Lafayette Consolidated Government is facing a new budget proposal from the Boulet Administration for Fiscal Year 2024-25. According to the city council, the proposed budget is pretty standard, but one item could bring in more applicants and improve employee retention.

The Boulet Administration's proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2024-25 not only focuses to restructure LCG's financial approach, but items such as an increase in pay for public service workers is also included in the proposed budget.

Mayor President Monique Blanco Boulet and her administration proposed the budget to members of both the parish and city council. Kenneth Boudreaux, District 5 and vice chair of the city council said both councils will have to take an in depth look at the budget to see what will need to be addressed.

"We haven't done the deep dive yet, but in preparation and communicating as finance chair, it's pretty much a status quo budget," Boudreaux said. "It did give the administration, as I appreciated an opportunity to address concerns that they had."

Boudreaux said the budget has key components it addresses such as managing projects, working on quality of life issues, and proposing a pay increase for public service workers to be be able to compete in the job market.

"We still had employees making $9 an hour and in some instances less than that," Boudreaux said.

The proposed pay increase suggest the least paid could see a raise over 30% while employees with higher paying jobs would still get a 2% raise. It would cost $7.6 million to implement the proposed pay plan while the 2% cost of living adjustment would cost $2.7 million.

"So the goal is to get everyone to a minimum $12 an hour so that the lowest paid person in LCG, hopefully after this process will make $12 an hour," Boudreaux said. "That will allow us to recruit, that will allow us to maintain employees, and that will allow us to grow from there."

The city council has invited the public to attend meetings where the budget will be discussed. Should the council approve and adopt the proposal, the budget will go into effect November 1.

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