They make what?
Taxpayers fund millions for public servant pay

Claire Taylor
& Sebreana Domingue


It's that time of year when many governmental agencies prepare their annual budgets, deciding how to reward faithful employees with pay raises.



The Lafayette Parish School Board recently debated how to fund teacher pay hikes, with teachers getting a state pay raise and a local increase.



        
The Lafayette City-Parish Council is considering giving the city-parish's 2,000 employees, including council  members, a 4 percent pay  raise. All of the dollars to fund those salaries, as well as pay for thousands of other public employees in Acadiana, comes from taxpayers. In an effort to see how your money is spent, the staff of The Daily Advertiser made public records requests of all local and parish governmental agencies seeking their employees' titles, hire dates and salaries.

Some agencies complained, but complied. Others were slower to respond. Only one did not fully comply.

Lafayette Consolidated Government presented the records promptly and completely within a day. The Lafayette Parish School Board, which has more than 4,000 employees, took more than a month to comply, and some information requested, such as e-mail addresses, still has not been provided.

Lafayette Regional Airport, funded in part by property taxes, partially complied with the newspaper's first request in July, submitting employee names and hire dates separate from their titles and salaries, making it difficult to determine which employee earns which salary. A second request in August for the proper format has not been complied with. Instead, the Airport Commission chairman said the matter is on Thursday's meeting agenda and The Advertiser is invited to discuss the request.

Not surprising, most of the area's highest-paid public employees come from UL - a research institution that competes nationally for administrators and faculty.

The top moneymaker in Lafayette Parish appears to be Ray Authement, longtime president of UL, who brings in $237,000 a year to oversee the university of more than 16,000 students and 1,700 employees. Head football coach Rickey Bustle comes in after him at $194,250. While that's a big chunk, it pales in comparison to what coaches at larger schools are making. About 20 coaches around the country make at least $1 million a year.

The highest-paid public servant outside the university is Greg Davis, director of the Cajundome, with a salary of $143,643. The Cajundome is partially funded by taxpayer dollars, and partially funded through self-generated money.

Within Lafayette Consolidated Government, Lafayette Utilities System Director Terry Huval earns the most at $117,749 a year. City-Parish President Joey Durel comes in next at $91,310 a year and Chief Administrative Office Dee Stanley brings home $94,099 a year.

Within the school district, Superintendent James Easton is the top earner at $132,855 a year. Easton oversees a district of more than 30,000 students, 38 schools and 4,000 employees.


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