Editor’s Note: This article is part of an ongoing independent investigative reporting series examining municipal operations, public accountability and transparency in the Town of Cullen. The reporting and original work in this series were independently produced.
By Tiffany Flournoy
CULLEN, La. — A municipal meeting was announced. Some council members said they were never officially notified. No council packets were distributed.
Then, when council members and residents arrived at Town Hall for the meeting Monday, they found the building locked.
No meeting was held.
The events marked the latest breakdown in a growing series of administrative and transparency concerns surrounding the Town of Cullen — concerns now extending beyond public-meeting procedures to renewed questions surrounding the town’s water and sewer operations and its ability to maintain essential services.
Cullen’s regular council meetings are typically held on the fourth Monday of each month. But the town’s recent meeting schedule has departed from that predictable pattern, raising renewed questions about how and when official municipal business is being conducted.
The latest meeting was announced for Monday, July 27, at 6 p.m. Council members Barbara Green and Bianchi Veal said they were never officially notified of the meeting and did not receive the council packets typically used to prepare for matters before the governing body.
The meeting notice appeared on the Town of Cullen’s website, which had been inaccessible for weeks before recently returning online with the new meeting announcement and other changes to the site.
But the notice and agenda were not posted at Town Hall, the location where the meeting was scheduled to be held.
Under Louisiana’s Open Meetings Law, public bodies are required to provide notice and make an agenda available in advance of public meetings. The law requires notice to be posted at the public body’s principal office or, if the public body has no principal office, at the building where the meeting is to be held. When a public body maintains a website, the notice and agenda must also be posted online.
The website posting does not replace the physical posting requirement.
When council members and residents arrived at Town Hall for the meeting Monday, they found the building locked.
Mayor Terry Hoof and Alderwomen Yolanda Castleman and Denise Epps-Hoof were not present, according to council members and residents waiting outside Town Hall. No public cancellation notice or explanation was provided by the mayor’s office, according to those who arrived for the meeting.
Water and sewer concerns add to growing questions over town operations
The turmoil at Town Hall unfolded as residents reported renewed problems with Cullen’s water system.
Residents reported that water pressure dropped to a trickle Sunday. By Tuesday morning, residents again reported extremely low water pressure, prompting renewed concerns about the reliability of the town’s utility operations.
The latest complaints come after months of previously reported issues involving Cullen’s water and sewer system.
Earlier reporting found that the town did not have a certified operator overseeing its water and sewer treatment facilities. At the time, questions were raised about whether non-certified personnel were performing duties typically handled by certified operators and whether the town was in compliance with state requirements.
The town has also experienced repeated boil-water advisories, raising questions among residents about communication, oversight and the long-term reliability of the system.
Months earlier, a leak was discovered at the town’s water tower, prompting involvement from the Louisiana Department of Health. The agency provided the town with a timeframe to correct the issue.
The leak was reportedly repaired; however, it remains unclear from available information who performed the repair work, what company or contractor was involved, and whether documentation of the repair has been made available.
The town has also recently increased water rates, while a proposed sewer-rate increase remains under immediate consideration. The proposed change would increase the sewer base rate from $8 to $30.
The cause of the current pressure problems, the extent of the affected area and whether they are connected to previous utility concerns were not immediately clear.
For residents who have experienced repeated water-related disruptions, the latest reports have intensified calls for transparency, reliable communication and answers from town leadership.
A recurring problem with public notice
The July meeting marks at least the third time this year that Cullen’s meeting-notice practices have drawn scrutiny.
In February, notice of a Monday meeting was posted during the preceding weekend. Louisiana law generally requires at least 24 hours of public notice, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays.
In June, notice for a meeting was posted on Juneteenth, a legal holiday.
Then, in July, the meeting was announced through the town’s website after the site had been inaccessible for weeks, while the notice and agenda were not posted at Town Hall.
Taken together, the incidents raise broader questions about whether Cullen is consistently following the public-notice requirements designed to provide residents meaningful access to municipal government and advance notice of official business.
The latest incident also follows earlier disruptions involving meetings that were scheduled and later canceled, adding to concerns among residents and members of the governing body about consistency, public access and the handling of municipal business.
Essential services under scrutiny
The latest concerns come as Cullen continues dealing with broader questions surrounding basic municipal services.
The town previously lost its municipal trash pickup service after the vendor ended its arrangement with the Town of Cullen due to unpaid invoices at the time. The vendor now provides trash service directly to customers rather than through the municipality.
The loss of municipal trash pickup added another layer of concern for residents already facing questions about utility reliability, financial management and the town’s ability to maintain essential services.
Mayor declines comment
Mayor Terry Hoof has previously declined to comment on questions related to the town’s operations. In prior attempts to reach him, Hoof responded by text message: “nocommentever.”
As Cullen continues navigating its ongoing audit, financial challenges and infrastructure concerns, residents and members of the governing body are calling for accountability and a clear explanation of how the town’s basic municipal functions are being managed.
The questions now extend beyond why Monday’s meeting did not occur:
Why were some council members not formally notified?
Why were council packets not distributed?
Why were the required meeting notice and agenda not posted at Town Hall?
Why was no public cancellation notice provided?
Who performed the water tower repair, and where is the documentation?
What caused water pressure to fall to a trickle Sunday and become extremely low again Tuesday morning?
About the reporter: Tiffany Flournoy is an independent investigative journalist and contributing writer for multiple news outlets, with experience covering government accountability, courts, public safety and justice issues across Louisiana. Her ongoing investigative reporting examines municipal operations, transparency and public accountability.