Editor’s Note: This article is part of an ongoing independent investigative reporting series that started in late 2025 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. — Inside Cullen Town Hall, the main office phone rings without answer, an administrative desk sits unstaffed, and municipal employees have once again gone unpaid.
Cullen employees confirmed that workers did not receive their scheduled paychecks Tuesday, plunging town staff back into financial turmoil just days after Mayor James Terry “Bippy” Hoof abruptly resigned – leaving behind a total administrative breakdown and a local government operating in the dark amid crisis.
This isn’t the first time town employees have faced missed paychecks. The latest bout of missed paychecks come as municipal workers were just recently reeling back from paycheck chaos from weeks ago. Tuesday marked a fresh breakdown in an ongoing fiscal crisis marked by bounced checks and frozen accounts. But the operational gridlock runs far deeper than a depleted bank balance: the town’s administrative machinery has systematically dismantled itself. Hoof’s exit from office Friday followed a resignation letter to the state earlier in the same week. Hoof was two years into his third term, which was set to expire in December 2028. His departure followed the earlier resignation of Town Clerk Untracy Brittentine. According to a source, the town’s lone water clerk also resigned last week.
The resignations have stripped Town Hall of the core staff required to execute basic accounting, payroll operations and a manned water office.
The financial freeze extends directly to elected leadership. Members of the town board have not received their monthly stipends for June or July, according to some alderpersons.
With the executive office empty, Mayor Pro Tem Floydean White took over daily operations as part of her statutory duties until a formal interim appointment or special election takes place.
Attempts to reach White at town hall for comment were unsuccessful; phone calls to Cullen Town Hall went unanswered as of Tuesday afternoon.
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.