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
“We are in a crisis.”
Cullen Alderman and interim Mayor Floydean White’s assessment came as the financially strapped town confronts recurring water-pressure failures, a looming chlorine shortage, a series of boil-water advisories over the past year, mounting financial problems and the possibility of state-backed fiscal administration.
The water system could be at the center of that intervention.
Water problems continue
Cullen has experienced back-to-back water-pressure problems in recent weeks, with residents reporting that water pressure at times dropped to a trickle. The town has also faced a series of boil-water advisories over the past year as officials have dealt with various problems affecting the water system, including low water pressure and chlorine-related issues.
Alderman Bianchi Veal said the town faces another immediate concern: chlorine.
“The only thing that I know is that we are in need of chlorine, and if we do not get chlorine soon, that the system will shut down again,” Veal said.
White said the town recently received a letter concerning deficiencies identified by officials who monitor and inspect its water system.
“We did receive a letter, and the people that come out and monitor and inspect our water system … it’s not up to expectations, where it should be,” White said.
White said the town was told that issues involving chlorine levels and other findings needed to be addressed immediately.
The town’s water records also show multiple violations during the past year. A leak involving the town’s water tower in April triggered another state violation. Although the tower problem was reportedly corrected, it remains unclear who performed the repairs.
State-backed fiscal administration considered
The condition of Cullen’s water system is among the circumstances surrounding the town’s consideration of fiscal administration — a state-authorized process that would place an independent financial administrator in charge of helping bring the municipality’s finances and operations back into order.
Town Attorney Josh Chevallier told aldermen Monday that the condition of Cullen’s water and sewage system could provide grounds for the state to pursue fiscal administration if the town’s financial condition puts the safety of the system in jeopardy and state funds are needed to address an emergency.
Such action could move forward even without the town’s consent, he said.
“If the district court determines that the financial state of the town is putting in jeopardy the safety of the water or sewage system,” Chevallier said, the state could be required to intervene and spend money to address an emergency.
Chevallier said he believes Cullen could have difficulty successfully opposing fiscal administration if the matter becomes an adversarial court proceeding, particularly given the potential water and sewage emergency.
The potential state intervention comes as Cullen faces a much broader municipal crisis.
The town has reportedly dealt with bank accounts frozen by the Internal Revenue Service, unpaid and overdue invoices, an inoperable police department, missed payroll and council stipends and deteriorating municipal infrastructure.
Police patrol units have been grounded, while municipal property has gone unmaintained and some street signs have become illegible. Roads are also deteriorating.
Cullen’s financial problems are compounded by audit issues.
Chevallier said the town is on a state noncompliance list because of delays and noncompliance involving required audits. That status prevents Cullen from going before the Bond Commission to seek bridge-loan funding that could help relieve some of its financial emergency.
Chevallier said fiscal administration could open the door to that funding.
If placed under fiscal administration, he said, Cullen could become eligible to go before the Bond Commission for bridge-loan funding upon the administrator’s recommendation.
Chevallier said the town otherwise would not have access to state funds that could help relieve its financial emergency.
Fiscal administration is a state-authorized process designed to bring an independent financial overseer into a municipality facing serious financial problems. Chevallier said the state legislative auditor, attorney general and state treasurer have access to the financial information needed to determine whether a municipality meets the criteria for fiscal administration.
If appointed, the independent fiscal administrator would have broad control over the town’s financial operations, with the mayor, aldermen and administrative staff reporting to that person. The administrator’s role would be to bring the town’s finances into order and help restore the municipality’s ability to function.
Chevallier said a person from Baton Rouge has already been identified and is willing to accept the assignment if Cullen approves the arrangement. The administrator could begin as early as Sept. 1.
Quorum questions halt formal action
But Cullen’s ability to formally act on the proposal became an issue Monday.
A special-called meeting intended to address the fiscal-administration proposal and the town’s broader emergency situation could not proceed as a formal council meeting after alderwomen Denise Epps-Hoof and Yolanda Castleman failed to appear.
Instead, the gathering shifted into a town-hall-style discussion as officials and residents addressed the town’s financial and water problems.
The absence of the two alderwomen also raised questions about whether White, who is serving as mayor pro tempore while retaining her position as an alderman, could participate in a vote on the resolution.
A 2025 Louisiana Attorney General’s opinion involving another Lawrason Act municipality concluded that a mayor pro tempore retains the right to vote in his or her capacity as an alderman while presiding over a meeting in the mayor’s absence.
The opinion, issued June 23, 2025, also found that the mayor pro tempore counts toward a quorum because the official does not lose his or her status as an alderman when assuming the mayor’s presiding duties. The opinion further noted that the mayor pro tempore cannot vote on an issue as an alderman and then cast a second vote to break a tie; the official must choose whether to vote as an alderman or reserve the vote to break a tie.
The Attorney General’s Office said its conclusion that the mayor pro tempore retains voting rights was consistent with several prior opinions. It also noted that, absent a specific prohibition in the Lawrason Act, the voting power must be considered retained, in part because removing that right could leave the official’s constituency without representation and raise one-person, one-vote concerns.
Despite the opinion, Chevallier said he did not feel comfortable sending the resolution to the state and saying the town had approved it “on the first shot” without the other two aldermen present.
“We think this is our workaround to the quorum rules and we want to go forward because the court is the one who’s going to be looking at that and if the AG comes back and says, actually I want you to do it a little bit differently…” he said.
The town is now pressing for all aldermen to attend an upcoming meeting to address the fiscal-administration matter. Details of the meeting, including the date and time, have not yet been determined.
Officials urge quick action
State Rep. Wayne McMahen urged the town to attempt to bring one or both absent aldermen into the process and move toward a unanimous decision, warning that prolonging matters could further delay efforts to stabilize Cullen.
“I would suggest one thing — to have one or both of the aldermen here and do that unanimously,” McMahen said. “If you don’t, it’s possible if you get hung up and end up costing us another couple of months down the road. We want to expedite this so we can get back on track as quickly as we can.”
McMahen warned that allowing the matter to become a court battle could further complicate the town’s already serious problems.
“If we got hung up on a court battle, it could be a problem, and that makes us a bigger problem,” he said.
White said she supports fiscal administration because she believes the town needs outside help.
“I’m for anything that can help us to correct a problem,” White said. “And we do have a problem. So I’m in favor of it.”
Chevallier said fiscal administration could give Cullen access to state financial assistance, but cautioned that it would not be a cure-all.
An administrator would have broad autonomy over the town’s finances and operations and could make unpopular decisions, including cuts or changes to municipal services.
“They are probably going to make austerity,” Chevallier said, warning that the changes would not necessarily make everyone happy.
Still, Chevallier recommended that the town seriously consider consenting to fiscal administration, saying he believed the process could put Cullen on a path toward financial stability.
The crisis has also been accompanied by a rapid turnover in town leadership.
Mayor Terry “Bippy” Hoof resigned July 31, leaving White, who was serving as alderman and mayor pro tempore, to step in as interim mayor.
The town clerk resigned several weeks earlier, and Cullen’s lone water clerk resigned July 30.
The departures leave Cullen facing a leadership and staffing vacuum at a time when its financial, water and operational problems are becoming increasingly difficult to contain.
About the reporter: Tiffany Flournoy is an independent investigative journalist and contributing writer for multiple news outlets, including the Webster Parish Journal, with experience covering government accountability, courts, public safety and justice issues across Louisiana. Her ongoing investigative reporting examines municipal operations, transparency and public accountability.