Editor’s Note: This article is part of an ongoing independent 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. — Cullen’s Town Council is struggling to address critical water-system needs as quorum concerns and unresolved banking documentation complicate the town’s ability to move forward with its chlorine supply.
“Cullen is in a crisis,” Mayor Pro Tem Floydean White said for the second time during a public meeting since taking the reins.
The town has been battling chlorine and low-water-pressure problems for months, along with repeated boil-water advisories. According to the council, no one is currently certified to operate the town’s water or sewage plants, and the town has been without official administrative staff for several weeks.
Monday, Alderwoman Barbara Green said securing chlorine for the town’s water system is an imperative safety measure.
At the Aug. 24 meeting White said Bonvenu Bank advised the town that it needs documentation showing the council formally accepted former Mayor Terry Hoof’s resignation and authorized White and Alderwoman Barbara Green as signatories on the town’s accounts.
The council had voted Aug. 17 to designate White and Green as authorized signatories. According to the council, the documentation is needed before the town can move forward with purchasing chlorine.
During the Aug. 17 meeting, Alderwoman Bianchi Veal underscored the urgency of the chlorine problem.
“We are in need of chlorine, and if we do not get chlorine soon, the system will shut down again,” Veal said.
According to documents reviewed, several of the town’s bank accounts are frozen because of federal levies. According to the council, the account used to address the town’s water operations is not among those frozen accounts.
Quorum concerns
Monday marked the second time this month a called public meeting was affected by members’ absences.
“People get sick or don’t come for various reasons. It does stop progress if you don’t have a quorum,” White said.
“And it’s kinda bad if it happens over and over and it delays the progress or the work that needs to be done,” she said.
Alderwoman Yolanda Castleman was absent Monday, while Alderwoman Bianchi Veal was hospitalized.
Earlier this month, Castleman and Alderwoman Denise Epps Hoof did not attend a specially called meeting. Aug. 24 was the third meeting called by the council this month; at a previous meeting, all council members were present.
What was on the Aug. 24 agenda
The Aug. 24 agenda included consideration of former Mayor Terry Hoof’s resignation, his removal from the town’s accounts at Bonvenu Bank, and the addition of White and Green as authorized signatories on all town accounts.
Other agenda items included approval of the Aug. 17 special council meeting minutes, Louisiana Rural Water Association matters, formation of Board of Aldermen committees, and recommendations to hire Cyerra Prevo as town clerk and Hope Houston as assistant town clerk.
The items were placed on the agenda for consideration but were not all discussed during Monday’s meeting.
Aug. 17 meeting raises procedural questions
The Aug. 24 agenda followed the Aug. 17 special meeting, where the council unanimously voted to consent to state intervention and fiscal administration.
Town attorney Amberlee Nix was present at that meeting and explained why the town’s attorneys believed consenting to state intervention was the best course.
“We believe the thing that triggered this was the water issues,” Nix said.
Nix described Cullen’s water situation as “pretty dire” and said public health and safety concerns can bring the Attorney General’s Office into a municipality to pursue appointment of a fiscal administrator.
The Aug. 17 meeting also raised questions about compliance with Louisiana’s Open Meetings Law.
During the council’s Aug. 10 meeting, town attorney Josh Chevallier stressed the importance of complying with the 24-hour notice requirement and ensuring notice of the specially called meeting was posted timely.
A check of Cullen Town Hall at 6:54 p.m. Friday, Aug. 14, found no notice or agenda posted for the Aug. 17 meeting. It was unclear when the notice was ultimately posted.
Louisiana’s Open Meetings Law generally requires written notice of a special meeting at least 24 hours before the meeting, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. The notice must include the agenda, date, time and place.
The law also requires an opportunity for public comment before action is taken on an agenda item upon which a vote will occur.
No public-comment period was held before the council took action at the Aug. 17 meeting. The council also proceeded without formally approving the agenda, and the matters before the council were acted upon without formal motions and seconds.
In the Aug. 17 meeting Nix addressed the council about the fiscal-administration resolution but did not address the notice, public-comment or other procedural issues during the meeting.
Months of financial and operational strain
The fiscal-administration vote came as Cullen continues to grapple with financial and operational problems that have persisted for many months.
Town employees and elected officials remain unpaid, police cruisers remain grounded, and the town continues to contend with water-system problems.
The town is also undergoing a lengthy state audit. Previous problems with required financial audits placed Cullen on a state noncompliance list, according to Chevallier.
That status has prevented the town from going before the State Bond Commission to seek bridge-loan funding that could potentially help address its financial problems, Chevallier previously said.
Chevallier said a fiscal administrator could potentially recommend that Cullen seek Bond Commission funding as part of an effort to stabilize the town.
Nix said the fiscal administrator identified for Cullen is a Baton Rouge-based CPA who has handled similar assignments and would review the town’s financial records and oversee its finances. A three-year plan for the town would also be required.
Unlike the Aug. 17 meeting, no town attorney was present Monday.
White said she retains her voting privilege as an alderwoman but chose not to vote, citing the optics of the matter.
“You have to have things in writing, and that’s where we have failed,” White said, referring to the town’s business.
Alderwoman Denise Epps Hoof questioned the pace of the council’s actions.
“We are moving too fast on everything,” Hoof said.
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.