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. — A meeting notice posted on the door of Cullen Town Hall at noon Tuesday listed 5 p.m. Aug. 26 as the time for the public town council meeting.
The notice contained a typographical error identifying Aug. 26 as Monday, rather than Wednesday.
Just hours before the meeting, Cyerra Prevo, who has been volunteering as Cullen’s town clerk since August, posted an updated notice moving the meeting to 4 p.m.
The change came after officials learned a council member would be unable to attend at 5 p.m. Mayor Pro Tem Floydean White was aware of the change and acknowledged during the meeting that the last-minute adjustment could draw scrutiny, while Prevo maintained the original notice had been posted more than 24 hours earlier.
The timing of the change potentially raises an issue under Louisiana’s Open Meetings Law. State law requires public bodies to give written public notice of a regular, special or rescheduled meeting no later than 24 hours before the meeting, excluding weekends and legal holidays. The notice must include the agenda, date, time and place, and the agenda generally cannot be changed less than 24 hours before the scheduled meeting time. La. R.S. 42:19 — Notice of meetings
The change drew immediate objections after a member of the public arrived expecting the meeting to begin at its originally announced time.
But the dispute over the meeting time did not occur in a vacuum.
For months, Cullen’s public meetings have been plagued by questions surrounding notices, agendas, public participation and other procedural requirements. Of the meeting defects identified during that period, only one has been deemed cured—and that occurred after this publication publicly reported the problem.
The latest dispute unfolded as the town continues to struggle with quorum concerns, missing records, financial problems and questions surrounding the conduct of municipal business.
A Disputed Change in Meeting Time
Doris White arrived at Town Hall expecting the meeting to begin at 5 p.m.
“I thought the meeting was at 5 p.m.,” she said.
“Sorry about that, Mrs. White. Let’s talk about that if you don’t mind,” Mayor Pro Tem Floydean White responded.
“I’m asking. I thought that meeting was at 5 p.m.,” Doris White said.
“Yeah, because of unknown circumstances. That’s all I can say. Unannounced and unknown circumstances,” Floydean White replied.
“That’s not right,” Doris White said.
“I know, but when they write to me, that’s what I’ll tell them, and I will write a justification,” Floydean White said.
Doris White challenged the legality of moving the meeting time only hours before it was scheduled to begin.
“Naw, naw, your meeting is out of order then because people are coming to the meeting. You can’t do it like that,” Doris White said.
“It had to be at 4,” Floydean White responded.
“It’s not legal,” Doris White said.
“And we will have justification on that,” Floydean White replied.
Floydean White later acknowledged that the town could face scrutiny over the last-minute change.
“We are probably in violation. You all can get together and write it in to whoever you need to write it to. Then when I go to Baton Rouge, I’ll ask if they have gotten it and say, ‘Here I am. I’m the guilty one,” Floydean White said.
“I know somebody gonna turn me in or write me up. But I said we in trouble. We in trouble,” Floydean White continue.
The mayor pro tem said she plans to travel to Baton Rouge to speak with state officials as she seeks assistance for the town.
“We’ve been in trouble. We still in trouble, and I’m working hard to get us out. Floydean White said.
Prevo later explained that the original notice had been posted at noon the previous day and that she changed the notice after learning the meeting time would be moved to 4 p.m.
“The meeting law states we have to post it 24 hours ahead of time. It was posted yesterday at 12 p.m. to the door, and I have the pictures to prove it,” Prevo said. “And we did need to make an adjustment to the time to accommodate one of our council members to be able to attend today. So that’s why it was moved up to 4 instead of 5.”
Prevo said she posted the updated notice Wednesday after learning the council member would not be able to attend at 5 p.m.
A Pattern of Meeting Problems
The dispute over the meeting notice comes after months of questions surrounding how Cullen conducts its public meetings.
Among the issues previously identified have been questions involving the timing of meeting notices, agenda postings, public comment and the handling of agenda items.
The problems have not been confined to a single meeting.
Of the meeting defects identified over those months, only one has been deemed cured. That occurred after this publication publicly reported the defect.
That history is significant because the latest dispute represents another meeting-related issue arising while the town continues to struggle with the basic mechanics of conducting public business.
Aug. 17 Meeting Also Under Scrutiny
The council’s Aug. 17 meeting is also part of that history.
Questions have been raised about the timing of the agenda posting and the fact that members of the public were not given an opportunity to comment before the council began voting on matters on the agenda.
The same issue surfaced again Wednesday.
The public was not given an opportunity to comment before the council took votes on agenda items during Wednesday’s meeting either.
Louisiana law requires a public body subject to the notice requirements to allow a public comment period before action is taken on an agenda item upon which a vote is to be taken. La. R.S. 42:14 — Meetings of public bodies
The council nevertheless voted 3-0 Wednesday to approve the Aug. 17 meeting minutes.
During the Aug. 17 meeting, the council unanimously approved a resolution consenting to fiscal administration and cooperating with the state.
The Aug. 17 meeting’s procedural questions, coupled with Wednesday’s lack of public comment before votes, add to a growing record of concerns surrounding Cullen’s public meetings.
Quorum Problems Continue
Wednesday’s meeting also underscored Cullen’s continuing struggle with quorum.
Alderwoman Yolanda Castleman was absent Wednesday, marking the second time in a week she had missed an emergency-called meeting. She was also absent from another special meeting earlier this month.
Alderwoman Bianchi Veal was absent Wednesday because of health issues. Veal had been hospitalized when the council met earlier in the week.
For the second consecutive meeting, the town’s legal counsel was not present.
White said the town’s attorneys had advised her that because she retains her rights as an alderwoman, her presence could assist in establishing a quorum.
The council is now exploring what can be done if members repeatedly fail to attend meetings.
“It appears we are going to have to make some adjustments… We have to take care of the Town of Cullen’s business. We vowed to do this when we ran for office and were sworn in,” Floydean White said.
Missing Records Complicate Town Business
The mayor pro tem also acknowledged that critical files and documents are missing from Town Hall, a concern that has circulated in Cullen for roughly a year.
She said a computer used by the town’s last clerk could potentially contain information needed by current officials, but the town does not have the password to access it.
“Many of the things I should be able to refer to in the office—they are not there. The files are not there. The cabinets where they were supposed to be housed are not there’,” Floydean White said.
“I’m trying to get some structure and some organization,” she continued. “A lot of stuff I don’t know where it’s at, where it went, what computer it might be in, who put it in the file, who took it out of the file, where they put the file. This has been my experience for the whole month.”
Floydean White assumed the mayor’s duties Aug. 1, one day after former Mayor Terry Hoof abruptly resigned without publicly providing a reason for his departure.
She said the lack of records has made it difficult to respond when state officials request information.
“When they ask me for things like about the budget from back in February, I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t know nothing. I can’t find nothing. I can’t find no files from back then,” Floydean White said.
She said she has also been sorting through mail that had accumulated over an extended period.
“I’ve got mail stacked up for almost a year I’m trying to organize,” she added.
Brittentine’s Resignation
The town’s last paid clerk, UnTracy Brittentine, resigned sometime in June or July, although the precise timing of her departure remains unclear.
Hoof, who was mayor when Brittentine left, provided no public information about her resignation.
That lack of information now takes on added significance as White says the town is struggling to locate records from previous administrations.
Bank Accounts Raise Questions
The council voted to remove Brittentine and maintenance worker Chris Lawson from the town’s accounts at Bonvenu Bank.
Unlike the agenda for the Monday, Aug. 24, meeting, Wednesday’s agenda made no mention of removing former Mayor Terry Hoof from the town’s bank accounts.
The action prompted questions about why Lawson had been listed on the town’s bank accounts.
When Doris White questioned why Lawson’s name appeared on the town’s bank accounts, Mayor Pro Tem Floydean White said she did not know and that Doris White would have to ask former Mayor Terry Hoof.
“You’d have to ask the former mayor,” Floydean White said.
Prevo said Lawson had worked on the town’s maintenance crew and indicated his access was related to operational needs, including fuel purchases.
The bank-account issue comes as Cullen continues to struggle with financial and operational matters, including its ability to obtain chlorine needed for the municipal water system.
Hiring Decision Tabled
The council considered hiring Prevo as town clerk and Hope Houston as assistant town clerk. Both have previously worked for the town.
The council tabled the matter while seeking more information about the circumstances surrounding their previous terminations under past administrations. Green abstained.
Floydean White later acknowledged that locating documentation about the previous employment matter could be difficult because so many town records are missing.
The hiring decision was tabled until additional information can be obtained.
Divisions Continue
Even approval of the Wednesday agenda was contentious.
Barbara Green made the motion to approve it. White seconded after Denise Epps-Hoof said she did not feel comfortable making the second.
The agenda passed 2-1, with Epps-Hoof voting against it.
The council later voted 3-0 to approve the Aug. 17 meeting minutes despite the questions surrounding that meeting.
A Town Still Searching for Its Footing
Cullen’s elected officials, like its town employees, have continued to go without pay for months as the municipality struggles financially.
The latest meeting brought together many of the problems that have defined Cullen’s government in recent months: meeting-notice disputes, continuing quorum difficulties, personnel changes, financial concerns and missing records.
Floydean White, who has previously served as mayor and has held multiple terms as an alderwoman, said she intends to seek help from state officials.
But perhaps the most revealing moment of the meeting came when Floydean White acknowledged the breadth of the town’s problems herself.
“I know somebody gonna turn me in or write me up,” she said. “But I said we in trouble. We in trouble,” she said.