Lafayette Mayor-President Joel Robideaux vowed Tuesday that he will not immediately move forward with hiring a new director for the Lafayette Utilities System or a director for a potential LUS communications division.

Those promises prompted the Lafayette City-Parish Council to uphold two Robideaux budget vetoes. The mayor-president had vetoed a $1 salary each for the LUS director and communications director.

The council had approved the $1 salaries as a way to stall Robideaux’s ideas to split LUS’ utilities and fiber divisions into separate entities. In addition, a private party, Bernhard Capital Partners, is expected to present a formal proposal in the coming weeks to take over LUS operations.

MORE: Lafayette to hear first Bernhard LUS proposal next week

“I’m not in a hurry to appoint a new (LUS) director. I will defer to the will of the council to wait,” Robideaux said at a Tuesday meeting. “I don’t even want to have an interview until I know what the amount of money is I can offer somebody. However long that is, I’m OK with. I don’t mind waiting until January. I’m willing to do whatever the council wants.”

Jeff Stewart was named interim LUS director in July after Terry Huval’s retirement.

The LUS director salary is listed as $115,000 in the 2018-19 budget.

Councilman Bruce Conque, who led the $1 salary proposals, said he will present a measure at the next council meeting to formalize Robideaux’s commitments.

“I think that is an appropriate way for it to be handled,” Robideaux said.

Meanwhile, the council rejected another of Robideaux’s vetoes and kept in place a 2 percent cost of living increase for all LCG employees. That is expected to cost upwards of $900,000 per year, although council members said it may be closer to $2 million annually. About $217,000 of that will come from parish funds, mainly from the judicial budget.

MORE:LCG employees may receive 2 percent pay hike

Robideaux had vetoed the measure amid concerns about maintaining the city’s finances.

“We are talented enough here in Lafayette. We can do this,” said Councilman Kenneth Boudreaux. “Let’s not deny our employees what they have earned and what we know they deserve.”

Boudreaux said LCG faces constant competition from private industry and other states for everyone from laborers and operators to cashiers and police officers.

“The idea of LCG not being able to pay a decent, market, competitive wage, I denounce,” Boudreaux said. “We are better than that.”

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