Melville Town Council question Mayor’s salary increase

MELVILLE, La. ( KLFY ) – Council members and residents in the Town of Melville are waiting for answers after Mayor Caretta Robertson allegedly paid herself more than double the salary initially budgeted for the mayor’s office.

“We are a small, financially strapped town. We cannot afford this. She took advantage of our town to use our town finances as a personal bank account,” say Mayor Pro-Tem, Natasha Oliney.

Mayor Pro-Tem Natasha Oliney says when Robertson began her term as mayor, it was understood by Robertson as well as the town council that the salary for the mayor would be the $11,000 dollars that was paid to the previous mayor. However, Oliney says Robertson presented an ordinance to the council seeking to raise her pay from $11,000 to $16,000. Oliney says the council approved the raise, but they were surprised to see the pay far exceeded that amount.

“Right now, year to date is she’s at $15,000. Last year she paid herself $30,000,” says Oliney.

Oliney also says the council is questioning Robertson’s lack of a pay schedule, as some months she was paid multiple times and at different amounts from month to month. Oliney also says she and members of the council have reached out to Mayor Robertson about holding a public meeting to discuss the concerns. “We want to rectify this problem. We want to hear an explanation and we want the mayor to tell us how she’s going to fix this.”

When asked about her salary, Robertson released a statement saying they are in the process of introducing and adopting all of the ordinances required to fulfill the vision she has for Melville.

Robertson says she will receive a similar salary to other mayors in the surrounding area, they are just formally establishing the amount.

“Every community is different. We have three businesses in Melville. We don’t have what other communities have. We don’t have the resources. We still have citizens that have water leaks, sewage backups. We ride on gravel roads in Melville. How can we get what Opelousas is getting or Washington or any other community around us?”

Oliney said she simply hopes to see open communication between Mayor Robertson, the council and the public to rectify the situation.

Latest Stories

• Annual Acadiana Duck Derby launches over 10,000 rubber ducks
• Who spends more on lottery: residents of Louisiana, Texas, or Arkansas?
• Traveling with marijuana: Can you bring cannabis on a cruise?
• Which burger chain has the most expensive prices?
• New York teen with pellet gun fatally shot by police

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLFY.com.