Wilson holds up a bottle of Tallulah’s drinking water during a city council meeting in March, when the hike in city water rates was officially approved.
Although Tallulah's mayoral election is still more than three months away, Antonio Wilson's hat has been tossed in the ring for more than a year as a candidate for the city's top office and the hotly contested question of what to do over Tallulah's long-standing problems with its water supply has been one of his most visited topics.
With work set to begin soon on rehabilitation and construction of the plant, a process made possible by a $4 million loan from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Wilson on Monday again voiced concerns over how the voting process unfolded. In March, the Tallulah City Council found itself split when voting over whether or not to raise rates citywide - a measure needed to secure USDA funding. Mayor Charles Finlayson broke the council's tie with a vote in favor of the rate hike. Now, Wilson says he has found legal footing that could challenge the validity of the mayor's tie-breaking vote.
“They scheduled a special meeting,” Wilson said in a statement to media members Monday at the Madison Parish Courthouse. “Two councilmembers, they were for raising the rate and there were two councilmembers against the rate. And there was one councilmember that abstained, which allowed the mayor to break a tie.”
Citing a Louisiana Attorney General opinion on the Lawrason Act - a law intended to provide a uniform type of government for all municipalities in Louisiana - Wilson claimed Finlayson’s tie-breaking vote during the March council meeting was not legal and has threatened to file an injunction as soon as this week.
“I’ve read this Lawrason Act 104 times,” Wilson said. “Each time I read it, I find something new.”
In the portion of the AG opinion Wilson referenced, it reads, “In a Lawrason Act municipality, if there is a tie vote by the board of aldermen concerning the adoption or amendment of an ordinance, the mayor cannot cast the tie-breaking vote, as the clear language of La.R.S. 33:406(A)(1) requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the aldermen. If there is a tie vote concerning the adoption of a resolution, and such tie is a result of a member’s abstention, the mayor cannot cast the tie-breaking vote, as this is not an equal division of the members present, but rather an equal division of the members voting.”
During the March council meeting leading to the approval of the raise in water rates, District 1 Councilman Joseph Scott and District 4 Councilwoman Marjorie Day each voted yes on the measure, while District 2 Councilman Martez Robinson and District 3 Councilman Andrew Sims each voted no. District 5 Councilman Michael Whitney chose to abstain, leading to Finlayson’s tie-breaking vote.
“That opinion was done by our very own Attorney General here, Mr. James 'Buddy' Caldwell,” Wilson said. “I went and addressed the citizens and told them what I found. I knew, at the time, the rate increase was illegal. I contacted a firm and, at that time, the lawyer looked over it and told me that the statute is extremely clear.”
Wilson said he is asking Finlayson and the city council to “right the wrong” and is willing to file an injunction if the request is not met.
Finlayson said correcting the water issues in the city is a primary focus of his administration, but wouldn’t expound on pending legal matters
“I am aware of the situation regarding the water rates,” Finlayson said. “Since there may be litigation with this matter, I cannot comment at this time. We look forward to continuing to work to fix our water issues. That is the top priority for my administration.”
The full video of Wilson’s comments from Monday can be found above.
