PEARL RIVER, La. Two Pearl River Police Department front office employees have been laid off just days after Mayor Joe Lee and members of the Town Council said publicly that PRPD had enough money to finish the year.
During Monday night’s September 15 budget discussion, town officials reviewed PRPD’s financial situation and determined the department had enough funding to make it through the remainder of 2026. The Council nevertheless expressed a willingness to look at the numbers again in November if necessary.
Three days later, two PRPD front office employees were laid off.
During the budget discussion, approximately $278,667 was identified as remaining for police payroll with roughly 8.5 payroll cycles left in the year. An average payroll figure of approximately $28,697 per cycle was also discussed.
Using those figures, the remaining regular payroll would total approximately $243,925, leaving roughly $34,742. That calculation does not account for every possible payroll related obligation, including overtime, holiday costs or other expenses. But those were the numbers being discussed when town officials concluded PRPD had enough money to finish the year.
It is also important to be clear about who lost their jobs. The two employees laid off were front office staff, not patrol officers removed from the streets.
PRPD’s financial problems are not new. The Town provided additional money to the department in 2025 after employees were furloughed, and the department has continued to depend on significant funding from outside its dedicated police revenues.
Now residents are left with a legitimate question.
If the Mayor and Council reviewed the numbers Monday and said PRPD had enough money to finish 2026, what changed in only three days that required two employees to lose their jobs?
And if nothing changed financially, why were the layoffs necessary before the Council even had an opportunity to revisit the department’s finances in November?
