News

City’s fiscal health at risk

Grambling City Hall and Community Center

Last year the City of Grambling received an  audit from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor calling into question the city’s fiscal stability. 

The issue is whether or not Grambling will be able to continue to be operational.  

“Eighteen Louisiana cities, towns and villages may be on the brink of bankruptcy or an inability to continue to provide basic services to its residents,” Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera said in a statement. “Our goal is to work with each municipality’s elected officials and to provide recommendations to place the municipality on a path to fiscal stability.” 

In August 2019, Grambling was listed as one of the 18 main cities in Louisiana facing this issue along with Melville, Clinton, Lecompte, Ball, Jonesboro, Washington, Epps, Tallulah, Basile, Lake Providence,  Newelton, Baldwin, Winnsboro, Waterproof, Vidalia, Tullos and Powhatan. 

According to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor,  the office’s mission is “to foster accountability and transparency in Louisiana government by providing the Legislature and others with audit services, fiscal advice, and other useful information.”

The city of Grambling has been silent on any plans to address the city’s financial woes. 

Mayor Edward Jones, Municipal Clerk Pamela Stringfellow and all city council members, have all been unresponsive to repeated requests for comment from The Gramblinite regarding the legislative audit and any plan to resolve the shortcomings revealed in the audit.  

The current state of the city’s finances are as well as any decisions that have been made by the city. Such decisions could possibly have a major effect toward the way of life for Grambling residents.