The Denham Springs City Council approved public hearings for two proposed ordinances regarding funeral and sick leave for city employees and authorized funding for police defibrillators during its regularly scheduled meeting on October 26, 2026.
Judge Jerry Denton attended the meeting and encouraged people to vote in the upcoming November 3 election.
Mayor Gerard Landry was absent because he was feeling under the weather, so Councilmember Jeff Wesley presided in his place.
The two ordinances would amend Chapter 74 of the city’s code of ordinances, specifically Section 76 regarding funeral leave and Section 73 regarding sick leave.
The first ordinance would change the term “funeral leave” to “bereavement leave” and extend leave from one day to three days for all employees, matching the leave available to firefighters and police officers under the city’s civil service system.
The second ordinance would update sick leave for non-civil service employees to match the provisions for civil service employees by freeing up some sick leave banks, which are shared pools of accumulated, unused sick days donated by employees.
A public hearing on both ordinances will be held before the council votes on them. The hearing is scheduled for December 8, 2026, at 6 p.m. in the courtroom of the municipal building at 116 N. Range Avenue in Denham Springs.
The council then voted unanimously to adopt a resolution authorizing Landry to execute a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) with the Louisiana State Treasury for $60,000 in Act 3 aid for drainage improvements.
Although Landry was not present to explain how the funds would be used, council members agreed that postponing adoption of the resolution until his return could cause the city to miss certain deadlines. They agreed to adopt the resolution and have Landry sign the official CEA after he is able to explain the plans in detail.
Finally, the council unanimously adopted a resolution authorizing the mayor to execute a CEA for $123,000 in Act 3 aid for police equipment.
The money will be used to purchase automated external defibrillators for all police cars and the city’s police station, allowing officers to respond more effectively to cardiac arrest emergencies.
