GONZALES — At a recent Gonzales City Council meeting, councilwoman Terri Lambert suggested that her colleagues should give themselves a 60-percent pay raise alongside a recently-increased uniform allowance.

Lambert said at the council's Sep. 28 meeting that she wants to bring councilmembers' pay from $1,000 a month to $1,600 a month.

She said the council hasn't received a pay raise since 2018, when, according to the Pelican Post, it went up from $800 to $1,000 a month. Since then, Lambert says the council's "responsibilities and demands of serving our citizens have continued to grow."

"This is not about getting rich, it's about fairly recognizing the time, responsibility and commitment that is required to serve our city," Lambert said.

Fellow councilman Kirk Boudreaux was quick to agree.

Lambert said she wants the pay raise while keeping the yearly $750 uniform allowance for department heads, which councilmembers said was increased from $650 by the town's mayor within the last year. 

"The $750 uniform allowance is simply part of the cost of representing the city. This council has more responsibility and more work on its plate than ever before, and our compensation should reflect that," Lambert said in a statement to WBRZ. 

After a very brief discussion, city attorney Allen Davis said for any action to be taken on the potential raise, Lambert would have to officially introduce the proposal at the next council meeting. It would then have to be brought up for a public hearing and final vote within 30 days of being introduced.