FERRIDAY — For the second time in less than a week, Ferriday Mayor Sherrie Jacobs could not get aldermen to authorize her to appear before the state bond commission to ask for a line of credit of up to $300,000 to cover upcoming payroll and emergency needs.

On Tuesday, Jacobs failed to get a motion with alderman Johnnie Brown absent for the second straight meeting. Glenn Henderson had offered a motion Friday but couldn’t get a second.

“(The aldermen) are the ones who asked for the meeting,” Jacobs said. “They came and got paid $100 to do nothing.”

Members of the Ferriday Board of Aldermen make $100 to attend specially called meetings.

Appointed board attorney Anna Ferguson said in Louisiana many towns appear before the bond commission to ask for a line of credit at the beginning of each fiscal year.

Alderwoman Gloria Lloyd, however, questioned Ferguson’s ability to provide legal advice since aldermen have not confirmed her appointment as town attorney.

Jacobs said she hired Ferguson temporarily following Friday’s meeting, when the board did not offer a motion to appoint Ferguson as the town’s attorney.

Alderwoman Gail Pryor said according to the Lawrason Act, it was up to the board to appoint or remove a non-elected position such as town attorney, except in a tie vote, where the mayor’s recommendation would prevail.

Ferguson said further in that act, it states when one mayor leaves office, those unelected positions are immediately terminated, meaning without the temporary hire, the board would be without an attorney.

Ferguson also said not affirming a town attorney opens the previous attorney, Myesha Davis, up for legal trouble. Ferguson said the board needs to appoint an attorney and get up to date on lawsuits impacting the town.

“It leaves Myesha exposed because her name is on the lawsuits,” she said. “You can’t have a town without legal counsel.”

Lloyd said she believed the board had to set the attorney’s salary, so she asked how Ferguson would get paid?

“The mayor has hired me temporarily,” Ferguson said. “We will work with the (Louisiana Municipal Association) and the other powers that be to get me paid. If it doesn’t work out, I will be so thrilled to do it for free as long as needed to make you happy.”

Ferguson then asked Pryor and Lloyd who they would prefer be the town attorney.

“It’s not my decision,” Pryor said. “Based on the recommendation of the mayor, we will vote, as we have done.”

When Ferguson asked what Pryor’s problem was with herself and her 25 years of experience as a government attorney, Pryor said she’d never forget Ferguson’s exit speech when she left in 2011.

Ferguson said she left an unorderly meeting involving the water treatment plant in which a representative of the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Nation was present along with many TV crews and residents of Ferriday verbally attacking then mayor Glen McGlothin and members of the board. Ferguson said she told board members she didn’t need that treatment at a time when she was dealing with family issues.

After Ferguson said this meeting was going off of the agenda, Jacobs brought the bond commission back up for motion, but she could only get the board to agree to adjourn the meeting. The four aldermen present left immediately upon voting the meeting over.

“I want the town and the town’s employees to know so when they don’t get their paycheck they’ll know whose fault it is,” Jacobs said. “They’ll know who they need to call to get this resolved.”

The mayor said the city is covered for the July payroll, but come August without a line of credit from the bond commission to bring to a local bank for a loan, the town could go into its reserves to pay employees.

“You don’t want to deplete everything you have in the bank,” Jacobs said. “You always want to have a reserve.”