Abbeville Council approves raise for Chief of Police Hardy

Abbeville Chief of Police Mike Hardy will be receiving a raise.
During a regular meeting on Tuesday, the Abbeville City Council voted 3-1 to approve a $20,000 salary increase for Hardy, whose current term began last July. Hardy previously served as Abbeville chief from 1990 to 2002.
Councilman Brady Broussard Jr., Councilman Carlton Campbell and Councilman Francis Touchet Jr. voted in favor. Councilwoman Terry Broussard opposed it, saying she favored a $10,000 increase. Councilman Tony Hardy, the chief’s brother, abstained from voting.
With Tuesday’s move, Hardy’s salary will go from $65,000 to $85,000.
Touchet, who proposed the increase last month, said this bring’s the Abbeville chief’s salary more in line with other similarly sized municipalities in Acadiana. During an ordinance committee meeting last month, Touchet presented salaries for other departments:
• Crowley — $75,782.98
• Broussard — $85,639.22
• New Iberia — $85,855
• Youngsville — $86,985
• Scott — $92,663
“We have to think about the position,” Touchet said. “Not about who’s in there, but what that position calls for moving forward.”
While he said it’s not about a person, Touchet said Hardy had earned a raise.
“You can’t tell me that the Scott chief works harder than Mike Hardy,” Touchet said. “You can’t tell me that.”
Mayor Roslyn White said she did not disagree that the chief is worthy of a raise. However, White said some comparisons might not be appropriate.
“We don’t have the growth that Scott, Broussard and Youngsville do,” White said. “I wish we could afford to pay the chief $100,000. But, it’s not about that. What’s fair, and what can we afford to give?”
Councilwoman Broussard suggested a $10,000, with the possibility of revisiting another increase in the future.
“After the meeting when this was brought to the table,” Broussard said, “I had a conversation with the chief. I told him that I appreciated his work and that he is giving us 100% out on the job, but I would like to see this start at $75,000. Then, maybe in a year or two, we could move up.”
Touchet said, again, this is about the position. He said there is one lieutenant who currently makes $71,000. With the 2% annual increase, for which that lieutenant and other officers are eligible, Touchet said it’s possible the lieutenant could once again surpass the chief’s salary if set at $75,000. The chief of police is not eligible for the annual 2% raise.
It has been more than three years since the last raise for chief of police. In December of ‘19, the council voted to give then Chief of Police William Spearman a raise, increasing his salary from $55,000 to $65,000.
“This is not about the person in the office,” Touchet said. “It’s about the actual position that I can promise you, I don’t want any part of. This is a job that we better make sure it’s attractive.”