In advance of the Jan. 12, 2026, City Council meeting, several local taxpayers asked council members to publicly request clarification from Mayor Ronnie Williams regarding the details of an arrangement involving Grant Writer Nicole Gray. A review of the council meeting shows that the question was not raised during the public session. Instead, council members later submitted their questions to the mayor through a private exchange, outside the public meeting process. While Louisiana law and longstanding public-meeting practices emphasize transparency and discussion of public business in open session, the mayor’s response was provided only to council members and not addressed publicly.
The exchange below reflects Mayor Williams’ written response to those private inquiries and outlines his explanation of the employment arrangement.
Exchange was From: Ronnie Williams Jr.
Exchange was to: Natchitoches City Council Members and Others
Re: Questions
Thank you for your email and for raising these questions.
The current arrangement for the Grant Manager position is a return to the original structure under which the position previously operated.
Nicole is classified as a part-time employee, as she was before. Her time is tracked through a work log, consistent with how other part-time and grant-related positions document their hours, including the method used by Nick Verret.
She does not receive benefits, as no part-time employees receive benefits under City policy.
Nicole reports directly to Shanna. She maintains office space at Community Development and will primarily work on-site toward the end of the week.
Due to grant deadlines and submission requirements, some work necessarily occurs outside of the office when the position is part-time. This flexibility helps ensure we do not miss critical deadlines that could result in lost funding opportunities for the City.
At this time, the arrangement is consistent with past practice and does not require an ordinance change.
I appreciate the opportunity to clarify and look forward to continuing to work together to move our city forward.
Sincerely,
Ronnie Williams, Jr.
Editor’s Footnote:
The Natchitoches Parish Journal received a copy of this exchange from a city employee. The employee requested that their identity be withheld due to concerns about potential retaliation and asked for confidentiality. After reviewing the request, the Natchitoches Parish Journal determined it to be reasonable and has agreed to protect the source’s identity.
