Can a Louisiana home rule parish council appoint non-council members (regular citizens) to sit on its standing committees?

Plain-English summary

An attorney asked the AG whether the Livingston Parish Council can let people who are not council members, "lay citizens" in the request's words, sit on standing committees like the council's Ordinance Committee. The AG said yes.

Livingston Parish operates under a home rule charter adopted under La. Const. art. VI, § 5, with a nine-member council elected from single-member districts. The charter sets up the council and requires that council and committee meetings stay open to the public, but it does not lay out specific rules for who can sit on a committee. Assuming the Council itself makes the appointments, the AG found no prohibition in the charter or elsewhere in law on appointing non-council members to these committees.

The reasoning leans heavily on what these committees actually do: they are advisory only. Whatever a committee recommends still has to go to the full council, which acts by majority vote of its own membership. Non-council members on a committee cannot change that; they can discuss and recommend, but they cannot vote on parish business in the council's place.

What this means for you

Parish council members and clerks in Livingston Parish. The opinion says the Council may appoint non-council members to standing committees such as the Ordinance Committee. The committees keep their advisory character regardless of who sits on them.

Citizens asked to serve on a parish committee. Serving on a standing committee as a non-council member does not give you a vote on parish ordinances or resolutions. Your role is advisory: you can weigh in on a committee's recommendation, but the council still has to adopt, modify, or reject that recommendation by its own vote.

Attorneys for other home rule parishes. This opinion is grounded in Livingston Parish's specific charter language, which is silent on committee composition. Read your own charter before applying this Livingston Parish opinion to another council.

Common questions

Q: Can a parish council put a private citizen on a committee that reviews ordinances before they reach the full council?
A: Yes, according to this opinion, for the Livingston Parish Council on the assumption that the Council makes the appointments. The committee's recommendations remain non-binding.

Q: Does adding non-council members to a committee change the vote needed to pass an ordinance?
A: No. The AG opinion notes that ordinances and resolutions still require a favorable vote of at least a majority of the authorized membership of the council itself, regardless of who serves on committees.

Q: Do these committee meetings still have to be open to the public?
A: Yes. The opinion notes the Livingston Parish Charter requires that all meetings of the council and its committees be open to the public under general state law.

Background and statutory framework

Home rule charters. La. Const. art. VI, § 5 authorizes local governmental subdivisions, including parishes, to adopt home rule charters. Livingston Parish has done so, establishing a President-Council form of government with a nine-member council elected from single-member districts for four-year terms.

The charter's silence on committee membership. The Livingston Parish Charter requires open meetings for the council and its committees but does not specify who may serve on a committee. The AG treated that silence as permission rather than prohibition, since nothing else in Louisiana law bars the practice either.

The advisory nature of committees. The charter provides that ordinances and resolutions require a favorable vote of at least a majority of the authorized council membership, a threshold that by definition excludes non-council committee members from having a decisive vote on parish legislation.

Liz Murrill is the Attorney General of Louisiana. Chimène St. Amant signed the opinion as Assistant Attorney General.

Citations and references

Constitutional provisions:

• La. Const. art. VI, § 5 (home rule charter authority)

Other sources:

• Livingston Parish Home Rule Charter, §§ 1-01, 1-02, 2-01, 2-07(D), 2-11(D)
• La. Atty. Gen. Op. No. 88-0398 (cited for the point that committee recommendations are advisory only)

Source

• Landing page: https://www.ag.state.la.us/Opinions
• Original PDF: https://www.ag.state.la.us/Opinion/Download/25-0043

Original opinion text

STATE OF LOUISIANA
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
P.O. Box 94005
BATON ROUGE, LA 70804-9005

LIZ MURRILL
ATTORNEY GENERAL

July 24, 2025

OPINION 25-0043

64 PARISHES
La. Const. art. VI, § 5

Mr. Christopher M. Moody
Attorney at Law
1250 S.W. Railroad Ave., Ste. 170
Hammond, Louisiana 70403

Louisiana law does not prohibit the appointment of non-council members to standing committees of the Livingston Parish Council. The committees established by the Council are advisory in nature and their recommendations are not binding on the Council.

Dear Mr. Moody:

We received your request seeking an opinion regarding whether "lay citizens"¹ (non-council members) may sit on certain standing committees of the Livingston Parish Council.

Question: May non-council members serve on standing committees of the Livingston Parish Council, such as the Ordinance Committee?

Conclusion: It is the opinion of this office that Louisiana law does not prohibit non-council members from serving on standing committees of the Livingston Parish Council. The committees established by the Council are advisory in nature and their recommendations are not binding on the Council.

Livingston Parish operates under a home rule charter (Charter), as authorized by La. Const. art. VI, § 5, and has adopted a President-Council form of government. Livingston Parish Charter, § 1-01, 1-02. The legislative power of the parish government shall be vested in a Council consisting of nine members elected from single-member districts for four year terms. Livingston Parish Charter, § 2-01.

The Charter does not establish any specific rules for committees established by the Council, except to require that all meetings of the Council and its committees be open to the public in accordance with general state law. Livingston Parish Charter, § 2-07(D). Thus, we find no prohibition in the Charter, or elsewhere in the law, to the appointment² of non-council members to the Council's committees. Furthermore, we note that the Charter provides that all ordinances and resolutions shall be passed by the favorable vote of at least a majority of the authorized membership of the Council.

1 “Lay Citizens” is not a term recognized in any statutory or local government authority. We treat the request as asking about non-council members.

2 For purposes of this request, we assume the appointments are made by the Council.

Livingston Parish Charter, § 2-11(D). The authorized membership clearly would not include non-council members of committees. In addition, these committees, with or without non-council members, are advisory in nature only, and their recommendations would not be binding upon the Council itself, which still retains the authority to vote to accept, modify, or reject the recommendations of its committees. See La. Atty. Gen. Op. 88-0398.

Considering the foregoing, it is the opinion of this office that Louisiana law does not prohibit the appointment of non-council members to standing committees of the Livingston Parish Council.

We hope that this opinion has adequately addressed the legal issues you have raised. If our office can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.

With best regards,

LIZ MURRILL
ATTORNEY GENERAL

BY:
Chimène St. Amant
Assistant Attorney General

LM: CS