For months, Citizens for a New Louisiana has been raising questions about Carencro’s handling of the C’est Bon Seasoning Festival. We were told nothing was wrong. Everything was above board. Critics simply didn’t understand what they were looking at. The auditors disagreed.
In fact, multiple audits have already confirmed what we told you all along — the City’s own numbers don’t even agree with themselves. Something here smells, and it’s not the seasoning.
A Quick Reminder: What We Reported Before
Before the auditors ever weighed in, the warning signs were already there. In November of 2023, the City of Carencro used taxpayer funds to pay Lauren & Co. $3,000.00 to form the Carencro C’est Bon Seasoning Fest, Inc., create its by-laws, and obtain its non-profit status from the IRS. The sole incorporator — Charlotte Stemmans Clavier. Not in her capacity as Mayor; not on behalf of the City; it’s Charlotte Clavier, individually. The documents even list her personal residence, not City Hall.
Public funds were used to stand it up. City leadership was directly involved in its governance. And almost immediately, taxpayer dollars began flowing into it.
By April 2024, the City had already begun spending money on the festival — despite the City’s financial auditor directing accounting staff to cease issuing checks. When the auditor reported he had consulted with the Legislative Auditor and provided Mayor Clavier with the “minimum steps recommended.” Mayor Clavier responded by stating:
“We will discuss tonight at our Council Committee meeting and put the introductory ordinance on the agenda for next Monday’s council meeting.”
It didn’t happen!
By the end of the year, Mayor Clavier had loaned or paid for expenses in excess of $40,000.00 for her nonprofit from the City Treasury — without an ordinance, without a cooperative endeavor agreement (CEA), and without any formal legal structure governing the transaction.
Come June of 2024, the financial audit report for the fiscal year ending in November of 2023 had been released by the Legislative Auditor. The report highlighted 26 separate material findings that had to be reported. Among them is a $3,000.00 donation/payment for legal services to develop a non-profit organization (Carencro C’est Bon Seasoning Fest, Inc.) controlled by the Mayor.
The festival itself occurred in November 2024.
Ex Post Facto Shenanigans: When the Rules Come After the Check Clears
Only later — on January 27, 2025 — did the City execute a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement attempting to justify what had already taken place. It was at this same meeting that Mayor Clavier stated that the festival was “cash positive.” If we borrow the logic of former President Bill Clinton: “Well, that depends on what the meaning of ‘is’ is.”
The profit and loss report provided by the City in February of 2025 showed that the festival was in the red (-$27,308.83) even after receiving over $40,000.00 in contributions from the taxpayers.
When we asked for additional records, we were advised that we needed to contact the Carencro C’est Bon Seasoning Fest, Inc., not the City of Carencro. In response to our request, the Carencro C’est Bon Seasoning Fest, Inc. indicated that they are: “a private, non-profit corporation which owes no duty to respond [to public records requests].”
The City of Carencro was then asked to exercise the clause in the Cooperative Endeavor Agreement, which states: “Carencro C’est Bon Fest, Inc. agrees and promises to make its books and other records available to the City of Carencro for inspection and copying at any time at the request of the City of Carencro.” But they did not do so.
What Is Being Hidden Behind the Corporate Veil?
Their response was simple: The festival is a private nonprofit. Pound sand! But that position becomes difficult to maintain when the same entity was created with City involvement, funded with taxpayer dollars, and tasked — by agreement — with carrying out a public function. The Cooperative Endeavor Agreement makes one point clear: the nonprofit agreed to organize the festival and, in doing so, to make its books and records available to the City upon request. Yet the records were never produced.
That is where the contradiction emerges.
When it comes to receiving public money, the organization operates as an extension of the City. When it comes to producing records, it wants to be treated as something entirely separate. They can’t have it both ways; if you take public money to perform a public function, your records are public. Under Louisiana law (LARS 44:1), a quasi-public nonprofit performing a governmental function — especially one funded by public dollars — falls within the scope of public records requirements.
The corporate veil does not change that. An NGO cannot accept public funds and avoid public accountability. We highlighted these issues at the time. City officials responded with a familiar refrain: “We haven’t done anything wrong.”
The Audit: What the City Could No Longer Explain Away
In September of 2025, the Legislative Auditor released the financial audit report for the fiscal year ending in November of 2024. Another eight material deficiencies were identified, including one that cuts directly to the heart of the issue: The City loaned funds to a nonprofit organization without an ordinance or signed cooperative endeavor agreement, another donation of public funds which could rise to the level of violating Article VII, Section 14 of the Louisiana Constitution.
That’s not a blog post or our opinion. That’s the Louisiana Legislative Auditor. The same report also notes that the City failed to maintain sufficient documentation in key areas and, in some cases, could not produce the records necessary to verify financial activity. Surprised? We weren’t.
In plain terms: The auditors couldn’t even confirm where the money went or whether it was handled properly.
And Now The Numbers Don’t Match!
But perhaps the most telling contradiction lies in the numbers themselves. When the City first responded to inquiries about the festival in February of 2025, it provided a summary profit-and-loss statement. Now the affidavit filed with the Louisiana Legislative Auditor by Charlotte Clavier on behalf of the Carencro C’est Bon Seasoning Fest, Inc. (outside of her capacity as Mayor) tells a different story.
According to its sworn financial statement:
- Total revenue: $139,114.51
- Total expenses: $170,941.52
- Net loss: -$31,827.01
- Remaining cash: $8,172.99
- Outstanding non-recourse, no interest loan paid by the taxpayers: $40,000.00
The event wasn’t even close to breaking even. It did not generate a surplus. It did not produce the economic return that had been publicly suggested. Instead, it lost money — substantially — and ended the year with a deficit. At best, this reflects sloppy reporting. At worst, it raises serious questions about the reliability of the financial disclosures.
But don’t forget, the numbers now being reported by Clavier are very different from those provided in February of 2025, when the event was proclaimed “cash positive.”
At that time, the numbers were:
- Total revenue: $123,903.33
- Total expenses: $151,212.16
- Net loss: -$27,308.83
It wasn’t just the story that changed — the numbers did too!
A “Loan” That Doesn’t Have to Be Repaid
The Cooperative Endeavor Agreement adds another layer to the problem. Under its terms, the nonprofit is only required to repay the City if it:
- Covers all its costs
- Covers startup costs
- Generates an additional $10,000 surplus
If it fails to meet those conditions? The loan is discharged, forgiven, nolle prossed! That means the taxpayers assume all risk for Clavier’s Carencro C’est Bon Seasoning Fest, Inc. If the festival loses money — as it did in 2024 — the taxpayer-funded loan simply disappears. There was no repayment schedule, no collateral, no guarantee.
This wasn’t a loan. It was a taxpayer-funded safety net. Success requires repayment, but failure erases the debt — a structure that incentivizes failure.
And Still — No Records
Perhaps the most troubling development isn’t what we now know. It’s what we still don’t. Months ago, in January 2026, a public records request was submitted seeking:
- Full profit-and-loss statements (for both the 2024 and 2025 festivals)
- General ledger transaction records (for the 2024 festival)
- Bank statements (for the 2024 festival)
- Supporting documentation for both 2024 and 2025
As of today, the City acknowledged that key records remain outstanding. Its explanation? The documents are not in the City’s possession. Instead, they must be obtained from Clavier’s nonprofit. This is despite the City’s own agreement explicitly requiring the nonprofit to make its records available upon request.
We turned to the November 2025 Council meeting, where a report on the festival was given, but the meeting video is missing, as is the one detailing the budget hearing. In other words, the City used taxpayer money to create and fund the entity. The City has contractual authority over the entity. And yet, the City can’t produce the records to prove where the money went, or even if a profit was made to trigger repayment.
The Bigger Picture
This isn’t just about a festival: it’s about how public money is (mis)handled. It’s about whether legal safeguards are followed before — not after — taxpayer dollars are spent. It’s about whether transparency exists in practice, or only in press releases.
The auditors have already confirmed that at least part of this conduct may run afoul of the Louisiana Constitution. But has anything changed?
The question isn’t whether something went wrong. The auditors have already answered that. The question is whether anyone in Carencro will fix it — before it happens a third time. Or, we could just put some seasoning on it!
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