GONZALES - The city of Gonzales is approaching the end of its fiscal year without an approved operating budget, putting critical city services and jobs in limbo. It's a stalemate between the city council and the mayor's office.

Mayor Timothy Riley said he proposed a 22-million dollar budget to the city council in April. The city council rejected it in May. Council members Tyler Turner, Terri Lambert, and Kirk Boudreaux voted against it.

"Here we are, June 12th, still don't have an operating budget, capital budget, general fund budget, don't have it," Mayor Riley said. "They did not want the budget, and they did not give no explanation to why."

Now, Riley said the city is looking at a sticky situation running on little funds. 

"We have to operate now on 50 percent of the budget, our budget last year was around $22 million plus, so about $11 million is what we have to operate on," Riley said. 

If the budget impasse drags on much longer, Riley says they're looking at potential layoffs of city workers. 

"I'm very concerned about our police department and the fire department, and all of our city workers. All of that's at stake,” Riley said. 

WBRZ reached out to those council members for a response to why they voted to not pass the budget.

Tyler Turner said in a statement, "I merely requested that the general fund budget be broken down by line item. I fully support the public safety budget as previously proposed."

And Terri Lambert said, "I'm all about good government, but the proposed budget falls short of my expectations."

Boudreaux did not get back with us. 

Riley, who was a councilman before becoming mayor, said he would've never approached a budget in this way.

"I don't know the thoughts of others but I never did, you know it wasn't all what I wanted it to be the budget, but I knew better not to cross the line and say I'm going to try to hold something up,” Riley said. 

He said at the end of the day, he and the council will have to find a compromise. 

"This is not because they like the color red and I like the color blue, it’s way more serious than that, so we have to come to an agreement, something that I’m satisfied with as the mayor," Riley said. 

Riley said if they're able to come up with a new budget proposal, it will be introduced to the city council on June 23.