The City of Lake Charles, Louisiana

The City Administrator is responsible for the professional management of the day-to-day operations of the City, including general supervision, administration and management. The City of Lake Charles operates under a Mayor-City Council form of government. Under this system, the Mayor appoints and recommends to the City Council and the Council, by consent of a two-thirds vote, appoints the City Administrator, who is the chief appointed administrator for the City.

Hello and welcome to Lake Charles, Louisiana. I'm John Cardone, Jr., City Administrator for the City of Lake Charles. It is my privilege to introduce you to our city and a few of the many amenities of our area.

Located in the southwest corner of the state, Lake Charles borders bayous, rivers, and lakes with a deep water channel that leads to the Gulf of Mexico. Access to these waterways provides for excellent fishing, hunting and other celebrated sports activities in the Lake Area. Lake Charles is also known for its diverse arts and culture programming/events, casino resorts, many music venues, excellent cuisine and many great festivals that occur throughout the year.

Lake Charles covers approximately 44 square miles, serves a community of nearly 75,000 people and is a great place to raise a family. The city has a healthy economy, which makes it a prime location for business, industry and other development. Recently, Business Week magazine's Web site ranked Lake Charles first in the country in America's strongest building market.

Lake Charles City Government employs approximately 1100 employees and has an Operating and Capital Budget for the 2012-2013 fiscal year of $127 million, of which $61.6 million is for General Fund operation which includes General Government, Planning and Development, Finance, Human Resources, Public Works, Fire and Police. The City also operates four Enterprise Funds for Water, Transit, the Civic Center and a Golf Course and has special revenue budgets for Wastewater, Recreation and Special Events.

On behalf of all our employees, we will continue to strive to provide the highest quality of professional service to the citizens of our community, and we welcome all to come and visit our proud "city on the lake."

The City of Lake Charles Public Information Office is dedicated to serving all members of the Lake Charles community including residents, visitors, merchants and media representatives. Our mission is to ensure a consistent flow of information to and from city government regarding its policies, as well as increase awareness of City programs, services and recreational opportunities.

All public inquiries are promptly answered or directed to the appropriate City department. We appreciate your questions, comments, and any other feedback that will help us serve you better.  

To download a Written Request for Public Records form, click here.

Title VI Information

The City of Lake Charles fully complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and related statutes, executive orders, and regulations in all programs and activities.  The City operates without regard to race, color, national origin, income, gender, age, and disability.  Any person who believes him/herself or any specific class of persons, to be subjected to discrimination prohibited by Title VI may by him/herself or by representative file a written complaint with the City of Lake Charles.  The City's Title VI Coordinator may be reached by phone at (337) 491-1440, the Mayor's Action Line at (337) 491-1346, contact the appropriate Department Head, or download the Title VI Complaint Form.

Click here for more Title VI information.

Lake Charles enjoys a diverse industry portfolio that continues to strengthen and build upon the city's historic economic base. Combining the global connections with a focus on jobs and investment we seek to create a globally competitive and internationally connected economic development environment that supports entrepreneurs and businesses of all sizes toward investment and job creation.

For a look at the City of Lake Charles' Economic Development Incentives, click here. For projects specific to the City of Lake Charles, please contact Assistant City Administrator, Kimberly Dellafosse by calling (337) 491-1388.

For more information on relocating and expanding your business in the greater Lake Charles area, please contact the The SWLA Economic Development Alliance.

 

 

 

For Information on property please visit our Buildings and Sites Database.

 

 

 

 

• Mayor's Armed Forces Commission

• Mayor's Youth Partnership

The Lake Charles Mayor's Youth Partnership is comprised of Lake Charles teens serving in an advisory capacity to Mayor Nic Hunter and the community, recommending projects, programs and activities that benefit the youth of the city.

Our Mission:

The mission of the City of Lake Charles Mayor's Armed Forces Commission is to promote goodwill and understanding between the City of Lake Charles and the Armed Forces, both active and reserve. 

Our Meetings:

The commission meets on the second Monday of every month at 3:30 p.m. in the City Council chambers of City Hall. For more information, call 337 491-1383.

If you are interested in being an annual sponsor, please contact Tanya Senegal at tanya.senegal@cityoflc.us.  For one-time donations please visit SWLA Community Foundation.

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For more information on the Calcasieu Parish Tax Assessor's Program for Veterans, click here.

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A Look Back - 2024 16th Annual Patriot's Ball

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Louisiana Vietnam Veterans Memorial 

On Saturday, March 28, 2025, Secretary McGinley, Secretary Strickland, Mayor Hunter and the Mayor’s Armed Forces Commission, unveiled the new Louisiana Vietnam Veterans Memorial. In front of a crowd of 500 veterans, family members, active-duty soldiers from Fort Johnson, and patriots of all walks of life, the names of the 885 Louisiana Vietnam War casualties are now forever etched in granite. 

It is now a permanent fixture at our Veterans Memorial Park where the names of our fallen will never be forgotten.

A life-long resident of Lake Charles and small business owner, Nic Hunter was elected to the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury in 2011 and was in his second term when he was elected to the office of Mayor of Lake Charles in 2017. Mayor Hunter was elected to a second term in 2021.

Early in life Mayor Hunter acquired his work ethic by working at his grandparents’ restaurant, Harlequin Steaks & Seafood, which they opened in 1956. With his grandmother’s blessing, he began running the restaurant full time at the age of 17. Today he is a partner in The Villa Harlequin restaurant.

Mayor Hunter graduated from St. Louis Catholic High School in 2002. In 2007, he received a Bachelor of Arts in History from McNeese State University. Mayor Hunter credits his experience at McNeese for sparking an interest in public service. He is proud to have established an endowed scholarship through the McNeese State University Foundation, the Dr. Robert Forrest History Scholarship.

Mayor Hunter’s administration launched the Partners in Parks initiative in 2018, which has secured more than $1.6M in private donations and grants. Partners in Parks has transformed several City parks and brought events and programming to levels never seen before in City history. The Partners in Parks Initiative received a first place Community Achievement Award from the Louisiana Municipal Association in 2019.

Since taking office, Mayor Hunter has had a steady focus on infrastructure, including increasing funding for drainage improvements by 93 percent. The City’s Drainage Improvement Program is the first proactive, citywide drainage cleaning initiative in modern City history. The City has broken ground on dozens of road improvement projects, launched an automated water meter upgrade program, and broken ground on a brand new water plant. This new water plant will increase water capacity to the City of Lake Charles by 30%.

Under Mayor Hunter’s leadership, lakefront development has become a reality. A lakefront parking garage, which had sat damaged since 2015, was renovated and is now ready to service guests. Port Wonder, a science & nature center and state of the art children’s museum, will open in the first quarter of 2025. This historic project was made possible by securing dozens of public and private funding partners. Port Wonder has been a catalyst for additional lakefront development. Crying Eagle Lakefront broke ground on a full service restaurant and has an anticipated opening date set for the second quarter of 2025.

Economic development has been another major success, with a specific focus on diversity and areas that have seen disinvestment. Mayor Hunter created several Economic Development Districts which have helped support multiple projects. Today, areas of disinvestment are seeing more activity?? and announced economic development projects than ever before in City history.

With a deep love for the community and a passion to give back to the City, Mayor Hunter has always looked for ways to encourage philanthropy and the entrepreneurial spirit in others. Working with United Way, the Community Foundation and dozens of other non-profits, Mayor Hunter has rallied millions of private dollars for quality of life efforts during his tenure.

Mayor Hunter passionately led the community through a string of natural disasters, including Hurricane Harvey (August 2017), the COVID-19 Pandemic, Hurricane Laura (August 2020), Hurricane Delta (October 2020), Winter Storm Uri (February 2021) and a 1,000 Year Rain Event/Flash Flood (May 2021). His tireless efforts gave citizens a voice as he staunchly advocated for the needs of Southwest Louisiana at the local, state and federal levels.

Mayor Hunter was a key part of the team which secured the Louisiana Restore program, which opened up over $1B of federal aid to Southwest Louisiana after the 2020/2021 storms. Over 300 home owners in the City of Lake Charles have benefited from the Restore program. Currently, there is over $175M in resilient housing under construction in the City of Lake Charles, much of which is also supported by Restore.

In 2023, Mayor Hunter launched an effort to create a more resilient and sustainable future for Lake Charles. In November 2023, Lake Charles voters successfully passed “LC REBOUND,” a $190M tax neutral bond and tax restructuring proposal. LC REBOUND is paving the way to fast-track dozens of key infrastructure and quality of life projects. To learn more, click here.

Mayor Hunter has been married to his wife, Becky, an accomplished lawyer in Southwest Louisiana since 2015. They have a son, Harrison, and two daughters, Colette and Evangeline. They have three rescue dogs: Humphrey, Jolene, and Barnaby.

Awards and Appointments

2008: Times of Southwest Louisiana’s “Up & Coming Under 40” 

2011: Family & Youth Counseling Agency’s “Philanthropist of the Year Award”

2011: Mayor’s Armed Forces Commission’s “Patriot of the Year Award”

2011: Association of Fundraising Professionals Southwest Louisiana Chapter’s “Philanthropy Day 2011 Honoree” 

2013: “The Louisiana Distinguished Civilian Service Medal,” presented by the Louisiana National Guard

2017-2018: Diocese of Lake Charles Citizen of the Year, presented by Msgr. Cramer's Assembly, Fourth Degree Knights of Columbus

2018: Alliance for Positive Growth Annual Awards Public Servant Elected Category

2018: Humanitarian of the Year, presented by Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Louisiana - 7th Masonic District PHA

2021: Shining Example Award for Governmental Tourism Leadership by the Southeast Tourism Society

2022: Named Small Business Administration 2022 Phoenix Award Champion

2022: Recognized by Louisiana Housing Corporation as V. Jean Butler Housing Hero

2022: Awarded Louisiana Community and Technical College System Joe D. May Excellence in Public Policy

2023: Louisiana Chamber of Commerce Foundation Louisiana Leads Award

2024: Liberty Bell Award for Outstanding Community Service from Southwest Louisiana Bar Association

2024: McNeese State University Distinguished Alumni Award

2025: National Tommy Longo Disaster Leadership Award

2025: Vice Chair National League of Cities Public Safety and Crime Prevention Committee

The City of Lake Charles, under the administration of Mayor Nicholas E. Hunter, is committed to connecting with area youth through a variety of programs and initiatives.

Mayor's Youth Partnership

The City of Lake Charles Mayor's Youth Partnership’s mission is to provide City of Lake Charles youth with a voice in local government issues that matter most to them. It aims to promote participation in City government, to broaden youth leadership skills and to increase understanding of community issues through structured discussion and participation in community events.

What is the Mayor's Youth Partnership?

For a comprehensive overview of these programs and initiatives, click the image below.

Partners in Parks Celebrates 5 years! 

Launched in July 2018, Partners in Parks is pleased to celebrate five years of partnerships, park transformations, thousands of trees planted, countless smiles and dozens of free, educational events. Here is just a small snapshot of the fun we have had along the way.

Announced on July 17, 2018, the “Partners in Parks,” Initiative launched as a public-private partnership that has since invested more than one million dollars in park infrastructure and programming. This will be accomplished through existing revenue and private donations and without any additional taxation. 

Individuals interested in investing in City Parks may do so online by clicking here.