BATON ROUGE - The Chief Financial Officer of Capital Area Transit System resigned, citing concerns regarding executive leadership within the agency.

The resignation letter was dated for Nov. 12, and at last week's meeting of CATS, former CFO Sunnie Hines was removed as a signatory from CATS's accounts.

According to information available on CATS's website, Hines was making a salary of more than $160,000.

During Hines's tenure, she was responsible for addressing payroll discrepancies and ensuring the bus system's compliance with IRS regulations. In her resignation letter, she referenced "persistent workplace hostility."

During the legislative session, State Rep. Dixon McMakin authored a bill to transfer the authority of CATS to the city-parish, rather than operating under an appointed board. It didn't pass. Additionally, during Hines's tenure, CATS union members complained about the lack of a negotiated contract with the bus system and uncompetitive wages, which led to a week-long strike among employees.

In response, CATS's communications team addressed questions about the departure, stating that they don't comment on personnel matters but did confirm the resignation. Caerus Advisors will be providing interim support for CATS Financials in the meantime.

The East Baton Rouge Metro Council, which is responsible for appointing commissioners for the board, says it was not made aware that the resignation had happened.