St. Tammany Council Weighs Three Funding Options

St. Tammany Council Weighs Three Funding Options For Courts, Jail And Other Mandated Services

Officials say the parish must choose a new revenue path as the general fund shortfall grows. St. Tammany Parish leaders are moving toward a decision on how to shore up funding for the criminal justice system and other state-mandated services, with the Parish Council set to choose whether to pursue a sales tax, a property tax or a franchise fee.

The issue was placed on the agenda for a special council meeting Thursday night, where members were scheduled to hear presentations from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor, the parish finance department and the parish’s financial adviser before taking up a resolution declaring which option the council intends to pursue.

According to the resolution, the funding gap affects a range of agencies and functions supported through the parish general fund, including the St. Tammany Parish Jail, the 22nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office, the 22nd Judicial District Court, the coroner’s office, courtrooms and offices at the Justice Center, parts of the clerk of court’s office, the assessor’s office, the registrar of voters, justices of the peace and constables, the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs and East St. Tammany City Court.

State auditors said St. Tammany Parish Government has been operating with a structural imbalance in its general fund, averaging about $7.4 million per year from fiscal 2024 through the 2026 budget. The council’s resolution says the shortfall is projected at about $16 million in 2027 and could climb to about $22 million in 2028.

Parish officials have said the 2026 budget already included a roughly 30% reduction in funding for public safety-related operations, and warned that deeper cuts would be needed without a recurring revenue source. Reporting by WDSU said officials were presenting the public with three options and estimated the household impact could range from about $80 to nearly $150, depending on the path chosen.

Officials have also argued that the parish cannot simply shift money from dedicated taxes for roads, drainage or other specific purposes into the general fund. The Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s review found St. Tammany collects a similar overall amount of local sales and property taxes per capita as several comparable parishes, but has a smaller share of general, undedicated tax revenue available to parish government.

If the council selects either a sales tax or property tax option, voters would still have the final say because a parish wide election would be required. A franchise fee, by contrast, would not require the same ballot process, though WDSU reported it would not generate enough money on its own to fully cover the parish’s needs.

Why This Matters In Slidell

For Slidell-area residents, the debate reaches beyond Covington. The agencies tied to this funding handle prosecutions, jail operations, court proceedings and other services used parish wide, including by people in East St. Tammany. Any further cuts could affect case processing, detention operations and other core public safety functions that ripple across the Northshore.