St. Tammany Launches Parishwide Outreach Ahead of Quarter-Cent Sales Tax Vote

December Ballot Measure Would Fund Courts, Prosecutors, Jail And Coroner Services For Five Years

ST. TAMMANY PARISH, La. — St. Tammany Parish officials are expanding a public information campaign across the parish ahead of a December vote on a proposed quarter-cent sales tax intended to support the local criminal justice system.

The initiative, promoted by parish government as “Keep St. Tammany Safe,” has included community meetings, videos and presentations explaining the parish’s financial situation and the services that would receive money from the proposed tax.

Outreach has included meetings in Lacombe, Covington and Abita Springs, with another community meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 1 at the Bush Gymnasium on Crawford Cemetery Road. The series gives residents in different parts of St. Tammany an opportunity to hear the parish’s case for the proposal and ask questions before Election Day.

St. Tammany voters are scheduled to consider the measure on Dec. 12. State Bond Commission records describe the proposal as a 0.25% sales tax lasting five years and beginning April 1, 2027, if approved.

The revenue would be dedicated to criminal prosecution and court-related services, including the St. Tammany and Washington parishes’ 22nd Judicial District Court system, the District Attorney’s Office, the St. Tammany Parish Justice Center, the parish correctional facility, the Coroner’s Office and DNA laboratory.

A quarter-cent tax would add 25 cents to a $100 taxable purchase. Because existing sales-tax rates already vary among Slidell, Covington, Mandeville, Pearl River, other municipalities and unincorporated areas, the total sales tax paid at the register would continue to depend on where a purchase is made.

Parish Says Dedicated Taxes Leave Funding Gap

Parish officials say the problem is not simply how much tax revenue is collected in St. Tammany, but how much of that money is legally dedicated to specific purposes.

According to parish financial materials, most existing property-tax revenue is assigned to particular agencies or services, while existing local sales-tax revenue is also dedicated. Parish government estimates that about $7.8 million remains available to help support core functions including the jail, District Attorney, judges, courthouse and general parish operations.

The parish’s financial outlook identifies approximately $34.4 million in requests connected to those services and about $16.1 million in recurring funding, leaving an estimated annual gap of roughly $18.3 million.

Using 2024 collections as a model, parish officials estimate a quarter-cent sales tax would generate about $17.9 million annually.

Property-Tax Reductions Are Part Of Parish Plan

Parish officials are presenting the sales-tax proposal alongside a plan to seek reductions in property-tax millages where possible.

The parish estimates that approximately 6.83 mills in property-tax reductions would be needed, using the 2024 tax base, to offset roughly $17.9 million in new annual sales-tax collections.

However, the parish acknowledges that a completely neutral impact is a goal rather than a guarantee. The final effect on an individual household would depend on sales-tax spending, the millages ultimately reduced and which taxing agencies participate in those reductions.

That distinction is likely to be a major part of the debate leading to December. Renters and homeowners who make taxable purchases would pay the additional sales tax, while property-tax savings would depend on property ownership, assessed value and the millage reductions that are ultimately adopted.

A Parishwide Decision

Although the public meeting series has moved through individual communities, the services at the center of the proposal serve residents throughout St. Tammany Parish.

Criminal cases from the Slidell area, Covington, Mandeville, Lacombe, Pearl River and rural communities move through the same broader parish judicial system. The correctional facility, District Attorney, judges, Justice Center and Coroner’s Office also carry responsibilities that extend beyond any one municipality.

The parish has emphasized that visitors and people who shop, dine or do business in St. Tammany would also contribute through a sales tax, while property taxes are more directly concentrated on property owners.

The proposal comes as officials seek a longer-term solution to what they describe as a structural funding problem caused by numerous dedicated taxes that cannot simply be redirected when another parish service faces a shortage.

What Voters Need To Know

The election is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026. According to the St. Tammany Parish Registrar of Voters, the deadline to register in person or by mail is Nov. 12, while the online registration deadline is Nov. 21.

Early voting for the December election is scheduled from Nov. 28 through Dec. 5, excluding Sunday, Nov. 29.

As the vote approaches, residents will ultimately be deciding whether a temporary parish sales tax is the preferred way to fund St. Tammany’s courts, prosecutors, jail and related public-safety services, and whether planned property-tax reductions provide a sufficient offset.

Why This Matters In St. Tammany

This measure would affect taxpayers and public institutions across the parish, not only the community where the campaign began or where individual public meetings are held. The outcome could shape funding for criminal prosecutions, court operations, jail services, forensic DNA work and the Coroner’s Office for the next several years.

For residents, the debate also raises a larger question about St. Tammany’s tax structure: whether the parish should rely more heavily on sales taxes paid by residents and visitors while reducing some property-tax millages, or pursue another approach to funding services that officials say face a significant recurring shortfall.