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December sales tax rises; EFID balance declines after stipends, parish budget adjustments expected
Summary
At the Jan. 7 Finance and Audit Committee meeting, staff reported December sales tax up 15.74% (3.43% year to date), EFID (half‑cent) receipts up 11%, and a reduction in the EFID reserve after state stipends and pay adjustments; staff said budget amendments will follow.
Tangipahoa Parish staff told the Finance and Audit Committee on Jan. 7 that December 2024 produced a strong sales tax month and that ongoing state stipend payments and one‑time reimbursements are affecting the parish’s general fund and EFID balances.
Mister McNeely reported that the parish’s general sales tax was up 15.74% for December and 3.43% year to date. “About $400,000 of that $854,000 increase was an audit, proceeds from an audit,” McNeely said, adding that the monthly gain was partly attributable to that audit recovery. He cautioned that some of the revenue growth reflects inflation rather than increased activity.
McNeely also reported that the EFID (the half‑cent) was up 11% for the period and that the EFID balance, which had been roughly $9 million before recent stipend and pay increases, is down to about $7.8 million as of the November update. “What we planned is working,” he said, describing the stipend and the 1.5% pay increase as factors that reduced the reserve.
On the general fund budget, McNeely said recent state receipts included money for a state stipend and reimbursements that allowed the parish to record additional revenue; his presentation cited ESSER reimbursements and other state funds that were not previously budgeted. He said revenue lines now show some surplus relative to the adopted budget, while salary and benefits percentages reflect the impact of the unbudgeted stipends and pay adjustments; both revenues and expenditures will be adjusted when the budget is revised.
Committee members asked a brief question about property tax assessments; McNeely said he had not yet received the assessor’s grand recap and that historically parishwide increases have been 2–3%, but he noted property tax contributes a relatively small share of the parish’s total revenues compared with state MFP funding. There was no public comment on the item and no vote was taken.
