Parish president presents proposed 2026 operating and capital budgets; auditors report clean opinion on 2024 statements

Parish President Michael B. Cooper presented the proposed 2026 operating and capital improvement budgets to the St. Tammany Parish Council during its Oct. 2 meeting and formally introduced two budget ordinances for council review. President Cooper said the budgets reflect fiscal responsibility, prioritized investments in infrastructure and resilience, and forward‑looking maintenance of parish services.

Key budget points presented: the proposed budgets allocate more than $53 million for roads, bridges and drainage projects; they continue investments in flood protection, stormwater management and coastal restoration; and they fund roughly 70% of 2025 funding levels for the district attorney’s office, the judiciary and the justice center — an acknowledged shortfall the administration said it is addressing through discussions with council leadership. Cooper thanked the finance department, led by Annie Perkins, and said the parish will hold public budget review meetings prior to adoption.

Council actions on introductions: Council member Cheryl Tanner moved to introduce Ordinance No. 7963 (2026 operating budget) and Ordinance No. 7964 (2026–2030 capital improvement budget); both motions were seconded and the ordinances were introduced for subsequent public review and formal adoption at a later date.

Independent audit: Lester Richew of LaPorte CPAs and Business Advisors presented the independent auditors’ report on the parish’s 2024 financial statements. Richew reported an unmodified (clean) opinion and no material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting. He noted no reportable compliance exceptions related to federal funds and that the statewide agreed‑upon procedures report required by the state produced no exceptions. The auditor thanked parish finance staff for their cooperation in completing the audit.

Why it matters: the operating and capital budgets set policy priorities for infrastructure, resilience and public safety services and will be reviewed in public hearings before the council adopts them. The clean audit supports the parish’s financial reporting integrity and may affect bond ratings and borrowing capacity.

Ending: Council members set public budget review dates; the ordinances were introduced so the council can hold the required hearings and public review prior to adoption later in the budgeting calendar.