Harahan council hears budget shortfalls, approves $100,000 match for playground

Harahan, La. — The Harahan City Council on Sept. 4 held a special budget hearing and heard that current projections show a possible $252,000 operating shortfall for 2025 and capital funding pressures tied to FEMA reimbursements and existing grant commitments. Council members approved a $100,000 capital match to support a largely donated playground project at Roland (Royal) Park and also approved a separate capital appropriation for emergency EOC air-conditioner repairs.

Council members, the mayor, the police chief and the finance director spent the bulk of the meeting on line-item questions and on explanations for several variances that pushed the city toward a deficit. Finance Director Todd Turney and Police Chief Lapree told council members they are reviewing budget line items, grant revenues and timing to reconcile projection differences and to identify where the city can reduce costs.

Why it matters: the city faces both operating and capital pressures that council members said need early attention so they are not forced to draw down the general fund reserve. Council members and the mayor discussed tighter spending discipline, potential temporary hiring limits and additional revenue enforcement for regulatory and code violations.

Most important facts

- Projected operating shortfall: Council discussed a projected $252,000 deficit for the current fiscal package if no changes are made. The council described the amount as a working projection that may change as finance and department heads reconcile line items.

- Police retirement overrun: The police retirement match is now projected materially higher than the budgeted amount. Council members identified roughly a $109,000 overrun tied to retirement-match payments for the department (line item 308 in the packet). Finance staff said the projection is based on six months of actuals extrapolated to 12 months and that payroll changes, overtime and staffing turnover affect the calculation.

- Police grants and supplemental pay: The meeting clarified that some state supplemental pay and certain highway-safety or overtime grant funds flow through city payroll and appear as both revenue and expense; those items were characterized as “wash” when they come in and are spent on department-specific payroll costs. Council and finance staff agreed to reconcile grant revenue lines and ensure the police department sees the related budgeted expenditures.

- Fleet, insurance and maintenance: Police Chief Lapree described vehicle repair needs (several cars out of service) and presented options to auction older, unused units to reduce insurance and maintenance costs. Council members discussed how the city’s core insurance premiums are centralized in general government rather than charged directly to police operating budgets; deductibles and individual claim costs still post to departments.

- Capital fund position and FEMA shortfall: Finance reported roughly $3.3 million in the capital fund as of recent activity, but most of it is already committed to grants or insurance-proceeds projects; about $930,000 was identified as currently uncommitted (video-poker reserves and other available balances). Separately, the FEMA-related capital account shows an approximately $950,000 negative or unrecoverable balance tied to claims from Hurricane Ida and related work the city submitted; council members said staff will research the denials and whether any items can be appealed or reimbursed later.

- Procurement, cash flow and grant matches: Council and staff noted that many capital grants require the city to cash-flow contractor invoices and then await reimbursements; that timing increases pressure on the capital fund even when a project is ultimately grant-funded. Examples discussed included sewer infrastructure work (a multi-million dollar project with a 20–25% city match) and a streets program apportioned from state funds.

Playground donation and council action

Councilman Asville moved — and the council approved — a motion to amend the capital budget to add a one-time $100,000 expense in the recreation capital accounts for a playground build at Roland/Royal Land Park. City staff described the proposal as leveraging roughly $600,100 in donated play equipment and vendor contributions (conference-donated equipment and installation support), including an interactive play piece estimated at about $60,000; organizers asked the city for a $100,000 match to cover site work, equipment rentals and remaining pieces not donated. Council members and staff said they will pursue private fundraising and in-kind contributions to reduce the net city cost.

Other immediate actions

- The council also approved a capital appropriation for EOC air-conditioner repairs under proposed Ordinance 2025-14.

- Council members directed staff to reconcile grant revenue and expense lines, provide a vehicle inventory tied to insurance, and meet with departments (finance, police, maintenance) within weeks to refine the numbers and produce options to close the projected shortfall.

Discussion versus decisions

Discussion points included whether and how to (a) tighten hiring or implement temporary hiring restrictions, (b) more aggressively enforce code/regulatory revenue opportunities (e.g., grass cutting, vendor permits), and (c) reallocate or prioritize capital commitments. The formal council decisions recorded were the $100,000 capital allocation for the playground, approval of the budget as amended for today’s items, and the emergency capital appropriation to replace failed EOC HVAC equipment.

Ending

Council members said they will continue to refine projections and meet again soon; several members urged swift follow-up on reconciled numbers so formal budget amendments or cuts can be considered before the deficits are realized. Finance staff committed to supplying reconciled line-item detail and to meeting with the police department to clear grant and supplemental-pay accounting.