Committee refers multiple finance ordinances; Mandeville Library carpet and spay/neuter funding highlighted

St. Tammany Parish committee members voted to refer several finance ordinances to the finance committee and to forward two adoption ordinances to the full council, including a $258,000 capital improvement amendment for the Mandeville Library branch and an operating-budget amendment that includes additional funding for the countyspay/neuter voucher program.

The committee first voted to refer the remainder of the agenda (minus pulled items) to the full council and then handled the pulled finance items. Council Member Tanner moved, and Council Member Phillips seconded, to refer finance-ordinance items grouped under the committeecalendar (items 6 through 10) to the finance committee; the motion passed by voice vote.

Council Member Coogel introduced an adoption ordinance listed as "Ordinance calendar number 07/09/1956," described in committee as an amendment to the 2025 capital improvement budget and capital assets for St. Tammany Library capital projects. Coogel said the ordinance covers a $258,000 investment to replace worn carpet at the Mandeville Library branch the parish owns; administration confirmed the expenditure and that it applies to the owned branch.

On operating-budget amendment number 7957 (amendment 14 to the 2025 operating budget), Coogel asked why multiple items were combined into one ordinance; administration said the practice is to bundle multiple operating items rather than present separate ordinances. The ordinance includes a requested $50,000 increase for the spay/neuter program to cover outstanding vouchers. County animal-services staff said the additional amount is expected to cover between roughly $35,000 and $48,000 in unfunded vouchers over the remaining months of the calendar year. Staff explained voucher co-pay rules: community or feral cats may receive full coverage (no co-pay), owned cats carry a $20 co-pay, and vouchers for dogs include co-pays (staff referenced amounts around $60to65 for dogs).

Motions to refer the Mandeville capital amendment and the operating-budget amendment to the full council were made by Council Member Coogel and seconded (Mandeville seconded by Burke; the operating amendment seconded by Arthur Wofflin); both referrals passed by voice vote. The finance-committee referral for the grouped finance ordinances also passed.

The committee did not adopt the ordinances at this meeting; it referred them to the appropriate next bodies (finance committee or full council) for final action.