St. Tammany Parish forms collaboration committee; fire chiefs and districts press for transparency, limits on scope

St. Tammany Parish27s new Tax Reform and Collaboration committee met to outline a work program to identify opportunities for shared services, evaluate ballot measures and study tax structures, drawing questions from fire chiefs and special-district officials about transparency and who the committee will review.

The committee27s lead presenter, Council Administrator Miss Purkel, described two primary tracks: collaborative initiatives 26mdash; where agencies would brainstorm, research, plan, implement and evaluate shared projects 26mdash; and a formal review process for ballot measures that would include a selection step, kickoff meeting, document review, site visits and a published report. "The juice ain't worth the squeeze," Purkel told the meeting when urging careful benefit-cost analysis before advancing proposals.

Those procedures matter because the committee is explicitly positioned to review entities that levy taxes, including special service districts whose millages voters approve. Purkel said the committee would be aided by parish staff including the director of finance, Annie Perkins, an assistant district attorney (Emily Cuvillon), and Gina Hayes; she said the group will…