Sheriff Greg Champagne reviewed components of the sheriff’s office budget during the Oct. 28 budget hearing and described the parish’s long‑standing agreements for housing inmates.

Champagne said the parish’s per‑diem agreement for pretrial inmates is $30 per day — an amount set in an intergovernmental understanding that predates current costs. He told the council the U.S. Marshals Service estimates the cost to hold an inmate at the parish facility at about $85 per day, and that the amount paid by the state for DOC inmates (recently $28 per day) does not cover actual costs. Champagne said those program differences have created a financial strain and cautioned that he may request a modest per‑diem increase next year.

Context: Champagne described how the parish and the sheriff’s office allocate costs for jails and corrections historically, noting that the parish owns some building costs while the sheriff’s office covers operations such as feeding, security and medical care. He also noted smaller budget increases for the sheriff’s K‑9 program and joked about the canine food line item while underscoring the functional needs of canine teams used in narcotics, explosives and other detection operations.

What the council said: Council members and the parish president thanked the sheriff and acknowledged the broader fiscal tradeoffs involved in correctional costs, noting that parish budget pressures vary across jurisdictions. The sheriff’s comments were part of the regular departmental budget presentation and were not tied to a separate motion or vote in the recorded hearing.