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Administrator presents Calcasieu Parish proposed 2026 budget prioritizing infrastructure and capital projects
Summary
Administrator Boland presented the recommended, balanced fiscal year 2026 budget emphasizing infrastructure, capital investment, disaster recovery and personnel adjustments; he outlined public-comment and hearing dates and provided a budget email for public input.
Administrator Boland presented the Calcasieu Parish recommended fiscal year 2026 budget to the committee, framing the plan as balanced and focused on infrastructure and capital investment.
Boland emphasized capital funds as the parish’s “bread and butter,” saying capital and disaster-recovery spending account for much of the proposed increase. He identified several headline items: continued work on the Judicial Complex (projected completion 2027), the East Calcasieu waterworks expansion (a multi‑phase project connecting Districts 5 and 12 and including roughly 9.5 miles of waterline), White Oak Park improvements and boat launch upgrades, and a parishwide Parks Master Plan targeted for third quarter 2026.
Quantified items noted in the presentation included 42 residential flood-mitigation projects representing about $26,000,000 in projects approved by the state, completion of over 70 miles of parish road overlays, and larger regional economic activity (Boland cited projections of about 8,600 new jobs and cited recent LNG announcements). On the budget tables he called attention to capital funds as a substantial portion of the proposed budget, described a capital-funds increase of roughly 14% (approximately $22,000,000) and said disaster recovery is budgeted at about $21,000,000 for 2026. He also said the operations budget would rise about 2.66% and that the proposal includes an average employee wage adjustment of about 4.5%.
Boland reviewed revenue assumptions: a Power Year fund balance (~24.6%), federal grants/disaster recovery (~24.7%), ad valorem taxes (~16.3%), sales tax (~19.2%) and gaming (~3.3%). He said the 1¢ sales-tax trend was projected to dip about 3% in the near term, while recognizing historical variability. He reiterated that gaming funds are restricted to nonrecurring expenses and capital and that gaming expenditures are limited to prior-year revenue.
Boland closed by listing public-engagement dates for the budget: a public-comment period from Nov. 20 to Dec. 4, a public hearing on Dec. 4 (budget committee), and a formal adoption scheduled for Dec. 18 if the jury so chooses; he provided budget@calcasieu.gov for submissions.
The presentation drew no committee motion for adoption at that meeting; members moved subsequently to adjourn.
