Caddo Parish commissioners on Monday weighed a request to allocate roughly $40,000 from the parish health tax fund to hire outside contractors to trap and remove an escalating wild hog population.

Miss Bryant, speaking for parish administration and animal services, told commissioners the problem spans the parish and that animal services officers—who also have other duties—have been fielding complaints as the animals enter residential yards. "We've been asked for about $40,000 to contract with an outside company to assist us with the wild hog issue," she said, describing the figure as an estimate for a 2026 contract.

Why it matters: Commissioners said the hogs can cause significant property and agricultural damage and multiply rapidly. Commissioner Ed Lazarus warned that "you have to eliminate 70% of the population to maintain" current damage levels and noted sows can produce as many as three litters a year. That math, commissioners said, makes the problem costly and recurring.

Officials did not adopt a contract or amend the budget at the work session. Miss Bryant said the $40,000 estimate would come from the parish health tax fund within the animal services budget and that if actual costs are lower, the remainder would return to the fund; if costs exceed the estimate, staff would return to the commission to request additional funds. "We haven't worked out the details for the contract itself," she said when asked whether the contractor would be paid per animal removed or on a different basis.

Commissioners asked staff to prepare a formal budget amendment and to bring contract specifics to the budget hearing scheduled for the following day. Several commissioners also suggested exploring strategies used elsewhere and thanked animal services for current efforts. One commissioner described efforts to process sows and make meat available for food giveaways, while others emphasized the need for a clear plan to measure results.

Next steps: Administration will prepare the proposed budget amendment and contract options for the commission to consider at the upcoming budget hearing; no formal action was taken Monday to obligate funds.