St. Tammany Parish finance committee forwards four budget amendments after monthly finance briefing

The St. Tammany Parish Finance Committee on Thursday reviewed monthly finance figures showing parish sales-tax collections running ahead of last year and approved forwarding four budget amendments to the full Parish Council.

Annie, finance staff, told the committee that Sales Tax District 3 collections through September were up roughly 8% from the prior year and that parish-wide sales-tax receipts are projected in the $79 million to $80 million range — about $4 million over the adopted budget and roughly 4–5% higher than last year’s $76 million total. "We were up over the prior year collections of about 8%," Annie said.

Annie also noted one district with a small decline: Highway 21 EDD was down about 1.6% for September compared with the prior year, a difference of roughly $2,000; she said September was the first fully comparable month since Costco began collections there last year. "We collected $118,000 in September this year and $116,000 last year," Annie said.

On fund balances, Annie said projections for the general fund were little changed from the prior month and the parish expects to end the year about $1.9 million over available budgetary fund balance, an amount planned to roll into the 2026 budget to help cover state mandates.

After the finance briefing, the committee considered four ordinances on the calendar and voted to forward them to the full Parish Council:

• Operating budget amendment 18 (ordinance calendar no. 8013): increases the library fund’s revenues and expenditures by $430,000 and increases the council-on-aging allocation by $230,000 based on updated grand recap revenue figures; the amendment also reduces budgeted interest income for several lighting districts because of lower interest earnings and fund balances. Annie outlined specific lighting-district decreases: $9,000 for District 1, $11,000 for District 4, $600 for District 5, $12,000 for District 7, $100 for District 15 and $1,200 for District 16.

• Operating budget amendment 19 (ordinance calendar no. 8014): general-fund adjustments that add $35,500 to the Clerk of Courts computer budget to allow purchase of roughly half of a planned 159-machine replacement (about 80 units), add $10,000 for the district attorney’s criminal court system and extradition costs, and decrease the City Court of East St. Tammany expenditure budget by $35,500 based on historical actuals and trial-court rulings.

• Grant budget amendment 11 (ordinance calendar no. 08002015): a $10,000 additional grant award for the Atmos Energy Assistance program to provide utility assistance to low-income families who are Atmos customers.

• Capital amendment 30 (ordinance calendar no. 8016): a $75,000 award from the State Department of the Treasury for removal and environmentally compliant disposal of abandoned and derelict vessels in parish waterways, including work to remove approximately seven vessels in Salt Bayou; the addition brings the project total to $225,000 (the original $150,000 was funded with GOMESA monies).

Committee Chair asked for a motion to forward items 9 through 12 to the full council; a motion and a second were made and the committee approved the referral by voice vote. The record shows a voice vote and the Chair declared the motion carried; no roll-call tally was taken.

A committee member predicted retail activity would rise in the coming months following interstate widening and the holiday season. "I predict that October, November, December is gonna be record breaking," the member said.

The committee adjourned after the vote. The forwarded ordinances will next appear before the full Parish Council for debate and final action.