Cameron Parish Police Jury reviews fund balances, seeks clearer reporting from special boards

Cameron Parish Police Jury members reviewed next year’s projected fund balances at their Dec. 11 budget meeting and pressed staff on access to financial reports from independent boards.

Finance staff reported the parish general fund ending balance at about $2.51 million and highlighted other fund projections, including Road and Drainage at roughly $8.26 million and the library at about $4.01 million. Staff emphasized these figures reflect budget projections for 2026 rather than current cash-on-hand.

Jurors raised repeated questions about why the parish treasurer does not automatically have access to other boards’ bank accounts. Staff said many special service boards maintain their own bank accounts and books and that the treasurer can request audited financial statements; historically those statements are received following an audit. Staff offered to provide consolidated reports quarterly if the jury wants them.

The discussion also touched on particular funds and districts — including several fire and drainage districts — and whether parish staff should include planned capital items (for example, a yet‑to‑booked allocation for a new Klondike fire station) in the January budget package. Staff said they would add pending items to next month’s report.

Jurors asked staff to present clearer line‑item labels so reviewers can quickly identify which district or program each number corresponds to. Finance staff agreed to revise the budget sheet and said they can add district identifiers and include gravity drainage line items in future reports.

The meeting closed the budget-review portion with jurors asking for more regular consolidated reporting so elected members can answer constituents’ questions about the resources and obligations of individual boards.