Tangipahoa Parish finance committee hears sales-tax gains; audit presentation postponed

Tangipahoa Parish finance staff told the committee on Jan. 27 that local sales-tax revenues continue to outpace last year, but the panel postponed an auditor presentation and asked staff to reschedule it.

Mr. McNeely, who presented the update, said "Our 2¢ sales tax was up 4.21% for December, which is $264,000 for the month, which puts us up about $2,700,000 or 7.88% for the first 6 months of the year." He also reported that the EAFID tax was up 13.98% for December and is about 11.49% higher year to date.

McNeely cautioned that recently authorized pay changes and stipends are reducing some fund balances, noting that the $30-an-hour state change and additional stipends are "diminishing that fund a little quicker than we had hoped," and said the administration will continue to monitor available balances.

Committee members were notified the district's external auditor was not available for the meeting, and staff asked that the 2024–25 financial audit be tabled and rescheduled. The committee agreed to defer that presentation to a future meeting.

McNeely also described changes to the monthly financial packet: the reports now include a statement of net position (a balance-sheet equivalent) and updated budget statements through Oct. 31 to bring the committee up to date after the audit. Staff said they expect to provide November and December reports at the next meeting.

The committee did not take final action on the audit itself; staff will return with the auditor on a rescheduled date.