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DeSoto Parish clerk warns office could be unsustainable unless spending is cut
Summary
Clerk of Court Lisa Lebrono Burson presented unaudited 2023–24 finances showing $2.21 million in revenues, rising attorney and IT costs, and a reduced staff plan she says will save roughly $850,000; she told the Police Jury the office could be insolvent in about 3.7 years at prior spending rates.
Lisa Lebrono Burson, the Clerk of Court for DeSoto Parish, told the Police Jury on Sept. 9 that unaudited fiscal-year 2023–24 revenues totaled $2,211,714 while personnel expenses were $2,059,513.89 and operating expenses were $709,062.82. She said capital outlay was $20,094.88 and described a small number of transactions at an archives building that cost the office $36,000 a year in rent and generated $1,076.50 in revenues during the 12‑month period.
Burson outlined several cost drivers: software and IT charges (ClerkNet expenses she put at $126,447.54), increased attorney-fee spending over recent years, and a pattern of staffing growth. She said she reduced staff from about 23 full‑time equivalents to 12 full‑time and 2 part‑time positions and estimated those changes would save approximately $850,000 going forward.
Burson told jurors she reviewed records back to 2013 and identified what she calculated as $7,040 in overpayments by the police jury for court-session bills beginning in 2014. She said attorney fees for the year were $81,298.03 and that some costs historically rose substantially — she cited multi‑year increases and said overall spending rose roughly 169% when comparing long‑range figures cited in her review.
Jurors asked questions about the archives building’s current use, staff assignments, and the reasons for retaining outside counsel. Burson named Kenneth Haines and Ronald J. Michoda as attorneys on retainer and said retainer counsel were used for occasional legal questions; she said she would provide supporting notes and invoices to the jury’s staff for review.
Burson framed the presentation as a request for awareness and oversight, saying that unless structural changes continued the clerk’s office could be unable to operate in the medium term, with consequences for land records, elections and court services. She said she would send detailed notes to the jury’s secretary so jurors could follow up.
The Police Jury did not take legislative action on the clerk’s report during the meeting; jurors posed questions and accepted Burson’s offer to provide additional documentation.
