St. Tammany Parish Council votes to pursue sales tax to shore up court, jail and DA funding

The St. Tammany Parish Council voted unanimously on May 1 to pursue a parishwide sales tax as the county’s preferred path to address a shortfall in funding for state-mandated criminal justice services and other unfunded agencies.

Parish President Michael B. Cooper and consultants briefed the council and public on alternatives including a franchise fee, a targeted property tax and a sales tax. Ricardo Callender of PFM Financial Advisors told the council the three options varied in timing and economic impact: a 5% franchise fee on utilities could raise roughly $13.6 million–$15.7 million but is volatile and applies largely to unincorporated areas; a parcelwide sales tax of about 0.3% (three-tenths of a percent) was estimated to generate roughly $22 million with an average household effect of about $81 a year; and a property tax of about 7.33 mills would produce a similar total but…