Finance director: revenue up overall but February sales tax down after parish e‑file rollout; water and sewer revenues under pressure

Angela Williamson, the city's finance director, presented the monthly financial statements for the period ending Feb. 28, 2026, and described both gains and areas of concern.

Williamson said overall revenue was 18% over budget for the month and expenses were 2% under budget. She told the council the majority of the increase in EMS fund revenue was due to increased EMS billing compared with February 2025, while certain funds showed expenditure decreases due to lower unplanned spending.

On sales taxes, Williamson said sales tax revenue was down 6.3% compared with February 2025. She attributed the drop to rollout problems with a new parish combined return e‑file system in February that prevented some taxpayers from filing timely and said receipts were expected to rebound in March.

On utilities, Williamson reported that net operating income after debt service for February 2026 decreased 79% compared with the prior year; year‑to‑date net income is 21% less than the prior year and 10% under budget. She and other staff said chemical costs and seasonal usage will likely increase during summer months, which may further affect the utility budget.

Councilmembers asked clarifying questions about the e‑file rollout, timing of receipts and whether recent rate changes would stabilize water and sewer revenues; staff said the parish system should generate lagging revenues in March and noted some large capital/operating reclassifications affected recent comparisons.