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Parish official explains road overlay funding, 'Violytics' scoring and how Hammond can piggyback on contracts
Summary
Joe Thomas, representing the parish, told the Hammond City Council on June 9 that three‑quarters of the parish's one‑cent sales tax funds roads and bridges, described the Violytics road‑scoring system used to select streets for overlay, and outlined options for towns to 'piggyback' on parish overlay contracts; council members pressed for deadlines, access to Violytics reports, and written agreements.
A parish representative laid out how sales tax money funds road overlays across the parish and how Hammond can work with parish contracting to get local streets repaired.
Joe Thomas (identified as "from Tano Parish") told the council that the parish’s longstanding 1‑cent sales tax dedicates roughly three‑quarters of that penny to roads and bridges and the remainder to general fund services. He said remote sellers and DMV collections have increased revenue and that the parish has paved roughly 32 miles of roads in Hammond since 2016.
Thomas described the parish’s decision to bid by quantity (rather than by a named road list) to secure volume pricing. “By bidding quantities, the larger the contract the cheaper the prices we’re getting,” he said, explaining why the parish moved from roughly $4 million in annual overlay work to approximately an $8 million contract every other year — and that with rising revenues they may pursue a $10 million contract for the 2027 overlay cycle.
He also described the road‑scoring tool the parish uses, referred to in the meeting as Violytics, which analyzes potholes, cracks and other pavement features and produces a 1–5 severity report that councilors and parish staff use to prioritize work. Thomas offered to provide Hammond staff and council access to Violytics reports and to share cut‑off dates for submitting roads and quantities for upcoming bids.
Council members raised several recurring concerns: apparent past "handshake" arrangements between the parish and the city, how lists of roads are assembled, how to ensure communication so a road slated for overlay is not torn up by a later sewer/drainage project, and how municipalities can piggyback on parish contracts and pay their portion of quantities so smaller municipal projects can be included. On those points Thomas said the parish uses cooperative endeavor agreements when money is exchanged and that municipalities commonly piggyback on parish contracts by providing quantities and paying their share.
The exchange highlighted a common local tension: Hammond council members asked for clearer deadlines, a record of past lists, and assurances that overlay plans would be coordinated with anticipated sewer/water work to avoid newly repaved streets being reopened for utilities.
What the council asked for: Thomas agreed to provide cut‑off dates for the overlay selection process and to coordinate Violytics access or a reports feed so council members can explain to constituents why particular roads were or were not chosen. Several council members requested written cooperative agreements when money or assets are exchanged between the city and parish.
Why this matters: the parish overlay program is a major local capital program funded by a long‑standing sales tax; the committee’s technical approach and procurement choices shape which neighborhoods receive repair work and when. The parish’s move to larger quantity bids affects how much pavement the parish can buy with available dollars and how smaller municipalities can participate by contributing funds to piggyback on those larger contracts.
