It’s a conservative $117.2 million budget proposed for 2017, but the St. Charles Parish government is taking care to boost the general fund and buffer potential revenue shortfalls. Parish President Larry Cochran said his administration’s goal is to increase the general fund balance. For the last several years, the balance has hovered around $7 million.
“I believe that it is in the best interest of St. Charles Parish’s residents to significantly increase this balance, and we are well on our way of accomplishing that,” Cochran said. “I am happy to report that this year, it is projected to have an ending balance of $12.9 million. As I have said numerous times, our motto is to do more with less. Our record to date indicates that after just nine months in office, we have saved over $5 million.”
The parish, as well as others, is awaiting the recommendations of a legislative committee assessing the future of the inventory tax.
Making up 23 percent of St. Charles Parish government’s revenue, the tax is assessed on stored goods in the parish, which substantially includes oil. Plummeting oil prices made that inventory worth less so it’s generating less tax revenue, and changes could be coming with the tax itself as the Louisiana Legislature tries to eliminate tax credits to address a budget-strapped state.
In three public budget hearings, the council will crunch the numbers on department budget proposals, as well as consider project proposals and seek approval for their own.
On Oct. 25, in an all-day hearing, the council will review department budgets. The hearing begins at 8 a.m.
On Oct. 27, outside agencies like Arc of St. Charles, the Housing Authority and 911 present their budgets and answer questions. Anyone who could not attend the earlier hearing can present budgets in this hearing, which begins at 6 p.m.
The Nov. 1 hearing is the last opportunity to present a budget for review and typically when council members submit their project requests such as a park or drain project. The council typically adopts the budget at this hearing, but it has the options to wait to do it at the next council meeting. This hearing also begins at 6 p.m.
All hearings will be held in the Council Chambers at the St. Charles Parish Courthouse in Hahnville.
The proposed budget is about $5 million lower than this year’s budget.
Chief Financial Officer Grant Dussom said the difference is mainly due to fewer projects proposed next year. Next year’s focus will be on completing projects such as the $2.7 million District Attorney Annex under construction next to the courthouse.
“The biggest expense that changes from year to year are our capital projects,” Dussom said. And he said the proposed budget “is probably the smallest one we’ve ever had in projects.”
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