The parish council will vote on the 2026 parish budget at its regular meeting on Monday, Nov. 3 at 6 p.m. in the courthouse in Hahnville.
The council held budget hearings Tuesday, Oct. 28 and Thursday, Oct. 30.
The proposed budget, which Parish President Matthew Jewell introduced at the Oct. 20 council meeting, includes $257.1 million in government spending, with $61.5 million for levee protection, $32.2 million for public works and $5.1 million in grant funding dedicated to drainage projects.
Parish President Matthew Jewell said the budget reflects the parish’s focus on foundational infrastructure projects, which he described as the core function of government.
“As a parish government, we want to make sure we have functional drainage, safe and drivable roads, clean and safe water and utilities that we can provide consistently, without interruptions,” Jewell.
The budget provides a total of $130.8 million in funding for various public works and levee-related projects, including Engineers Pump Station replacement, Primrose Canal bank stabilization, Paul Frederick/Kinler drainage improvements, and the West Bank sewer plant conversion, according to a letter Jewell sent to the parish council outlining the budget.
But Jewell also noted in the letter that the parish’s needs identified by the drainage master plan significantly exceed the funding currently available. The parish does not have a dedicated millage rate for those projects.
“For this reason, it is important that the administration and council continue working together to identify additional revenue sources that will allow us to accelerate the implementation of critical drainage projects,” Jewell wrote in the letter.
Jewell said the parish is focused on completing phase 1 of the master drainage plan, and that parish has a list of projects already underway. The department is focused on improvements that will make the biggest impact.
“We’ve also been very organized and successful in getting outside money, including state and federal grants, to do some of these projects,” Jewell said.
But he stressed the need for a reliable and consistent funding source for those projects – like a dedicated millage rate – sometime in the future.
Once critical infrastructure projects are funded, the parish uses remaining funds on quality-of-life projects, Jewell said. He stressed that additional services, like recreation, have dedicated millage rates.
The proposed budget includes funding for the West Bank Boat Launch, sand volleyball courts, and a parish dog park, among other recreational projects.
It also includes a two percent cost-of-living adjustment to the employee pay plan, along with merit-based raises for eligible staff.
Parish taxing authorities have lowered milage rates over the last several years, bringing the 2025 total millage rate to 100.9 mills – the lowest since 1992. But the parish expects a modest increase in total assessed property values, which could bring an additional $30 million added to the parish’s overall valuation.
