Jefferson Parish Profile

Structure of Parish Government

The government of unincorporated Jefferson Parish (which does not include the municipalities of Westwego, Gretna, Kenner, Harahan, Grand Isle, and Lafitte) is a president/parish council form of local governance. The Parish’s Home Rule Charter grants the Parish Council general legislative powers and provides that the Parish President function as chief administrative officer. It is the role of the Parish President to execute the Council’s policies and to direct the operations of parish government. The Parish President has veto authority over most ordinances and receives an annual salary of $92,520.

Six Parish Council members are elected every four years from single-member districts, three districts situated primarily on the westbank (districts 1, 2, and 3), and three located on the east bank (districts 4, 5, and 6) of the parish. A small area of districts 2 and 3 extend to the eastbank of the river. A Parish Council Chairman is elected parish-wide. The annual salary of the Parish Council Chairman is $69,390, and Council members receive $46,260 annually.

The number of parish employees has increased steadily since 1995 (3,017), growing by 5.3 percent to an estimated 3,179 in 1999 as the parish’s population declined by over one percent. Most new positions in 1999 (19 net) are allocated to public work functions.

Population and Income

Following years of population and economic expansion, much of it at the expense of the Orleans Parish economy, growth in Jefferson Parish as in many once-booming suburban areas, has at best leveled-off and is likely in decline. According to data developed by the University New Orleans, between 1987 and 1996, per capita personal income in Jefferson Parish declined from 6.9 percent above the eight-parish regional average to 3.3 percent above the average. By comparison, over the same period, personal income in Orleans Parish grew from just below the regional average to 2.1 percent above the regional income average.

Reflecting regional out-migration trends, the population of Jefferson Parish declined by 3.3 percent between 1988 (468,509) and 1997, and by 1.1 percent between 1995 (458,456) and 1997 (453,160) according to Louisiana Tech University demographic data. The 1998 population remains unchanged over 1997. The parish’s middle income population is declining as a percentage of the total population. Enrollment in Jefferson Parish Public Schools is declining, leading to reduced state financial support.

The annual per capita income of parish residents, based on U. S. Department of Commerce figures, remained unchanged at $21,973 from 1995 through 1997despite sustained growth in the national economy. This leveling of income can have a future negative impact on retail sales. On a positive note, the parish’s unemployment rate dropped from 6 percent in 1994 to 4 percent in 1997.