JPSO proposes tax increase to help with staffing issues

By Britney Dixon

Source: WGNO

April 23, 2022

On the ballot for the April 30 election is a tax proposal from Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.

“We were very eager to look at the proposal from the JPSO because Jefferson is the most populous parish in our region,” CEO of the Bureau of Government Research Rebecca Mowbray said.

The BGR report on the tax proposal stated JPSO faces the same issues as NOPD — staffing.

According to the report, JPSO went from roughly 100 vacancies nine months ago to 247 at the end of March.

Mowbray said, the reason became pretty clear.

“If you compare the salaries at JPSO to others in the region, it’s the third lowest among the law enforcement agencies that the sheriff’s office identified as peer agencies,” Mowbray said.

If the tax passes, the average salary for first year deputies would grow from $38,745 to $47,250.

The BGR hopes this will bring people back to the force. The agency did endorse the tax increase but believes the sheriff’s office needs to do their research, as well.

“We did have some concerns,” Mowbray said. “One is the sheriff’s office does not collect any information on the non-financial reasons people leave.”

If the proposition passes, the tax rate would increase by about 5%.

Fair Use Notice

This site occasionally reprints copyrighted material, the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We make such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of issues and to highlight the accomplishments of our affiliates. We believe this constitutes a “fair use” of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is available without profit. For more information go to: US CODE: Title 17,107. Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond “fair use,” you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.