The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office is asking voters throughout the parish to approve a new 7-mill property tax on the April 30, 2022 ballot. The Sheriff plans to use the estimated $28 million in annual tax revenue to raise employee salaries by an average of 25% and fill nearly 250 vacant positions. If approved, the 10-year tax would take effect this year and run through 2031.
The Sheriff said the new revenue is necessary to (1) address mounting problems with retention and hiring that have left the office understaffed, (2) reduce overtime costs and (3) update a salary structure that has had few significant pay increases since Hurricane Katrina. As shown in the chart below, the number of vacancies has increased nearly 150% in the past nine months. The 247 vacancies as of late March represent 17% of the office’s 1,474 authorized positions.
More than half of the vacant positions are at the parish jail, and consequently, the jail accounts for a large share of the office’s rising overtime costs. The vacancies extend to other key areas of the office’s operations, including 911 dispatchers and patrol deputies. The Sheriff’s Office links the sharp increase in vacancies to hiring and retention problems, largely driven by a salary structure that has not kept up with other law enforcement agencies and the private sector.
The $28 million from the tax would increase General Fund revenues 21% to $162.5 million. The tax would be the primary funding source for a $36.8 million plan to raise salaries and fill all open positions. About $5 million would come from projected savings on overtime costs, with another $3.8 million coming from existing General Fund revenues or reserves. The plan would allocate $18.8 million to increase salaries for all Sheriff’s Office employees by an average of 25%. The remaining $18 million would cover the cost of filling the vacant positions and provide financial reserves to help maintain the raises and higher staffing levels if revenues decline or costs increase more than expected. If voters approve the tax, the Sheriff’s Office would apply $9 million from its current $65.7 million in reserves to implement the raises on July 1, six months before the new tax would be collected.
To analyze the proposition, BGR considered three questions that address the efficient and effective use of public resources: (1) Has the Sheriff’s Office carefully planned how it will spend the tax revenue and provide financial stewardship and accountability for taxpayer dollars? (2) Is the tax an acceptable way to fund the purposes in light of alternative funding options? (3) Is there evidence indicating the tax would result in effective outcomes for the public? Based on this analysis, BGR found the following:
FOR. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s proposed 7-mill property tax would provide a stable revenue stream to address growing problems with retention and hiring that could pose a risk to public safety. The Sheriff’s Office would compete more effectively with other agencies for talented officers, recruits and other employees. Its detailed plan for raising salaries and filling vacant positions would align pay more fairly with employee responsibilities, provide a livable wage for most support staff and reduce overtime costs. The office has also compiled a track record of effective financial stewardship and is putting in place a new strategy for recruitment. A timely response as outlined in the Sheriff’s proposal is necessary to prevent the recent spike in resignations from becoming a crisis.
Still, the proposal has some shortcomings that the Sheriff’s Office should address. BGR’s analysis finds that levying the full 7 mills could generate significantly more revenue than the pay raise plan requires, especially in the early years of the tax. The office should seek to control the accumulation of surplus tax revenue by continuing to develop its recruitment and retention strategy to fill vacancies efficiently and effectively. It should also put in place data collection and analysis techniques to understand employee motivations and help ensure the effectiveness of any future pay raises. While rebuilding its workforce, the Sheriff’s Office should look for efficiencies in its authorized positions and publicly document its hiring results and use of surplus revenues. If surpluses persist, the Sheriff should consider lowering the millage rate to avoid overburdening citizens who may themselves be struggling financially. Unnecessarily high taxes in one area can reduce taxpayers’ tolerance to finance other needs in the parish.
This report is part of BGR’s On the Ballot series, which provides voters with objective, nonpartisan analysis of significant ballot propositions in the New Orleans metropolitan area. In producing these reports, BGR recommends positions consistent with its mission of promoting informed public policy making and the effective use of public resources to improve local government. On the Ballot reports highlight the strengths and weaknesses of ballot propositions and assess the potential for government expenditures or actions to efficiently achieve beneficial outcomes for citizens.
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Covington Police Chief Tim Lentz has received the Excellence in Government 2018 Innovation Award from the Bureau of Governmental Research for his leadership in establishing the Operation Angel Program to combat drug addiction in St. Tammany Parish. Lentz, Covington’s police chief...
Voters on the west bank of Jefferson Parish on Saturday overwhelmingly approved a new property tax that will fund critical maintenance work on the federal levees that protect the area from flooding. After rejecting a similar tax proposal in...
When it comes to taxes, essential services have to be paid for, and one of them in Louisiana more than almost anyplace else in the world is flood protection. But a property tax millage for flood protection in West...
The Times-Picayune editorial board makes the following recommendation for Saturday’s (April 28) election. JEFFERSON PARISH WEST JEFFERSON LEVEE DISTRICT PROPOSITION To increase property taxes by 4.75 mills for 10 years for maintenance of the flood control system Yes The Southeast...
Today the Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR) releases On the Ballot: West Jefferson Levee District Property Tax, April 28, 2018. On April 28, voters on the west bank of Jefferson Parish will decide whether to approve a new property tax for the...
The Jefferson Parish School Board most likely will ask voters for a tax increase next spring to fund teacher pay raises and facility upgrades, but just how much of a hike has yet to be decided. At its meeting Tuesday (Dec....
METAIRIE, LA (WVUE) – Jefferson Parish School Board members are debating which way to go next after voters narrowly defeated a measure that would have raised teacher pay. The Jefferson Parish School System is drawing more students in recent years, thanks in...
Just days after Jefferson Parish voters narrowly rejected a new property tax to fund a pay raise for public school employees, School Board members are gearing up for new tax proposals they hope to put before voters in the...
Jefferson Parish School Board member Cedric Floyd said Tuesday (Nov. 21) that he wants voters to reconsider an 8.45-mill property tax that was rejected on Saturday. The tax, estimated to generate $27 million a year, would be dedicated to teacher and...
Jefferson Parish voters on Saturday narrowly rejected an 8.45-mill, 10-year property tax that would have paid for salary increases for school system employees, tossing aside arguments that the parish’s teachers need to be paid more to make the system...
Jefferson Parish voters narrowly rejected a new 8.45-mill property tax Saturday (Nov. 18) that school officials requested to boost teacher pay. With more than 41,600 votes cast, the tax was rejected by a margin of 484 votes. The tax was proposed...
Jefferson Parish schools are asking taxpayers to vote “yes” on Saturday to a new 8.5 mil property tax. The money would be used to give teachers and school employees their first across the board pay raise in 10 years....
The Jefferson Parish public school system is asking voters to approve a new 8.45-mill property tax on the Nov. 18 ballot that school officials say is needed to boost teacher pay. The tax would help increase the starting pay of first...
It’s been a rocky few months for the Jefferson Parish School Board: Longtime member Ray St. Pierre died, parents protested shifting attendance zones on the east bank, and board member Cedric Floyd tried to get Superintendent Isaac Joseph suspended....
Early voting begins Friday across the state for the Nov. 18 election, with the runoffs for New Orleans mayor and two city council seats drawing the most attention, along with a statewide race for treasurer and other local tax...
The government agency overseeing Jefferson Parish’s two bus systems is sitting on a big pile of cash: $21.2 million. And parish officials want more. They’re asking voters Oct. 14 to renew two property taxes that fund the conventional fixed-route bus service and...
Voters throughout Jefferson Parish will be asked Saturday to renew the 6.5-mill property tax that funds the parish’s public library system, while River Ridge and a handful of Metairie voters will decide whether to pay more to become part...
The $40 million public safety plan proposed recently by Mayor Mitch Landrieu and being considered by other New Orleans officials depends on having the bulk of its upfront costs covered by the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The $23...
A massive expansion of the New Orleans Police Department’s surveillance capabilities, in both the French Quarter and 20 “hot spots” around the city, was unveiled Monday afternoon. The 20 “hot spots” for more cameras include Hollygrove, Mid-City, Hoffman Triangle,...