The District Attorney for St. Tammany Parish is asking voters on April 30 to approve a new, parishwide sales tax to support the office’s Criminal Division, which prosecutes all felony and misdemeanor cases, traffic citations and juvenile matters before the 22nd Judicial District Court. The District Attorney would levy the proposed 0.14% tax for 10 years, beginning July 1, 2022. The tax would generate an estimated $7.9 million annually.
St. Tammany Parish Government (Parish) is responsible for providing financial and other support to the District Attorney’s Criminal Division. In recent years, the Parish presented voters with several tax proposals to help fund its obligations to the Criminal Division and other local agencies, including the District Court judges and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff for jail operations. The Parish’s proposals included a comprehensive funding approach to satisfy these obligations, which BGR supported last fall. Voters, however, rejected each proposal. As a result, the Parish’s funding obligations have fallen squarely on the General Fund, which represents less than 10% of the Parish’s total operating budget. In 2022, recurring General Fund revenue ($12.2 million) covered less than half of the agencies’ budget requests, creating a significant shortfall for the District Attorney and other agencies. Given the Parish’s current financial struggles, the District Attorney is now seeking a dedicated tax to fund criminal prosecutions.
To analyze the proposition, BGR considered three questions related to the efficient and effective use of public resources: (1) Has the District Attorney carefully planned how the office 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 proposed sales tax would provide the District Attorney with a stable, recurring revenue source to fund criminal prosecutions in St. Tammany Parish. It would enable the District Attorney to retain and hire staff to handle the office’s full caseload of criminal work and support the judicial process and public safety. The 10-year term of the tax balances the office’s need for revenue stability with voter accountability.
In addition, the proposed tax would relieve some financial pressure on St. Tammany Parish Government to fund its obligations to the District Attorney. It would enable the Parish to reallocate General Fund revenue historically given to the District Attorney to other justice system agencies, such as the 22nd Judicial District Court and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff for jail operations. It would also avoid potential costly litigation between the District Attorney and the Parish. While BGR supported the Parish’s comprehensive tax proposal last fall, voter rejection of that approach has prompted the District Attorney to seek a dedicated tax.
BGR has transparency and accountability concerns with the District Attorney’s total control over the tax revenue. To his credit, the District Attorney has committed to several practices to improve public oversight, such as posting quarterly financial statements of tax revenue and expenditures, submitting an annual budget to the Parish Administration and Council for review during a public meeting, and conducting an annual review to determine whether a reduction in the tax rate is warranted to avoid excessive surpluses. However, these practices are not mandated by law. Accordingly, BGR strongly urges the current District Attorney and future officeholders to adhere to these commitments.
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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