With cuts, Police Jury budget is balanced

Steve Bandy
Rayne Acadian-Tribune

CROWLEY - If all goes according to plan, Acadia Parish will end the 2016 fiscal year with a little over $91,000 in the General Fund.
But even though the budget is now balanced, Peggy Romero, budget director, warned that the parish is still not out of the woods.
“We’re having a cash-flow problem,” she said. “Most of our ad valorem money doesn’t come in until the end of the year. Things are going to be real tight for the next four months.”
A series of budget cuts — including salary decreases for a number of parish employees — was approved during a special meeting of the police jury here Friday morning.
It was the second special meeting in four days directly related to the budget.
Laura Faul, secretary-treasurer, explained that the administrative staff had to make some tough decisions as the parish tries to find funds to plug a projected $650,000 shortfall in state severance taxes this year.
“The staff was tasked with presenting an amended budget with a 20 percent across-the-board cut in expenditures,” she said.
However, Faul pointed out that an across-the-board reduction was not possible due to several factors, including:
• state statutes that prevent elected officials (jurors, judges, coroners, district attorneys, etc.) from having their pay cut;
• state statutes that prevent court reporters from pay cuts;
• health insurance and other contract that can’t be adjusted’
• expenses already incurred that exceed the 20 percent cut mandate; and
• grants — both income and expenditures.
In the parish’s General Fund, the primary fund used for the day-to-day operation of parish government, revenues were amended based on year-end predictions, the major adjustment being a 68 percent reduction in severance tax revenue.
Looking at the expenses, Faul said following the meeting, “Every dollar we could find that we could cut, we cut.”
To accommodate the targeted pay cuts in the administrative staff, Faul said the two salaried employees (including herself) will take 20 percent cuts while the remaining hourly employees will reduce their weekly schedule to 32 hours.
Some hourly employees in other areas of parish government are mandated by state law to work 40 hours a week. Those employees’ hourly pay will be cut 20 percent, according to Faul.
“We’re doing all we can,” she said. “We’re turning the thermostat up to 76 or 78 at night, we’re going to be closing the office at noon on Fridays, we’ve cut way back on office supplies.”
While state statue prohibits the jurors from reducing their pay, each of the jurors signed an agreement to “donate” 20 percent of their $960 monthly salary back to the parish.
By departments, decreases are as follows:
• Legislative Department: 15 percent;
• Judicial Department: 7 percent;
• Executive Department: 61 percent;
• Elections: 45 percent;
• Financial Administration: 15 percent;
• Other general administrative: 17 percent; and
• Other protection: 7 percent.
“Overall, there is a 13 percent decrease in expenditures in the General Fund before transfers to other funds,” Faul said. “The bottom line is that the new budget balances with estimated revenue over estimated expenditures of $91,669.30.”
Turning to the Criminal Court Fund, Faul explained that the same factors that applied to the General Fund budget adjustments also apply to the Criminal Court Fund.
“Based on year-to-date activity, revenues are decreased by 10 percent,” she said. “Most of this is from the funds that will not be transferred from the General Fund.
“Overall expenses will be decreased by 10 percent. All staff salaries except the district attorney will be cut 20 percent.”
In other action, the jury approved the permitting of Disaster Housing Units (mobile homes provided by the state for flood victims) and waived permit fees for the units.

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