CADDO PARISH COMMISSION ADOPTS 2018 BUDGET;
COMMISSION TRAVEL LOWEST SINCE 2009
The Caddo Parish Commission officially adopted the Parish of Caddo’s 2018 Annual Operating and Capital Improvement Budget at the Commission’s 2018 budget meeting on December 5. The $76,520,621 operating budget addresses the Parish’s most urgent operational needs, capital improvement initiatives, support of Parish agencies, economic development and social programs.
“The annual Parish budget represents one of the most important policy documents that the Commission will enact during the course of a year,” said Steven Jackson, Commission President. “The budget reflects the resources, strategies and goals of the Parish in the delivery of public services to our citizens and is indicative of the Commission’s financial discipline to ensure that funds are available for current and future Parish needs,” said Jackson.
The 2018 budget is balanced, with revenues and fund balance expenditures meeting total 2018 expenditures. While the 2018 budget represents a sustainable plan that positions the Parish to complete priorities, the Parish is mindful of the potentially changing conditions locally and nationally. These include:
- “Raise the Age”, the state law that mandates 17 year olds be processed and housed by the juvenile justice system
- Estimated $3.5 million dollar deficit in the Juvenile Justice budget
- Increased operational expenses at the Caddo Correctional Center (CCC)
- Local economic development initiatives
- Completion and execution of a Caddo Parish I-49 North Corridor Master Plan
“We are confident that the 2018 budget is a conservative one, one that preserves funding for the essential services upon which our citizens rely,” said Woodrow Wilson, Jr, Parish Administrator and CEO. “We remain committed to continuing the exercise sound fiscal management across all department budgets to ensure we can respond to changing services demands and effectively utilize our existing resources,” said Wilson.
In addition, the Caddo Parish Commission is reporting a record savings in Commissioner related travel in 2017.
Travel expenditures for the Commission totaled $18,432.49 for 2017, down nearly $23,000 from 2016 and $50,000 since 2009.
“This year marks the lowest amount of Commissioner travel expenditures in over 16 years,” said Commission President Steven Jackson. “It is a direct response to the desire of our Parish’s citizens to reform the Commission’s travel policy,” said Jackson.
In 2016, the Commission voted to eliminate the previous $15,000 travel allowance for each Commissioner in lieu of covered travel for only the Police Jury Association of Louisiana (PJAL) and National Association of Counties (NaCo) annual conferences.
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