2 weeks Ago By By Chloe Williams Staff Writer
A sales tax proposed by Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office will appear on the ballot as early voting starts today for the March 29 municipal election. The Tangipahoa Public Safety Sales Tax, according to TPSO’s website, will be the elimination of a 10 mill ad valorem property tax replaced with a 3/4 cent sales tax in order to better the funding of TPSO by $5 million. This tax proposal aims to better the efficiency of the sheriff’s office as the pariah population has grown while TPSO’s staffing level has remained stagnant for more than 20 years, Sheriff Gerald Sticker said.
Sticker added that the $5 million earned would be split between $3.5 million towards raises, hiring additional deputies and equipment and $1.5 million for technology and equipment to “bring the agency up to an operational level required for more effectiveness.
” He also said that deputies would be able to earn a livable wage and that the office would be able to increase the number of enforcement deputies on the streets. TPSO has actively advertised this ballot item and encouraged folks to vote “yes.” Sticker has said that it would better the sheriff’s office and in turn would positively impact the parish’s safety.
“Our parish has outgrown our sheriff’s office, and we’re facing staffing shortages, retention issues and delayed time responses to calls. Generally our resources are maxed, and this would bring us funding to allow us to be more proactive rather than reactive. This will put us on the same playing field as other parishes that are similarly situated,” Sticker said.
Tangi’s sheriff also said that with the elimination of the 10 mill property tax, approximately $8 million will go back to homeowners. TPSO spokesperson Ashley Rodrigue confirmed that property owners will not have the 10 mills on their bills come December if the proposal passes. The elimination of property tax would be immediate, while the sales tax would take affect in July and be added to all existing sales taxes and sales transactions within the parish, regardless of the buyer’s location.
According to TPSO, not only will residents of Tangipahoa be paying the additional taxes for the public safety fundings, but also those traveling through the area will contribute. In the tax’s promotion, there have been some who are opposed or hesitant to support or vote “yes.” Hammond City Councilwoman Carlee Gonzales said that while her record on the council reflects her support of law enforcement, she has some disagreements surrounding the tax and its effects on the city she governs.
“If this sheriff’s office sales tax passes, Hammond will have one of the highest sales tax in the nation at 11.25 percent,” Gonzales said. “I’m concerned how that affects our local economy and a consumer’s choice to shop local.
It also could affect the city’s ability to leverage sales tax in the future.” She added that her preference for this ballot item would have been for it to be passed for unincorporated areas of the parish and that the tax is not a binary between pro- or anti-law enforcement. Others opposed have similar concerns for the higher prices on goods and what that could mean for the low income families or the impoverished who may already be struggling with prices in the area.
If the item is not passed after March 29’s election, TPSO would be forced to make “difficult budgetary decisions” that could included staffing cuts and reducing resources in certain areas, according to the sheriff’s office. See the full language of the tax proposal on the sample ballot on page A3..
