Houma Police, firemen raises dependent on next budget

Houma police officers and fire fighters expecting a raise may have to wait until the next parish budget before they see much progress.

Terrebonne Parish Chief Financial Officer Jamie Elfert said she can’t determine how to allocate current parish income without first getting some direction from the parish president as to what is vital and what is not.

A parish revenue estimate will be available within 45 days, and Elfert expects to be “knee deep” in drafting the 2016 parish budget.

The council has created a committee to seek money for raises all parish employees. Councilmembers Christa Duplantis-Prather, Arlanda Williams, John Navy and Gregg Hood sit on the committee. Both Houma Police Association President Kyle Faulk and Houma Fire Department Chief Terry Leonard met with the councilmembers May 27 to discuss raises.

Various officials have said they will avoid raising property taxes to pay the added $800,000 for city police and firefighters, the two entities have asked the Terrebonne Parish Council to add to each of their yearly payroll budgets.

“The parish invested over $2 million last year in CDs and bonds and are yielding like a 2 percent rate of return on it,” Faulk said. “So the money’s there and we really don’t want to hit the public up for an increase in millage or tax.”

Faulk said there are also many parish projects that may have been forgotten and monies intended for those uses could be reallocated.

Councilman Navy said the committee is investigating redirecting money earned from video poker machines in Terrebonne to pay for officer raises and that the council will be forming a revenue estimating committee “soon” to find other cash sources.

Navy said the last time such a committee was formed was 10 years ago.

The whole debate started when Faulk presented the council with a report on HPD wages that showed officers’ wages and yearly 1 percent raises do not keep up with similar departments’ pay.

Since then, Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet has publicly said there were “inaccuracies” in the report. He’s also voiced concerns that video poker revenue is not a reliable source of money to offer first responders.

Claudet declined to explain the reported inaccuracies in Faulk’s figures.

Faulk said he will present an updated study at tonight’s parish council meeting, which will address Claudet’s concerns.

“Some agencies have corporal rank,” Faulk said. “Our agency doesn’t have that rank, which we should.”

The HPD once had a corporal rank between Officer First Class – which half the rank holds – and sergeant. At least 10 years’ law enforcement experience is required to be considered for sergeant. The corporal and OFC ranks were merged, making the wait to achieve rank a long one.

The department has 10 sergeants. Roughly one-fifth of the OFCs have 10 or more years with the department.

Faulk contends the seven or eight officers who left the department last year did so because of poor wages. But he remains hopeful money can be found.

“There’s funds available, but it’s just a bunch of haystacks and you’ve got to find which one holds the needle,” he said.

HPD