Laf. sees record sales taxes

As the calendar turns from 2014 to 2015, times look great on paper for Lafourche Parish Government.

After all, the 2015 enacted budget features roughly $26 million more than the parish spent in 2014 and more than $30 million more than it planned to spend last year.

However, a recent swoon in the oil price has parish officials worried that sales taxes and oil and gas royalty payments may not be where they had been in recent years.

Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph said low oil prices – lower than $50 per barrel as of press time – would not affect the 2015 budget because the money for the projects included in it has already been appropriated, however “any new projects would have to be considered very carefully.”

“2015 looks very good for us as long as things hold steady, but $46-a-barrel oil is not something that bodes well for our future,” Randolph added.

With any potential effects resulting from the low price of oil being something to tackle in the future, the parish hopes its banner 2014 year wasn’t the bubble bursting and, instead, was the continuing of a positive long-term trend that’s just currently experiencing a dip.

“We are going to be looking at that each quarter and making sure that we are coming in on target of what we are anticipating receiving for 2015,” said Finance Director Renita Jackson.

Lafourche boasted a higher collection of sales tax revenues from Road Sales Tax District A ($4.07 million), Road Sales Tax District 2 ($3.28 million) and Solid Waste ($8 million) than ever before last year. Higher revenues allow for the parish to get more lucrative grants, because it can match a larger dollar figure, according to Jackson.

Additionally, there was nearly $160 million in permits applied for in Lafourche Parish last year, including 391 new residential permits, 189 commercial permits and 249 occupational licenses for new businesses.

“No matter what size [the new businesses] are, that makes a difference,” Randolph said.

There were more than 1,000 lots developed in subdivisions and 103 additional recreational vehicle or mobile home spaces.

Public Works projects booming

The previously-mentioned revenue streams, coupled with a projected $2.82 million from the state’s Royalty Fund and many other revenue streams resulted in many parish improvement projects.

According to Lafourche Parish Public Works Director Don Edwards, the parish completed 17 major projects last year and was more active than in previous years. He expects the same amount or more work to be completed in 2015.

The department spent $8 million on replacing four pump stations which protect Gheens, Lockport, Valentine, Raceland, Chackbay, Choupic and Des Allemands. It also converted six electric pumps to natural gas pumps.

“The replaced pump stations were very important because it provides more reliable flood protection for a large number of properties, so those are at the top of the list as far as being important,” Edwards said.

Also in 2014, Public Works completed about 90 percent of its three major road projects for between $8 and $10 million, according to Edwards. The projects centered around three large areas of the parish, one in the southern end, one in the central part and another in the central to northern portion of the parish.

“We expect them all to be finished by this summer if not sooner. Hopefully, this completes the roads that need to be done in this parish,” he said. “We understand that there may be a few left that we may have missed but over the last 10 or so years it’s been about a $50 million investment making sure that our roads and highways are safe for people to travel on.”

A Des Allemands bulkhead project and storm pipe projects were also completed in Delta Woods, Country Club Boulevard and East 86 and West 111th streets in the south Lafourche community.

Edwards said grant money has funded the majority of Public Works’ projects in 2014.

The department aims to replace five pump stations in 2015, including Parr Larose, which protects Lockport; Dugas Canal, protecting the Mathews area; Fantastic protecting the Lockport area; Coastal protecting the Thibodaux area; and one protecting Alidore. Edwards said the most expensive of the bunch is Dugas at a budget of about $4 million.

All are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2015, according to Randolph.

Other projects set to begin in 2015 include the construction of an industrial floodwall, a salt-water structure, a bulkhead in Larose, Westside drainage improvements, the Company Canal South levee and the Lafourche Community Center and Recreation Complex.

“We’re taking care of business,” Edwards said. “I think we have a very bright future, and I think that when you consider what we’re doing for the current residents and how we’re preparing for the future, I just think that Public Works is well positioned for doing what we have to do.”

Edwards said he would like to see a traffic master plan done in the near future.

“I’m hoping we can get that started this year,” the Department of Public Works director said. “It would kind of analyze the condition of the roads now. How many cars? Whether there’s congestion like we know in front of Central Lafourche High School where there’s a traffic jam every morning and every afternoon, so you’d examine current conditions. Then you’d factor in all the new growth and the new houses and new businesses and from there you would plan the future – whether it be adding a lane or, traffic signals, turn lanes or whatever the case may be. I think we need that. I think that’s important.”

Other improvements ongoing

In April, 2014, the parish adopted a Comprehensive Resiliency Plan which will aim to guide economic development, transportation and land use in the parish for the next 20 years, as well as work to strengthen resiliency to natural disasters.

Another study being conducted by the parish is a $500,000 one that would seek various possibilities of connecting an access road to the airport in Galliano operated by the Greater Lafourche Port Commission.

“It’s very important that we find a way to help the port,” Randolph said. “[The port] is the most important part of our economy in Lafourche parish and their success is our success.”

The parish invested about $250 million last year in restoring the coast and protecting Port Fourchon – a hub in which a recent study stated that if it were out of service for just a three-week period, more than $11.2 billion in business sales, more than $3.1 billion in household earnings and more than 65,000 jobs would be lost.

Other strides made by the parish in 2014 included the Finance Department receiving the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the seventh time as well as an ‘A’ rating by the S&P for being stable and having enough resources to pay back dept in the bonding process.

Space will be added behind the animal shelter in Thibodaux within the next two months to house more animals and to provide a worming and vaccination service for all animals.

There will also soon be a surgical room, and the vision of the shelter is to spay and neuter all animals before they are adopted in the hope of keeping future intake of stray animals down.

New Animal Shelter Director Hilary Knight has brought fresh ideas and stronger social media visibility to the shelter.

Online improvements included a more interactive website lafourchegov.org and an added an eNotification service which can keep residents informed, even when they’re on the go.

The parish also recently purchased a much needed lift system for the ambulance used by the Coroner’s Office.

Workers labor on a roadway in Lafourche Parish. Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph said 2015 should be fruitful for the parish. 

RICHARD FISCHER | THE TIMES