Sheriff calls cuts a ‘no-win’ situation
December 5, 2018
Harry Allemand
December 6, 2018
Voter rejection last month of a half-cent sales tax, heavily promoted as a means of hiring school resource officers, providing officer raises and stemming fiscal shortfalls has thrown Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Jerry Larpenter into a budget-cutting tailspin.
Larpenter now faces sharp criticisms, because the layoffs bump up against Christmas. His public posture, to some, appears as that of a Pontius Pilate, washing his hands of responsibility and laying blame on the crowd, voters who turned down the tax. The plan now in place to cope with Larpenter’s growing deficit creates severe repercussions for officers, some government agencies and the public at large:
• Layoff notices have been sent to 39 deputies, among them 20 corrections officers, two majors, two captains, three lieutenants and a sergeant.
• About half of the Terrebonne jail’s operations are being shut down, since the layoffs will place the facility afoul of best-practices inmate to officer ratios.
• The Terrebonne Council on Aging will likely have to fund feeding of elders currently done at minimal cost by the sheriff.
• Moving inmates to distant parishes will result in costs to the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government that could reach $2 million or more.
• Water Patrol units will be cut from five to either two or three, with patrol of camps, some in remote areas, suspended, and operations restricted to emergencies.
• Cuts in the numbers and strategic placements of officers during Houma’s Carnival parades are forecast, in part because of layoffs now in place.
• A popular inmate work program that cleaned and painted schools and other buildings will likely end, as the cost of housing those inmates above the Terrebonne courthouse will be eliminated.
Larpenter said patrol services will not be affected, as officers from other units facing cuts, like Water Patrol, will take to the roads. Thus far, he has also not cut back on his office’s drug enforcement officers. But if costs increase and revenues decrease, he said, all options are on the table.
Terrebonne Parish currently pays the local Sheriff’s Office $3.50 per day for holding prisoners in its jail, which the parish government owns, and the sheriff operates.
Jackson Parish, officials said, expect to be charging Terrebonne $21.40 per day they are
held, and expenses will accrue for transportation costs when those prisoners must make court appearances. Jackson Parish is more than 260 miles away from Houma.
Talks are underway that could result in the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government saving deputy jobs at a cost to its own budget, to avoid the higher cost of bills from outlying parishes. But as of now there are no guarantees.
“We are trying to work it out,” said Terrebonne Parish President Gordon Dove. “I understand he does have a financial situation because of the lack of taxes. In Jerry’s defense, his money is wrapped up in personnel. I had to cut $10 million a year three years ago but I have 14 departments, I can chip a little out of each one. With Jerry, it is pure, deep personnel costs. I hate to see him have to cut any deputies, but it is a bad tax collection time. But taxes have been coming up. Jerry is working with me and we will work it out. At the end of the day we will find a way to do what is best for Terrebonne Parish.”
“BLAME IT ON THE PEOPLE”
Reviews of Sheriff’s Office financial records provide strong indications that such solutions have been available in recent years, but not actively sought by Larpenter.
“We tried to go as long as we can, and we can’t go no more,” Larpenter said in an interview last week. “We tried to stretch it as long as we can. If the public doesn’t like it, blame it on the people that voted against the tax. We had a golden opportunity to stabilize this office for the next 30 years.”
He says he accepts responsibility and that critics who maintain otherwise are not being truthful.
“I have friends who are leaving because of these cuts,” Larpenter said. “I don’t want to see any of them go. The buck stops right here with me, partner, and there may have to be some more cuts.”
The timing of layoffs, occurring in the midst of the holiday season, is not being done out of inconsideration, he maintains.
“I have to make cuts before the new year starts, when people accrue vacation time and other benefits,” Larpenter said. “I have to start cutting immediately because if not, I will be incurring a lot more cost. The sooner I cut, the less I am going to owe next year. It has to start to cut into that $5.5 million deficit.”
Sheriff’s Office officials close to Larpenter, who have been working with him on the budget issues, confided in interviews that the personnel cuts have affected the sheriff deeply and personally. While Larpenter mourns his need to make cuts, critics say he could have made them some time ago, before he proposed the half-cent tax as a Hail Mary solution. The proposal, in retrospect, may have cost Larpenter credibility he has earned with residents over his 24 years as their sheriff.
The most qualified and credible critics of Larpenter’s management of the Sheriff’s Office have shared their thoughts in interviews but did not wish to be quoted name. Some had political or business-based reasons for refusing. Others have relatives still employed by the Sheriff’s Office. Other critics include potential candidates for his job.
BACKING THE BLUE
Among those who do stand by their positions publicly is Wallace Ellender III, chairman of the Terrebonne Parish Republican Executive Committee. He and seven other party committee members voted on Oct. 22 to not support the proposed tax.
“We believe that a higher sales tax in Terrebonne is neither consumer nor business friendly, and will ultimately hurt an already ailing economy,” Wallace Ellender said. “Although we fully support the safety of our school children, we believe another way must be found to provide security in our schools other than a tax increase … “This tax was sprung on the people of Terrebonne Parish in just the past two weeks, and the committee believes more public input and discussion is needed before we strap ourselves with the highest combined state and local Sales & Use tax in the country.”
Such a tax, Republican Committee members said, would result in a Sheriff’s Office cushion of over $8 million, a lagniappe most government department heads would love to see, but business and property owners would likely loathe. A general anti-tax sentiment no doubt played a role in the rejection. One business leader, who asked not to be identified by name, said rejection of the tax “is deeper than “simply ‘Back the Blue’ or ‘It’s for the children’ vs ‘no new taxes’.”
“This is about people having to make a financial choice between the law enforcement family and their family,” the business owner said. “And people will choose their family every time. Times are tough, and we are taxed out. The people in charge better prove they’ve been good stewards of the money we sent. They better start changing the way they operate first before asking us for a renewal or new taxes again.”
DOLLARS AND CENTS
Questions relating to school resource officers are moot at this point, although one of the officers who was notified of a layoff holds that position. What has baffled some business own-
Terrebonne Parish Sheriff sorry Larpenter said he and his office can no longer continue to borrow money and stay in operation with all of the services they currently offer
