The Caddo Parish Commission officially adopted the Parish of Caddo’s 2019 Annual Operating and Capital Improvement Budget at the Commission’s 2019 budget meeting on December 4.
The $76,623,902 operating budget addresses the Parish’s most urgent operational needs, capital improvement initiatives, support of Parish agencies, economic development and social programs. The 2019 budget reflects a decrease of .4 percent over the 2018 budget.
“The annual Parish budget represents one of the most important policy documents that the Commission will enact during the course of a year,” said Doug Dominick, 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 Dominick.
The 2019 budget is balanced, with revenues and fund balance expenditures meeting total 2019 expenditures. While the 2019 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:
- Housing of 17 year old youth into the Juvenile Detention Center, which, if funded, comes with an estimated $1.8 million increase in operational costs, via an unfunded mandate from the State of Louisiana.
- Estimated $4 million dollar deficit in the Juvenile Justice budget
- Increased operational and inmate medical expenses at the Caddo Correctional Center (CCC)
- Infestation of Giant Salvania plants in Parish lakes
- Local economic development initiatives
- Completion and execution of a Caddo Parish I-49 North Corridor Master Plan
“We are confident that the 2019 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.
The 2019 adopted can be found on the Parish’s website at www.caddo.org.
