Police Jury adopts $38.9M budget for 2022

The Acadia Parish Police Jury has adopted a $38.9 million operating budget for 2022.
With little fanfare and no comments during the public hearing preceding the meeting, the budget was adopted unanimously during Monday night’s meeting.
The 2022 budget represents an increase of $8.3 million over the budget for the current year. It also includes a year-ending deficit of $1.3 million.
The budget for the parish general fund, the general day-to-day operational fund, is up to $15 million this year from 2021’s $12 million.
The largest increase in revenue in the general fund is in the area of intergovernmental transfer, which jumps to $9.9 million from $7.6 million last year, an increase of 30% due primarily to the receipt of the first phase of American Rescue Plan Act funding from the federal government.
Under expenses, the largest increase will be in the area of economic development and assistance, again the result of the ARPA funding.
Last year the parish spent only $57,600 in that area. This year the number jumps to $6.1 million.
While the 2021 budget year is expected to end with a surplus of $5.3 million in total revenues over expenses, the 2022 budget projects a deficit of $313,645 in the general fund.
In other action Monday night, the police jury:
• deferred a request from the Mire-Branch Water District for matching grant funding to the Finance Committee;
• authorized Glen Howie, parish attorney, to continue efforts to secure permission from the FAA to stage a motorcycle and car event at LeGros Memorial Airport;
• approved a resolution to participate in an opioid settlement from the Northern District of Ohio on the recommendation of Louisiana’s attorney general.
• reappointed David Sonnier and Ronald Carrier to the board of directors of Fire Protection District No. 10;
• adopted the contract for Karen Zeringue’s 2022 Nutrition Services at the Acadia Parish Community Clinics for compliance with the WIC program.;
• authorized the parish road manager and road engineer to compile a Request For Proposals for Vie Terre Beaux Bridge in Basile to repair structural damages;
• adopted a resolution asking the state Department of Transportation and Development to transfer “right-sizing” road credits to actual cash that the jury can then use to pay for road maintenance;
• set 2022 committee and regular meeting dates and holidays; and
• adopted 2021 budget revisions.