COVINGTON • FOLSOM • LACOMBE • MADISONVILLE • MANDEVILLE • SLIDELL
ST. TAMMANY
N O L A.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, s e p t e m b e r 11, 2024
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Truce called in battle of criminal justice agencies’ cost BY SARA PAGONES Contributing writer
After two years of court battles and public clashes, the St. Tammany Parish Council last week called for good faith negotiations between the parish and criminal justice officials over ongoing funding disputes, as well as an end to all litigation. Laughlin Council President Arthur Laughlin referred to the unanimous resolution as a “kumbaya” moment in a parish that has been struggling with how to meet state-mandated costs for the District Attorney’s Office and local court systems after voters repeatedly shot down tax measures that would have helped pay the tab. Parish President Mike Cooper and the DA’s office, initially under Warren Montgomery, have been battling in court over how much the parish should pony up since 2002. Last month, Montgomery’s suc“I don’t cessor, Collin Sims, made an unexwant to pected appearance at the monthly council meeting, demanding that be sued Cooper settle the parish’s lawsuit anymore, and asking a court to determine the and I don’t legal minimum that the parish had want to to pay for his office. pay for The parish prevailed in a similar case it filed to determine the mini- being sued mum it has to pay for the 22nd Juanymore.” dicial District Court and Slidell City COLLIN SIMS, Court. But at the Sept. 5 meeting, coun- district attorney cil members changed their tune, stressing the importance of the criminal justice system to St. Tammany, with member Cheryl Tanner saying public safety is the reason people live in the parish. After numerous failed attempts to pass a sales tax for those purposes, the parish is seeking another ballot measure in March: extending the life of an existing 2% sales tax to 2056 and broadening what it can be used for. If approved, 17% of the revenue, or about $10 million a year, could be used to fund the criminal
PHOTO BY GRANT THERKILDSEN
Tonya Cryer sells gorgeous yellow squash, deep green zuchini, plump tomatoes and more to Caroline and Millie Larussa and other shoppers at the Mandeville Trailhead Community Market. ä More photos. PAGE 4A
ä See TRUCE, page 4A
ST. TAMMANY PARISH SCHOOL BOARD
Board to decide on proposed $503M budget Budget is slightly less than it was last year
BY ANDREW CANULETTE Staff writer
The St. Tammany Parish School Board gave preliminary and unanimous approval to a $503.3 million budget proposal for fiscal year 2024-25 when it met in committee on Sept. 5. That figure, if approved at the School Board’s regular monthly meeting on Sept. 12, would be nearly $2 million less
Metal detectors, clear bag policy in place
than the $505.1 million budget approved last summer for Fiscal Year 2023-24. The projected total for spending in 2023-24, however, is just more than $502 million. There was no outright opposition to Superintendent Frank Jabbia’s budget proposal during the committee meeting, but a number of board members did, however, wonder aloud about current national inflation which has driven the cost of goods and services to much higher levels. All told, expenditures in this budget
BY ANDREW CANULETTE and DARREN COOPER
FILE PHOTO BY GRANT THERKILDSEN
St. Tammany Parish Schools ä See BUDGET, page 2A Superintendent Frank Jabbia
Going to see the Lions, Spartans or Skippers play this school year will be a little different, and the same is true for sporting events at all local high schools and junior highs. St. Tammany Parish Public Schools put new security protocols in place to start the 2024-25 school year, including fans having to walk through metal detectors to enter public high school
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stadiums and gymnasiums for games. There’s a new clear bag policy in place, as well, with restrictions on the size of totes, purses, storage bags and seat cushions allowed. Superintendent Frank Jabbia said the moves are an “unfortunate reality” but stressed the idea is to stay ahead of potential violence, rather than the result of unruly behavior at local games. He said local law
ä See SECURITY, page 2A
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