KEN KREFFT CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST
Shreveport’s 10-month year-to-date sales tax receipts are $104,897,747.42. A year ago, the same 10-month total was $104,418,155.64. The latest sum is $479, 591.78 above last year.
This is why in my recent Focus column, I suggested that the city not borrow $35,000,000.
Thankfully, a majority of the city council rejected the administration’s proposal. Borrow only if required. Sales tax is the greatest general fund revenue, roughly 57% of its total.
The 2020 appropriation for the city sales tax is $121,500,000. We should easily surpass that budgeted amount by year’s end insofar as we need just $16,602,253 to reach budget.
Last year, the final two months tallied $20,304,835.36. There seems to be adequate income for a one-time $1,250 paycheck for every one of our public safety personnel and $750 for all other personnel.
It is imprudent to use the elapsed $2.50/month recycling fee for that purpose. This fee generated about $2.2M/year, not even one-fifth of what a new quarter-cent city sales tax would yield.
The mayor and city council should request state legislative approval of a bill to allow the city to request the LA State Bond Commission’s OK for an election to hike public safety pay and all other city workers’ pay. The quarter-cent should run for five years. It would be a sustainable source of income bringing in about $11,250,000/year.
THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE November 6 ISSUE OF FOCUS SB - THE INQUISITOR.