KEN KREFFT
Contributing Columnist
Purchasing three badly needed fire trucks and other badly needed equipment items for the Shreveport Fire Department is explained in a fact sheet attached to Ordinance 116 of 2021. Purchasing 40 police cars and other required equipment items is outlined in a fact sheet attached to Ordinance 117 of 2021. These two were introduced at the Aug. 10 Shreveport City Council meeting and are up for the second reading/final passage at the council’s Aug. 24 meeting.
The intent is appropriate – i.e., to obtain vehicles and equipment for each public safety department. Such proposals will reduce the $10,402,895 general fund operating budget reserve by $6,475,000, or 62.24% of its present appropriation, its budget.
An alternative means by which SPD/SFD can secure required vehicles/equipment is to increase the city’s sales tax revenue by that same $6,475,000 figure. Don’t cut operating reserves! Through seven months, sales tax receipts are 17.7% above 2020’s. Sales tax receipts are $12,744,418.45 above last year’s. This year’s $84,702,756.06 is $1,820,631.21 per month over 2020.
This final paragraph explains why this approach is better. The city will conduct an election Saturday, Nov. 13. It offers the voter five separate general obligation bond propositions. We will have to approach Standard and Poor’s and Moody’s to market our go bonds should voters approve at least one ballot proposal. Inflation has jumped 5.4% in June and in July. Our bond rating, already weak, would likely be further downgraded by cutting our general fund operating budget reserve. Let’s not spook Wall Street by drastically slicing operating budget reserves. The 2021 sales tax budget will be surpassed by several million dollars. It is very strong financially. Its appropriation should be hiked $6,475,000.