05/19/2026
The Board of Directors of St. Tammany ChamberPAC (ChamberPAC) announced today that it has been approached by parish government leaders seeking support for a proposed tax measure aimed at addressing the state-mandated funding shortfall for the St. Tammany Parish District Attorney’s Office and judiciary staff.
After conducting a comprehensive review of the parish’s tax and fiscal structure, much of which stems from the legacy of the former police jury system, the ChamberPAC reaffirmed its position that meaningful reform must go beyond incremental tax measures.
“The ChamberPAC continues to advocate for a holistic, systemic change in the dedication and allocation of existing parish revenues,” said ChamberPAC Chairman James Richardson. “This will require a broad and sweeping revision of the parish charter to ensure that funds already being collected can be directed toward the services that are most needed and appropriately prioritized.”
According to the ChamberPAC, the current system has resulted in significant imbalances, with certain taxing entities maintaining surplus funds while critical public services remain underfunded.
The ChamberPAC believes the following commitments from the parish are critical and a requirement before deciding on whether or not to support a sales tax increase:
1. Any sales tax proposal shall be limited to a two-year term;
2. Any sales tax proposal shall be net revenue-neutral or better, ensuring parish residents do not pay more than they currently do;
3. The Parish Council, administration officials and taxing authorities shall provide full transparency regarding where the revenue-neutral offsets will come from;
4. All monies collected shall go directly to the District Attorney’s Office and judiciary support staff, without “cost allocations” or other mechanisms that could divert the funds to general parish operations; and
5. The Parish Council, administration officials and taxing authorities shall, during this two-year term, provide a clear timeline for implementing a long-term solution to the parish’s funding challenges, including addressing longstanding funding inequities created by decades of dedicated funding structures that prevent the parish from prioritizing spending on vital services. The ChamberPAC hopes this effort will culminate in a comprehensive charter review and revision to be presented to the voters.
“We remain committed to working collaboratively with parish leaders to achieve a solution that not only addresses immediate funding needs but also corrects the structural issues that have led to this situation,” Richardson concluded.
