St. Tammany Parish Budget Hearings: October 29, 2026 PART 2

St. Tammany Parish 2027 budget hearings, Part 2, held October 29, 2026, covered Utilities, Facilities Management, Finance, Grants, Procurement, and other departments. Utilities reported plans to begin replacing meters through its capital improvement budget in 2028; radio-read meters were priced at about $400 each. The department also requested seven replacement vehicles and four positions, and described a $41,000 annual contract for meter reading in the Slidell area. Facilities discussed a consultant-led assessment of parish buildings, expected to finish around April or May 2027, ongoing jail cooling-system repairs, and options for marketing or leasing underused parish properties. The levy building was estimated to cost the general fund $40,000–$50,000 annually to maintain. No contract award votes were identified.

Procurement reported that a 2026 state law allows use of cooperative purchasing organizations such as Omni and Sourcewell, and plans to move toward fully online bidding and vendor self-service through Munis. The department’s new surplus auction arrangement with Henderson eliminated the parish’s commission and reduced the buyer premium from about 16% to 12.5%; the latest auction was described as the second-highest-grossing despite having less equipment. Grants reported 19 new awards worth $29 million during the year and a portfolio of roughly $332 million in active projects and programs. The council discussed a proposed $100,000 allowance for efficiency studies, with the chair indicating it could be removed and reconsidered early next year; no vote on that proposal was recorded. The hearing concluded with a motion to adjourn.