(The Center Square) — Caddo Parish anticipates collecting more revenue from property and sales taxes next year because of higher home values and inflation.
Chief Administrative Officer Erica Bryant presented the 2026 operating and capital improvement budget to the Caddo Parish Commission on Thursday. The commission must adopt the budget before the new fiscal year begins.
Highlights in the budget include a 1% increase in total revenues, boosted by a 4.2% increase from property taxes, a 3% increase from sales taxes, less than a .02% increase in expenditures and a fund balance of $211 million. Criminal justice operating deficits and a $4 million increase in the reserve trust fund are also present.
There is $116 million in total revenues for governmental funds, consisting of 53% property taxes, 14% sales taxes, 25% intergovernmental, and 1-2% in other areas.
Expenditures saw a slight increase from this year to $143 million. There is an operating deficit in the juvenile fund, detention fund and general fund. These three funds are receiving operational subsidies from the criminal justice funds. Expenses in these three funds are higher than the revenue coming in. Criminal justice expenditures make up 27% of the expenditure budget — around $35 million.
There is a $4.8 million deficit in the juvenile fund, $5.6 million in the general fund and a $1.5 million deficit in the Caddo Correction Center operating fund. According to Bryant, these deficits are from increased costs in the Caddo Correctional Center, the District Attorney, District Court and juvenile services.
Capital projects will decrease by $6.8 million, with $34 million projected in the budget. Of that, $14.4 million is for road improvements, $5.1 million for park improvements, $4.7 million for drainage, $1.7 million for improvements to the Caddo Correctional Center, $1.1 million for courthouse renovations, $2.4 million for solid waste and $1 million for other parish buildings.
A public hearing is scheduled for Nov. 20, with budget adoption scheduled for Dec. 2.
