(The Center Square) — The Caddo Parish Commission officially adopted the Parish of Caddo’s 2025 annual operating and capital improvement budget at a special meeting Tuesday.
The $142.9 million operating and capital budget addresses the parish’s most urgent needs such as capital improvement initiatives, support of parish agencies, economic development, and social programs.
“The annual parish budget represents one of the most important policy documents that the Commission will enact during the course of a year,” said John-Paul Young, commission president, in a commission news release. “The budget reflects the resources, strategies and goals of the Parish in the delivery of public services to our citizens and is indicative of the Commission’s financial discipline to ensure that funds are available for current and future Parish needs.”
The more than $142 million total amounts to a 0.31% decrease in expenditures from 2024. This is in conjunction with a 2.96% decrease in total revenues, down to $115,078,763.
Both decreases are the result of less capital outlay projects funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, according to the budget. While parish officials are spending less ARPA funds, they are also receiving less.
Despite revenues being less than expenditures, the parish is in good shape with $200 million in fund balance, meaning they are $200 million ahead as of the start of the year.
However, that dip in revenue is also a result of a declining population, by 7%, and limited economic growth. To make matters worse, the press release addressed rising operation costs due to inflation.
Property taxes and sales taxes were increased in the parish to offset these issues.
While the economy has struggled, the parish has invested in some bright spots that they expect will help improve it.
For starters, Caddo is investing $38 million in capital projects like road and drainage improvements. This makes up 26% of the expenditures.
In September 2024, Amazon officially opened its $200 million robotic fulfillment center. Already at 200 employees, Amazon is projected to reach nearly 1,000 employees by 2026.
Schlumberger Limited has also established operations in Caddo Parish. The $18.5 million project is expected to create 596 jobs. The company signed a seven-year lease agreement with Shreveport Business Park to renovate and occupy 1 million square feet of the former GM plant that has been mostly vacant since 2012.
The Port of Caddo-Bossier continues to be an economic driver for Caddo Parish. The Port tenants employ nearly 2,000 people with plans to grow that number and spend $56 million on projects from 2025 to 2026.
One of the most significant developments at the Port is the announcement by Heirloom to proceed on the $100 million Phase I of its direct air carbon capture project which will remove carbon out of the air to be able to be then used in building projects.
The commission and other parish officials collaborated with the Northwest Louisiana Economic Partnership to bring these business developments to Caddo Parish.
The parish also continued its investment in parks and recreation in 2025. Caddo earned national accreditation status through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies and the National Recreation and Park Association.
The 2025 operating and capital budget for parks and recreation reflects the expenditures necessary to maintain that accredited status.
However, the big issue with the budget other than economic deficiencies is in criminal justice, including increasing justice and prisoner costs.
Criminal justice expenditures comprise over 32% of the 2025 budget, or $33 million.
The 2025 budget includes a $4.7 million operating deficit in the Juvenile Justice Fund, a $1.5 million operating deficit in the Detention Facilities Fund, and a $4.8 million operating deficit in the General Fund.
Additionally, citizens are concerned about violent crime and their overall safety, according to the budget presentation. The parish struggles to address public safety and criminal justice with the current funding.
Despite the fallbacks of the budget, parish officials remain confident that they did the best they could in remaining conservative with economic woes while also addressing critical issues.
“We are confident that the 2025 budget is a conservative one, one that preserves funding for the essential services upon which our citizens rely,” said Erica R. Bryant, Parish Administrator and CEO, in the news release. “We remain committed to continuing to exercise sound fiscal management across all department budgets to ensure we can respond to changing services demands and effectively utilize our existing resources.”
