September 24, 2025
COVINGTON, LA (September 23, 2025) – The St. Tammany Chamber PAC announced today that it is in the middle of a comprehensive investigation into St. Tammany Parish Government’s budget, accounting, and communications practices as a result of the Parish’s failed rededication tax ballot initiative in March of this year. The task force’s findings raise significant concerns about transparency, fiscal responsibility, and the administration’s communication with the public regarding parish finances.
The investigation uncovered multiple instances where the Parish Administration presented misleading or incomplete information to the public about Parish revenue, expenses, and funding priorities regarding the District #3 Two-Cent Sales Tax.
Most notably the task force found that:
• Revenue figures were inflated: The administration claimed the District 3 Two-Cent Sales Tax would generate $90 million annually to Parish Government, despite actual distributions to the government being closer to $75 million per year.
• Dedicated funds are being drained: Nearly 70% of the District 3 Sales Tax revenue is being used to fund significant allocated costs of numerous parish departments, including several hundred thousand dollars of cost allocated to the office of the Parish President. Also, these funds are used by the Parish for an account labeled “General Expenses” and the Sheriff distributes dedicated funds to six municipalities within St. Tammany Parish. The ongoing Parish practice of allocating expenses to this dedicated fund is critically reducing funding for roads, bridges, and drainage infrastructure which the voters were promised when they voted to establish Sales Tax District 3.
• Government size and benefits have expanded under this administration: The size of government has continued to grow and employee salaries and benefits have increased by using certain dedicated funding sources, while simultaneously warning the public that state-mandated costs like the District Attorney’s Office, Parish Jail, and the Judiciary are projected to be underfunded by 30%.
“St. Tammany residents have a right to know exactly where their tax dollars are going — and whether those dollars are funding real infrastructure improvements or administrative costs of the Parish Government,” said Scott Delacroix, Chair of the Chamber PAC and Government Transparency Task Force. “Our findings show a troubling pattern of misleading statements, inconsistent accounting practices, questionable use of dedicated funds, and concerning contracting practices that undermine public trust.”
The Chamber PAC is urging Parish Government to take the following immediate actions:
• Cease misleading budget communications and release accurate, specific and verifiable data about actual revenue collections, and actual expenditures.
• Audit all cost allocations to ensure dedicated infrastructure funds are being used for their intended purposes.
• Review all professional services contracts, particularly the District #3 Sales Tax Re-Dedication Campaign to determine whether deliverables were met and whether taxpayer funds were properly spent.
• Provide detailed and concise language listing each “cost allocation” with explanations of how staff time is recorded and approved.
As a result of a recent St. Tammany Chamber member survey, 81% of respondents want more public information on how tax dollars are used.
“Transparency is not a partisan issue — it’s a good government issue,” said PAC Chairman Scott Delacroix. “When the public is misled, when taxpayer dollars are used to sell misleading initiatives, and when core services, like our most important Criminal Justice System, are threatened while the bureaucracy has grown, it’s time for accountability.”
The PAC will release a full written report to the public and present its findings as the investigations wrap up.