[StBernard] After St. Bernard voters approve sheriff's tax, sheriff and staff mull future

[Westley Annis]

After St. Bernard voters approve sheriff's tax, sheriff and staff mull
future

Print By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 
on April 08, 2013 at 2:37 PM, updated April 08, 2013 at 2:38 PM

While St. Bernard Parish voters resoundingly approved a 15-mill property tax
increase Saturday for operation of the St. Bernard Sheriff's Office, the
money won't start rolling in to the Sheriff's Office until 2014. So in the
coming weeks, Sheriff Jimmy Pohlmann said he and his staff will sit down and
determine whether to borrow money this year to cover the anticipated $2
million deficit and to possibly hire 12 new deputies in the patrol and drug
enforcement divisions.

The millage will bring in around $4.5 million annually for 10 years.
Pohlmann said he has cut about $2.5 million in spending since January 2012,
including a reduction of nearly 50 employees, but that the office remains in
a deficit of around $2 million, primarily because the parish's tax base
hasn't sufficiently recovered from Hurricane Katrina nearly eight years ago.

In his push for the millage's passage, Pohlmann warned that without the
extra money that dozens more personnel cuts would be necessary that would
drastically reduce response times and other safety measures.

"I want to thank the people of this parish. We told you we needed an
increase to keep up our level of service and maintain the safety of this
parish the way you are accustomed to and you responded to our request,"
Pohlmann said. "I think our residents understand the challenges to law
enforcement and have a level of confidence that we can keep this parish
safe. ...We now have more pressure on us to live up to expectations.''

In addition to covering the deficit and making about a dozen new hires,
Pohlmann said the additional money would allow his office to replace an
aging fleet of vehicles, upgrade radios and computers and keep up with the
rising costs of fuel and insurance. But, Pohlmann said on Monday that those
expenses likely could wait until at least next year.

Before Katrina and the levee breaks laid waste to most of St. Bernard in
2005, the parish had about 65,000 residents. Now it is estimated to have
about 40,000. So the population decreased by about 25,000 residents, or
about 38 percent.

"I think it also is important to get some guys hired and on the street
quickly." - Sheriff Jimmy Pohlmann
The Sheriff's Office had about 380 personnel on staff before Katrina. In
2011, it had about 315 personnel. Now, after the cuts, Pohlmann said the
Sheriff's Office has 263 employees - or 31 percent less than before Katrina.

Only about 9 percent of parish voters came to the parish polls on Saturday -
about 2,306 people out of 25,752 registered voters. Another 1,615 people
cast ballots during the early voting period, meaning about 15 percent of
registered voters cast ballots all told.

Including early voting, the millage passed 61 percent to 39 percent - or
2,390 votes to 1,531.

The 15-mill tax will cost the owner of a home assessed at $150,000 around
$112 per year. It will cost the owner of a business assessed at $500,000
around $1,125 annually.

Currently, the Sheriff's Office is partially funded by two millages that
together equal 15.6 mills and bring in about $4.9 million a year. There also
is a half-cent sales tax that brought in about $3.2 million to the Sheriff's
Office in 2012.

The current millage therefore will about double what residents currently pay
for Sheriff's Office services through property taxes.