St. Charles Parish Final FY2027 Budget Hearing – October 22, 2026

The St. Charles Parish Council held a final budget hearing on Thursday, October 22, 2026, beginning at 1:00 PM in Council Chambers at the Parish Courthouse in Hahnville, Louisiana. The hearing addressed Ordinance 2026-0173, the appropriation for the FY2027 Consolidated Operating and Capital Budget, and included presentations from parish departments, boards, and agencies. Councilmembers adopted additional budget amendments, and the ordinance was announced for public hearing at the October 26, 2026, 6:00 PM council meeting. No written minutes were available; this summary draws from the agenda and transcript.

Public Comments & Testimony

• The public hearing was opened twice during the meeting; no members of the public came forward to speak, and the hearings were closed.

Department and Agency Budget Presentations

• District Attorney’s Office: Joel Shassell reported very little change from the prior year other than minimal insurance increases and offered his CPA to answer technical questions.
• Clerk of Court: Lance Marino said the budget was a standstill compared with the prior year, except for a $1,900 postage increase to $10,000, driven by rising postage rates and an anticipated state supplemental voter canvass mailing.
• Registrar of Voters: Mr. Champagne said election-day voting machines are aging and that the state is still negotiating with vendors; a final decision is hoped for by the end of the year. He noted the parish receives the bill for election costs, including machines, labor, warehousing, and movement of equipment.
• Sheriff’s Office: Sheriff Greg Champagne said the parish pays a per diem of about $30 per day for parish inmates under a 20-year contract. He reported that 2025 per diem costs totaled $839,000, 2026 was projected to end just over $1 million, and the 2027 proposal is $1,168,000. He said the inmate population is about 50% lower than 10–15 years ago and did not request an increase now, but warned one may be needed next fall.
• Coroner’s Office: Barry Minnick presented a mostly stable budget with salary/classification adjustments for administrative staff. In response to a question from Councilmember O’Daniels, he said a $25,000 food and clothing line would buy hazmat and reusable protective gear for investigators; the office was down from six to five investigators.
• LSU Ag Center: Tracy Adams, administrative coordinator, presented a budget standstill and thanked the Council for its continued support.
• Ark of St. Charles: Victoria Bryant cited increases in gas, transportation, and insurance costs and introduced new CFO Ashley Jordan. She said the new property project had not yet broken ground because of elevation concerns and tax issues with the contractor; she hoped construction would begin within the next month.
• Library: Leanne Benedict said the proposed 2027 budget will go to the Library Board of Control in November, with increases tied mainly to the Hahnville construction project. She also cited retiree insurance costs, driven by three retirements this year and a number of employees eligible for retirement.
• Council on Aging: April Keller introduced finance manager Destiny Brown and said the main new item was adding a canopy to the building.
• St. Charles Housing Authority: Executive Director Jedadiah Jackson said the FY26–27 operating and HCV budgets are fiscally prudent, were approved unanimously by the Board of Commissioners on September 22, 2026, have been accepted by HUD, and an operating fund grant was submitted to ensure funding on January 1, 2027.
• St. Charles Community Health Center: Access Health Louisiana representatives presented a budget reflecting parish millage revenue used exclusively at Luling and Norco clinics. They reported about 30,000 encounters per year, approximately 8,500 unique patients, and about 56% of patients residing in the parish; the budget was prepared on a calendar-year basis even though their fiscal year runs March through February.
• 911 Communications: The presenter said increases were mainly for personnel and intergovernmental expenses because sheriff’s raises affect the shared-personnel budget. He said text-to-911 is now operational after seven years, voice calls are still preferred, and a planned public-information blitz will follow the new year. The office is researching a new ESInet (AT&T) 911 call-taking/infrastructure system costing about $2 million; the $5.5 million fund balance would drop to about $3 million. The system is used by about 2,000 agencies and would support video/photo transmissions to patrol cars, fire, and EMS.
• Hospital Service District: Brianna Sparnak presented the adopted FY2026 budget, saying the hospital is on target to meet budget this year. The FY2027 budget will be presented to the hospital board on December 2.

Amendments

• The agenda’s legislative history included 12 amendments recorded at the October 20, 2026 public hearing. Those amendments shifted funding among district/office accounts and toward drainage improvements, Fortified Roof grants, rental assistance, Summer Feeding, relocation of the Des Allemands Veterans Memorial, and projects such as the Ormond Canal articulating block mat and Fairfield/Oakland micro-drainage study. All listed recorded votes were unanimous or near-unanimous, with Councilmember Skiba absent for some votes and Councilmember Fonseca absent for later votes.
• Additional amendments were adopted during the October 22 hearing:
  • District 2 (Skiba): Reduce the District 2 2026 budget by $39,000 and add $10,000 to Fortified Roof Program grants and $29,000 to tutoring services at community service centers. The amendment passed; Councilmember Comardelle was absent.
  • Division A (Mobley): Reduce the Division A 2026 budget by $41,000 and transfer $41,000 to Fund 113 Recreation: $20,500 to Prime Time Seniors educational recreation and culture and $20,500 to food and clothing. Passed unanimously with members present.
  • District 1 (Wilson): Reduce the District 1 2026 budget by $27,000 and add $9,000 to Health and Safety Rehab maintenance, $9,000 to community services emergency food assistance, and $9,000 to tutoring at the Killona Community Center. Passed unanimously.
  • Bamboo Street drainage (Wilson): Transfer $75,000 from the General Fund to Fund 112-420260 for Bamboo Street/Low Plantation drainage improvements. Councilmember Jewell and Councilmember Fisher clarified the funding came from $100,000 removed from the economic development budget and placed in the General Fund. Passed unanimously.
  • Ormond Oaks hazard mitigation grant (Dussom): Increase Fund 112 roads and drainage revenues by a $137,200 hazard mitigation grant and increase the Ormond Oaks Channel Improvement Project architectural/engineering appropriation by $137,200 for 2027. Passed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

• The public hearing on Ordinance 2026-0173 was opened and closed with no public comments.
• All amendments offered during the hearing were adopted, with no recorded no votes.
• Ordinance 2026-0173 was announced for publication and public hearing at the Council meeting on Monday, October 26, 2026, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers, Hahnville.
• The hearing was adjourned by a unanimous vote.