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GOOD AFTERNOON, AND WELCOME TO THE FIRST OF THE COUNCIL BUDGET HEARINGS FOR THE THE 2025 BUDGET YEAR.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYONE WHO HAS COME OUT.
UM, TODAY, THERE ARE HANDOUTS AT THE FRONT DESK THAT HAVE THE, IT LOOKS LIKE Y'ALL HAVE GOT THEM THE SHEETS, UM, OF FROM THE BUDGET BOOK THAT WE'LL BE GOING OVER TODAY.
UM, IF YOU HAVE NOT GOTTEN A COPY AND WOULD LIKE A COPY, UM, LET US KNOW AND WE, WE WILL GET ONE TO YOU.
[2. Presentation by: A. 19th Judicial District Court B. District Attorney C. Family Court D. Juvenile Court E. City Court F. Office of Public Defender]
SO TODAY, WE WILL GET STARTED.UM, OUR FIRST PRESENTATION TODAY WILL BE BY THE 19TH JDC MS. GIBBONS.
JUST GIVE US A MINUTE TO GET THAT SLIDE SHOW UP.
ALL RIGHT, NOW YOU CAN HEAR ME.
I JUST HAVE A, A BRIEF OVERVIEW.
I KNOW THAT, UM, A LOT OF YOU HAVE COME TO THE COURT RECENTLY AND HAVE, UH, OBSERVED SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING AND ALL THE THINGS WE ARE WORKING ON, AND SO I JUST DON'T WANNA READ HASH ALL OF THAT, BUT ABSOLUTELY.
COUNCIL MEMBERS, IF YOU HAVE YOUR BUDGET BOOKS IN FRONT OF YOU, UM, THE DISTRICT COURT IS ON PAGE 100 OF YOUR BUDGET BOOK.
I THINK, ARE WE READY? ARE WE READY, JOE? WE'RE READY.
SO THE 19TH JDC SERVES THE ENTIRE BATON ROUGE, UM, EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH COMMUNITY, AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE ARE REINFORCING AND REINFORCING BECAUSE IT IS GETTING LOST IN THE SHUFFLE OF EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
SO, THE 19TH JDCS BUDGET IS IMPACTED BY CITY PARISH FUNDING IN TWO MAJOR WAYS.
ONE OF THOSE IS PRIMARILY SALARIES AND BENEFITS, AND WE, WE GET ABOUT $6 MILLION THAT COVER SALARIES AND BENEFITS FOR MOST OF OUR KEY STAFF.
AND THEN THE OTHER PART IS COURTHOUSE MAINTENANCE.
WE FORGET ABOUT THAT OFTEN, BUT THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT PART OF OUR OVERALL BUDGET IN FUNDING AND IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR BUILDING IS THE NEWEST CITY PARISH BUILDING, BUT IT IS NOT BEING MAINTAINED.
AND WE HAVE A LOT OF DEFERRED MAINTENANCE AND A LEAKING ROOF AND OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT THAT I THINK A LOT OF YOU HAVE, HAVE LEARNED ABOUT OVER THE YEARS.
SO THAT IS, UM, STILL SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AND TAKE TAKEN INTO PERSPECTIVE.
UM, SO THE, THE 19TH JDC HAS ABOUT 90, 85 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES.
WE HAVE 15 JUDGES, FOUR COMMISSIONERS, AND THEN SEVERAL SPECIALTY COURT PROGRAMS. AND, UM, AN ADMINISTRATION OFFICE THAT CONSISTS OF ALMOST 10 PEOPLE.
THE 19TH, JDC HANDLES THE MAJORITY OF CIVIL AND CRIMINAL MATTERS IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
SO AGAIN, FOR THE ENTIRE PARISH, THERE ARE CITY COURTS THAT HANDLE SOME OF THE SMALLER MATTERS, BUT, AND, AND THEN WE HAVE A JUVENILE COURT, AND WE HAVE A FAMILY COURT, BUT WE HANDLE PRIMARILY THE CRIMINAL AND CIVIL MATTERS.
UM, TO GIVE A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE WITH CRIMINAL MATTERS, THE FUNDING FOR THOSE MATTERS IS A CONSTANT DILEMMA STATEWIDE.
IT'S NOT JUST A 19TH JDC OR EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH PROBLEM DEALING WITH CRIMINAL COURT FUNDING.
IT'S REALLY A NATIONWIDE PROBLEM.
BUT TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE PERSPECTIVE ON THE NUMBER OF CASES THAT THE 19TH JDC SEES, WE HAVE HAD AN AVERAGE OF ABOUT 5,500 BUILD CRIMINAL CASES OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS, AND THAT'S DIVIDED OVER EIGHT CRIMINAL DIVISIONS.
WITH THE INCORPORATION OF THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT OVER THE RECENT YEAR, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO STREAMLINE A LITTLE BIT OF THE, AND CREATE SOME EFFICIENCIES WITHIN THE PROCESS.
SO THE COMMISSIONERS THEN HANDLE CALL OUT AND, UM, BAIL BOND REVIEWS AND THINGS LIKE THAT TO FREE UP THE DOCKETS OF THE CRIMINAL JUDGES SO THAT THINGS CAN MOVE A LITTLE BIT QUICKER IF POSSIBLE.
UM, CIVIL CASES IN 2024, THE LEGISLATURE ACTUALLY APPROVED AN INCREASE OF FEE THAT GOES INTO THE JUDICIAL EXPENSE FUND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 55 YEARS.
SO IT WAS HORRIBLY UNDERFUNDED.
AND SO WE ARE, WE ARE SEEING SOME BENEFITS FROM THAT INCREASE, BUT IT WAS LONG, LONG OVERDUE.
SO, UM, AND, AND CIVIL MATTERS LARGELY SUSTAIN THEMSELVES BECAUSE OF THIS.
BUT, UM, WE STILL HAVE AN AVERAGE OF 17,500 CIVIL FILINGS PER YEAR, DIVIDED OVER SEVEN SECTIONS.
IT'S VERY, VERY BUSY ON BOTH THE CRIMINAL AND THE CIVIL SIDE OF THAT.
NOW, TO HELP WITH ALL OF THE BUDGET PROCESSES THAT HAVE BEEN GOING ON, THE COURT HAS BEEN PROACTIVE AND WE HAVE SOUGHT OUTSIDE FUNDING SOURCES.
WE HAVE SOUGHT THOSE THROUGH STATE APPROPRIATIONS OVER, WE'VE RECEIVED TWO STATE APPROPRIATIONS THAT WE'VE USED TO ENHANCE SECURITY
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OF THE COURTHOUSE, AS WELL AS IMPROVE THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE COURTHOUSE.AND THEN WE, UM, HAVE ALSO SOUGHT OTHER TYPES OF FUNDING GRANTS AND OTHERWISE TO, TO INCORPORATE THESE, UH, WE CALL IT THE COURT INTERVENTION PROGRAM.
AND THIS IS ON THE CRIMINAL SIDE, AND IT, IT CONSISTS OF THE COMMISSIONER'S COURT PRETRIAL SERVICES, THE RECOVERY COURT, OR DRUG COURT, VETERANS TREATMENT COURT, REENTRY COURT, AND THEN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, UM, INTERVENTION COURT PILOT PROGRAM.
AND ALL OF THESE PROGRAMS TOGETHER, THEY ARE FUNDED THROUGH THESE OUTSIDE SOURCES, BUT THOSE OUTSIDE SOURCES ARE NOT INFINITE.
THEY ARE TO IMPROVE OR ENHANCE THESE PROGRAMS. AND WE ARE WORKING RIGHT NOW TO TRY TO BUILD A STATISTICAL GROUP SO THAT WE CAN COME IN HERE AND SHOW YOU HOW EFFECTIVE WE THESE PROGRAMS HAVE BEEN, NOT JUST FOR THE 19TH JDC, BUT FOR THE ENTIRE PARISH.
SO JUST TO GIVE A LITTLE, LITTLE BIT OF AN IDEA OF THE FUNDING SOURCES ARE LIMITED IN DURATION, BUT WE'VE HAD SOME OF THESE, SOME OF THE PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE HAD, WE'VE HAD OVER 50 GRADUATES FROM THE DRUG COURT RECOVERY COURT PROGRAM SINCE MARCH OF 2023.
NOW, TRANSLATE THAT INTO, THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO, RATHER THAN BEING HELD AT PARISH JAIL AT A COST OF $120 PER PERSON PER DAY, THEY'RE IN THIS PROGRAM.
AND THESE ARE THE ONES WHO HAVE COMPLETED THE PROGRAM.
THERE ARE OTHERS WHO ARE IN THE PROGRAM ON AN ONGOING BASIS.
UM, THE VETERANS TREATMENT COURT IS A NEW PROGRAM.
THEY JUST HAD THEIR FIRST GRADUATION AND GRADUATE HAD THREE GRADUATES.
THERE ARE EIGHT, UM, ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS RIGHT NOW, AND ANOTHER TWO OR THREE THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE PERSPECTIVE PARTICIPANTS.
SO ALL OF THESE PEOPLE, IT, YOU, YOU KIND OF HAVE TO DRAW THE ANALOGY, BUT WE'RE WE'RE KIDDING THEM OUT OF THE SYSTEM, GIVING THEM AN ALTERNATIVE AND HOPING TO PROVIDE A, A BETTER ALTERNATIVE FOR THEM.
AND ALSO BEING ABLE TO SAVE BOTH THE STATE AND THE CITY PARISH MONEY.
SO, CRIMINAL JUSTICE REQUIRES COLLABORATION.
WE HAVE ESSENTIALLY FOUR AGENCIES THAT ARE INVOLVED WITH, WITH IT.
WE HAVE THE COURT, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY, THE PUBLIC DEFENDER, AND WE HAVE LAW ENFORCEMENT.
IF ANY ONE OF THOSE AGENCIES IS NOT PROPERLY FUNDED, IT'S LIKE WE HAVE A CAR WITH A FLAT TIRE, WE, WE CAN'T GO, YOU KNOW, WE, WE CAN'T HAVE THE PUBLIC DEFENDER WITH NOT ENOUGH FUNDS BECAUSE IT SLOWS EVERYBODY ELSE DOWN.
SO IT'S REALLY CRITICAL TO KEEP THAT IN MIND THAT ALL FOUR COMPONENTS HAVE TO BE ADEQUATELY FUNDED TO BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD.
AS WE ALL KNOW, LOUISIANA CONSTITUTION AND CORRESPONDING STATUTES PLACE A RESPONSIBILITY FOR FUNDING THE OPERATIONAL NEEDS OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES, INCLUDING THE DISTRICT COURTS AND THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE ON THE CITY PARISH.
COUNCIL MEMBERS, ANY QUESTIONS? OKAY.
SO THE, THE, UM, AMOUNT OF FUNDING THAT YOU'RE IN THIS BUDGET YES.
SCHEDULED TO RECEIVE RIGHT, IS, UM, IS $8 MILLION.
UM, THE REQUEST WAS TEN NINE IN YOUR BUDGET LAST YEAR, UM, FROM THE CITY PARISH WAS 9 MILLION.
SO THAT WOULD REPRESENT AN 11%.
UM, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING, DO Y'ALL RECEIVE FUNDING FROM THE STATE? THE ONLY FUNDING WE RECEIVE FROM THE STATE IS FOR TWO OF THE COMMISSIONERS THAT ARE, THAT ARE FUNDED THROUGH THE STATE.
AND THEN WE HAVE, UM, SOME FUNDING FOR THE RECOVERY COURT, WHICH IS THE DRUG COURT RECEIVES SOME FUNDING FROM THE STATE, AND THE REENTRY COURT RECEIVES FUNDING FROM THE STATE, FROM THE, THROUGH THE SUPREME COURT.
OTHER THAN THAT, UM, THE APPROPRIATIONS THAT THE LEGISLATURE HAS, HAS BEEN GENEROUS AND, AND SENT TOWARDS US.
THAT'S THE ONLY OTHER STATE FUNDING THAT WE RECEIVE.
AND WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE, UM, WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE OVERALL DOCKET ARE STATE OF LOUISIANA CASES? OOH, NOT, NOT DISTRICT CASES.
UM, I, I DON'T HAVE A PERCENTAGE.
I, I KNOW, I KNOW THAT IF WE'RE GONNA TALK DOLLAR WISE, WE, WE HAVE, IT'S ABOUT, UM, 700,000 TO A MILLION DOLLARS IN FILING FEES THAT ARE NOT PAID BY STATE FILED MATTERS EACH YEAR.
AND SO THAT IS WHAT HAS BEEN COMPOUNDED OVER THE LAST YEARS.
AND IT'S, IT'S REACHED ABOUT A $10 MILLION NUMBER, UM, PER YEAR? YES.
ABOUT 750 TO A MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR IN CIVIL FILING FEES THAT THE STATE DOES NOT HAVE TO PAY BECAUSE OF THE STATUTORY, UM, REQUIRE WORDING, INTERPRETATION.
UM, MY, I'LL, I'LL TELL YOU, I SPOKE WITH SOME, SOME JUDGES MM-HMM
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TOLD ME THAT THEY FELT LIKE THEIR DOCKET, UM, HAD 30 TO 40% STATE CASES.THAT WAS WHAT, THAT WAS WHAT THEY TOLD ME.
SO, DOES THAT, I HAVE ONE JUDGE HERE WHO CAN ANSWER TO THAT.
UH, SOME STATE CASES DO NOT GO FORWARD.
I WOULD SAY MY CIVIL DOCKET WOULD PROBABLY ACCOUNT 10 15 HIGH 20.
BUT THE ISSUE WE'RE HAVING HERE IS WE RECEIVE ALL THESE STATE CASES.
IF YOU'RE SUING THE STATE OF LOUISIANA, DEPENDING ON WHATEVER AGENCY, IT'S, IT'S COMING TO BATON ROUGE BECAUSE THAT'S THE CIS OF WHERE THE ACTIONS ARE BEING BROUGHT.
AND WE ARE NOT RECEIVING, WE'RE IN NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE AND OTHER AGENCIES TO PAY A YEARLY FEE.
I DON'T WANNA SAY FEE, BUT SOMETHING TO COVER THE COST OF THE FILINGS THAT WE DO GET.
AND WE JUST HAVE NOT BEEN GETTING THAT OVER THE YEARS.
UM, WOULD YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELF, JUST SO EVERYBODY KNOWS, OH, I'M SORRY.
I'M JUDGE TARL SMITH DIVISION A 19TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, UH, DEPUTY CHIEF OVER CRIMINAL.
THANK YOU, SIR, FOR BEING HERE.
SO, UM, SO IS IT FAIR TO SAY, AND I I CAN SAY THIS, MAYBE YOU CAN'T, THAT THE, THE CITIZENS OF EAST BUTTON NEWS PARISH ARE SUBSIDIZING THE COURT SYSTEM FOR THE ENTIRE STATE OF LOUISIANA? CORRECT.
UM, AND MY UNDERSTANDING, AND AND YOU'LL HAVE TO TELL ME WHAT THIS TERM IS, BUT, UM, WHEN A CASE IS LOST BY A, BY A A, THE STATE, UM, THERE IS, THERE ARE FEES OWED ON THE BACKSIDE.
I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT THIS IS COST, WHAT THIS IS CALLED.
IS THAT, AM I MAKING SOMETHING UP OR IS THIS WELL, WHAT HAPPENS, WHAT HAPPENS IS WHENEVER THE STATE FILES, WHENEVER THEY FILE SOMETHING, THEY'RE NOT REQUIRED TO PAY THE FILING FEES.
SO WHEN I TALKED ABOUT THE, THE JEF FEE, THAT WAS INCREASED IN THE FIRST TIME IN 55 YEARS, THE STATE DOES NOT CONTRIBUTE TO THAT.
AND IF THEY PREVAIL, THEN THE OTHER PARTY IS, IS CAST WITH COST.
BUT CASTING THANK, IF THEY, AND, AND PREVAIL, IT'S NOT AT THE END OF THE DISTRICT COURT MATTER, IT'S AT THE END OF THE APPELLATE PROCESS.
SO IT COULD BE YEARS AND YEARS DOWN THE ROAD.
IT'S, RIGHT NOW THERE'S SOME DISCREPANCIES AS TO JURORS, WHENEVER THE STATE REQUESTS A JURY TRIAL, THEY ARE NOT REQUIRED TO POST A JURY BOND.
SO THAT FALLS ON THE COURT, AND THAT FALLS ON THE PEOPLE OF THE PARISH TO COVER THE COST OF ALL STATE FILINGS AND ALL OF THE PROCEEDINGS IN THE JURORS, BECAUSE WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THE JURORS ARE PAID WHEN THEY SERVE.
AND, AND WITH NO DELAYS IN THAT.
AND SO THAT HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM THAT WE'RE TRYING TO ADDRESS.
SO IS THERE A TALLY OF THE CAST, THE CASTING COSTS THAT ARE, THE CLERK OF COURT MAINTAINS ALL OF THAT, AND WE TRY TO WORK WITH THE CLERK OF COURT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY ARE FOLLOWING THROUGH.
BUT AGAIN, THIS CAN BE YEARS THAT SOMETHING IS CAUGHT UP IN THE APPELLATE PROCESS.
AND SO WE, BECAUSE THE COURT DOESN'T TRACK THAT AND DOESN'T DO THE COLLECTIONS OF THE, OF THE MONEY, UM, WE DON'T HAVE GOT IT.
WE DON'T HAVE CONTROL OF THAT INFORMATION, IF YOU WILL.
BUT WE, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING CLOSER WITH THE CLERK OF COURT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S DONE.
UM, AND SO THAT THINGS DON'T SLIP THROUGH THE CRACKS.
BUT AGAIN, IT'S A, IT'S A LONG TIME TO WAIT, UM, YOU KNOW, TO, TO RECEIVE.
AND SOMETIMES IT'S, IT'S SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNTS OF, OF MONEY THAT HAVE TO BE PUT UP.
IF I MAY ADD, YES, MOST STATE CASES, IF THEY'RE, THEY ARE APPEALED, IF A JUDGE RULES AGAINST THE STATE, THE STATE DOES SEEK WRITS OR APPELLATE REVIEW, AND THAT COULD TAKE YEARS.
SO MOST STATE CASES, THE LAST FEW THAT I'VE RULED AGAINST THE STATE, THEY'RE ON APPEAL AND I HAVEN'T GOTTEN A DECISION YET.
SO THAT STILL ADDS TO THE PROBLEMS THAT WE'RE HAVING WITH RECEIVING FUNDING FOR ACTIVE CASES THAT ARE CONTINUOUSLY TO GO ON.
THANK, BECAUSE WE, WE WE'RE NOT USED, I'M NOT USED TO THINKING THIS WAY.
SO THIS IS REALLY HELPFUL FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND.
UM, WHEN, WHEN YOU LOOK AT A BUDGET CUT OF A MILLION DOLLARS, WHERE DOES THAT COME FROM? WELL, SO OUR BUDGET, IF YOU LOOK AT THE SHEET, IT'S GONNA, IT WILL HAVE SEVERAL ITEMS ON IT, BUT WE, WE KIND OF GROUP THEM INTO TWOS.
WE HAVE THE ONES, THE MONEY THAT WE RECEIVE, WHICH IS THE SALARIES AND BENEFITS, AND THEN THERE'S THE PARTS THAT CITY PARISH HANDLES DIRECTLY, BUT IT IMPACTS US DIRECTLY.
SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE TRYING TO, UM, REVIEW JANITORIAL CONTRACT BIDS, BUT WE DON'T EVEN HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE OUR BUDGET IS SO THAT WE CAN KNOW WE HAVE, WE HAVE BIDS THAT RANGE FROM 200,000 UP TO A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR, AND WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO NARROW IT DOWN.
AND WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHERE, WHERE THAT NEEDS TO BE.
AND SO UN UNTIL JUST A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, WE DIDN'T HAVE THOSE NUMBERS AND SEE WHERE THAT WAS.
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BUT THE MAJORITY OF THE FUNDS THAT ARE CUT WERE FROM THE SALARY AND BENEFITS PORTION.AND SO WE ARE, AGAIN, WE HAVE DONE SOME THINGS TO BE ABLE TO PAY FOR SOME SALARIES USING THESE TEMPORARY FUNDS, WHICH IS NOT ADVISABLE IN A LOT OF CASES, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO BUILD THE PROGRAMS AND ESTABLISH SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, THAT WE, WE, THESE ARE BENEFICIAL NOT JUST TO THE COURT, BUT TO THE COMMUNITY AS A WHOLE.
AND SO THE HOPE IS THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO DO THAT AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE TO FUND THESE PROGRAMS. UM, IT'S A GAMBLE, BUT THAT'S, WE FEEL LIKE IT NEEDS TO HAPPEN BECAUSE JUSTICE HAS THE SYSTEM FOR JUSTICE HAS, IS EVOLVING.
IT NEEDS TO CHANGE WITH THE TIMES, AND WE'RE TRYING TO DO THAT.
AND, UM, SPECIFICALLY THE FOCUS IS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE, BUT WE ALSO HAVE, WE ALSO HAVE, UH, A COMPLEX LITIGATION DIVISION THAT WE HAVE STARTED, AND JUDGE SMITH IS ACTUALLY THE PRESIDING JUDGE OVER THAT.
SO WE CAN TRY TO TAKE THE MORE COMPLEX CIVIL MATTERS AND FUNNEL THEM THROUGH A SEPARATE, UM, ADD TO MY WORKLOAD, NO PROBLEM.
ADD TO HIS WORKLOAD AND A SEPARATE AVENUE TO WHERE IT DOESN'T CLOG UP THE DOCKETS OF THE OTHER JUDGES WITH, UH, WITH MATTERS THAT COULD BE HANDLED FASTER.
AND SO THAT'S, UH, ANOTHER, ANOTHER AVENUE.
AND WE'RE, AND WE'RE EXPLORING OTHER OPTIONS AS WELL WITH THE CIVIL SIDE.
UM, WE'RE ABOUT TO START A KIND OF A, A, WE'VE HAD SOME STAKEHOLDER GROUPS ON THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SIDE AT THE END, AND WE ARE STARTING, UH, THE SIMILAR THING ON THE CIVIL SIDE TO GET INPUT FROM MEMBERS OF THE BAR IN LARGE FIRMS, SMALL FIRMS, AND WORKING WITH THE BATON ROUGE BAR ASSOCIATION TO HAVE THAT SO THAT WE CAN UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN IMPROVE THE SYSTEM BETTER.
BUT, BUT TO GO BACK TO YOUR, YOUR QUESTION ABOUT THE, THE BUDGET IS THAT, UM, WE ARE TRYING TO DIVERT SOME OF THE SALARIES TO OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW THAT WILL, IT'S, IT'S A, IT'S A STOP GAP.
AND, AND, AND WE'RE JUST CROSSING OUR FINGERS AND HOPING FOR THE BEST.
AND JUST ONE MORE CLARIFYING QUESTION FROM ME.
UM, DO, DO Y'ALL HANDLE, UM, CASES FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THE CITY OF CENTRAL AND THE CITY OF ZACHARY AND THE CITY OF BAKER AND THE CITY OF ST.
GEORGE IN THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS ALL OVER THE ENTIRE PARISH? WHEN YOU GO HOME TONIGHT AND YOU TURN ON THE NEWS, AND UNFORTUNATELY, GOD FORBID THAT THERE'S A HOMICIDE IN THE PARISH OF BATON ROUGE, SAY IT'S IN CENTRAL ST.
GEORGE BAKER, ZACHARY, OR BATON ROUGE PROPER, THE CORONER IS GONNA COME PICK UP THAT BODY.
MR. MORRIS' OFFICE IS GONNA PROSECUTE THAT CASE, AND WE'RE GONNA HAVE IT ACROSS THE STREET.
IT MAY BE ALLOTTED TO ME, IT MAY BE ALLOTTED TO ANY ONE OF THE JUDGES.
SO YOU ASKED ORIGINALLY WHAT A MILLION DOLLAR CUT WOULD DO.
MS. GIVENS TALKED ABOUT SALARIES.
WE START CUTTING SALARIES, WE LOSE PEOPLE.
NOW, I RESPECT THE MAYOR AND WHAT HE'S SAYING ABOUT HE DOESN'T WANT TO CUT POLICE, BUT WHEN YOU HAVE THE POLICE OUT THERE ARRESTING, AND I HOPE THEY'RE DOING THEIR JOB, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE A BACKLOG.
IF THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE IS NOT FUNDED, IF THE DA'S OFFICE IS NOT FUNDED AND THE END RESULT, THE COURTS ARE NOT FUNDED.
SO THAT'S WHAT A MILLION DOLLAR CUT WOULD DO TO THE, TO OUR BUILDING.
AND I'M SURE MR. MOORE AND MS. RAM RAMAN WILL SPEAK ON THEIR BEHALF.
AND SO, AND CORONER AS WELL TOO.
UH, THE CORONER, THE DA AND THE, YEAH, THEY GO TO ST.
THE JUDICIAL DISTRICT ARE ALL PARISH.
THESE ARE ALL PARISH OFFICES? YES.
CONSTITUTIONAL PARISH THANK YOU.
THAT'S, THAT'S, THAT'S VERY HELPFUL.
SO, SO THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH HAS THESE SEPARATE OFFICES THAT SERVE EVERYONE, EVEN THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS OF THE PARISH.
SO THEY'RE NOT, NOT EVERY PLACE IN THE PARISH FALLS INTO A CITY, BUT, BUT WE DO COVER ALL OF THAT.
AND ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN THOSE AREAS, THAT'S, IT COMES THROUGH ALL OF OUR OFFICES.
AND THAT IS THE, THE INTENT BEHIND THE CONSTITUTION PROVIDING FOR THE LOCAL FUNDING FOR THESE OFFICES.
IS ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY, OKAY.
SO WE, WE BROUGHT UP THE STATE QUITE A BIT AND WHAT THEM SENDING THE CASES, YOU KNOW, TO THIS COURT AND SO ON AND SO FORTH, IS THERE, IS THERE ANY OTHER AGENCY OR ANYTHING THAT GETS FUNNELED THROUGH HERE THAT WE ALSO NEED TO LOOK AT AS FAR AS FUNDING SOURCE? I, I'M NOT SURE THAT I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT, THAT, THAT COMES THROUGH THAT WE'RE NOT GETTING, UM, THE PROPER FEES FOR OR ANYTHING? OH, WELL, THERE, I MEAN, ACTUALLY THE STATUTE THAT DOESN'T REQUIRE THE STATE TO FILE IT, IT APPLIES TO ALL GOVERNMENT ENTITIES.
SO THE CITY PARISH WOULD ALSO FALL UNDER THAT AS WELL.
AND SOME MUNICIPALITIES HAVE SPECIAL CARVE OUTS FOR THEIR AREA.
UM, JUST HAS BEEN DONE OVER TIME AND
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SO ON AND SO FORTH.IS THERE ANY PRECEDENCES THAT ANOTHER AREA IS GETTING PAID OTHER PARTS OF STATE AND WE'RE NOT PARTS STATE FAR AS OF THEIR FEES, FEES AND STUFF? STATE? YOU MEAN OTHER, LIKE, OTHER JURISDICTIONS? CORRECT.
AND IN MY CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER JURISDICTIONS, THEY FACE A LOT OF THE SIMILAR PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE AND, AND CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE.
UM, IT, IT'S, AND THERE HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN SOME OTHER JURISDICTIONS THAT HAVE, THAT HAVE FILED SUITS TO TRY TO FORCE THE ISSUE AND GET CLARITY ON IT.
SO THAT, UM, THAT HAS BEEN DONE THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND AT LEAST TWO OR THREE JURISDICTIONS THAT I'M AWARE OF RECENTLY IN THE, IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS OR SO.
YOU WERE MENTIONING THE CITY PARISH SUBSIDIZING THE STATE WITH ALL THE STATE CASES COMING TO THE 19TH JDC, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, YOU ALSO MENTIONED YOU HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OR THE STATE ABOUT DEPARTMENTS STEPPING UP AND PAYING SOME OF THAT BILL.
WE WERE ABLE TO GET A LINE ITEM, UH, THIS YEAR TO COVER LAST YEAR'S COSTS, BUT THEY'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO FILE THE CASES.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY CASES THE ATTORNEY GENERAL WILL FILE.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY CASES THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WILL FILE.
SO WE AT SOME POINT WILL REQUEST A LINE ITEM.
BUT UNTIL THAT HAPPENS, I'M GLAD WE HAVE ONE LEGISLATOR HERE.
UM, WE'RE IN THE HOLE FOR THAT.
SO YES, WE ARE SUBSIDIZING THAT.
IT SOUNDS VERY FAMILIAR TO WHAT WE ARE DEALING WITH, WITH THE, UM, CITY OF BATON ROUGE SUBSIDIZING THE PARISH AND THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS, WHICH, WHICH YOU DISCUSSED.
BUT MY QUESTION IS, HOW DID YOU ARRIVE AT THE PATH TO GO AFTER THE DEPARTMENTS AT THE STATE LEVEL AND NOT NECESSARILY GO OUT TO CITIES OR PARISHES ACROSS THE STATE? BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH IS PAYING THE BILL, NOT NECESSARILY ONE DEPARTMENT IN THE STATE.
WELL, WE HAD TO START THOSE DISCUSSIONS WITH, UH, THE ADMINISTRATION AT THE TIME.
UH, THERE WAS LEGISLATION, UH, PA UH, PROPOSED, UH, THIS PAST SESSION.
WE HAD TO GO THROUGH THE PROCESS, SO WE HAD TO BRING IT TO THEIR ATTENTION.
THEY DIDN'T VOLUNTEER AND SAY, HEY, WE HAVEN'T BEEN PAYING Y'ALL ALL THESE YEARS.
WE HAD TO BRING IT TO THEIR ATTENTION.
AND LOOK, I'M NOT AGAINST YOU FINDING FUNDING WHEREVER YOU FIND IT, YOU GET SOME STATE MONEY, YOU GET SOME STATE MONEY.
BUT I'M JUST, I'M JUST, BUT THE CITIZENS OF BATON ROUGE ARE SUBSIDIZING THAT.
SO ARE THERE GONNA BE ANY ATTEMPTS TO LOOK AT THE CITIZENS ACROSS THE, THE REST OF THE STATE THAT'S STATE MONEY? YES.
I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW HOW THE STATE WILL GET MONEY IF, IF, IF THE AG IS FILING SOMETHING THAT'S AN ENTITY IN NEW IBERIA OR WHEREVER, AND IT HAS TO COME BATON ROUGE BY STATUTE.
THAT, THAT PARISH NEEDS TO BE TAXED FOR THAT CAUSE AS WELL.
BUT THAT'S UP TO THE STATE BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING THROUGH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE WHO IS THE CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER OF THE
WELL, THAT'S, THAT'S THE POINT.
I WOULD JUST LIKE, AS YOU TALK TO THE STATE AND WHOEVER ELSE I IMPRESS UPON YOU TO CONSIDER LOOKING AT OTHER PARISHES, THEY'RE ALL, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THE FUNDING IS COMING FROM EASTBOUND ROUGE PARISH, THE CITIZENS OF THE, THE CITIZEN EASTBOUND ROU PARISH.
AND COUNCIL MEMBERS, THE, THE, THE SYSTEM ISN'T WORKING IN THE TRADITIONAL WAY THIS AFTERNOON BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE AN AGENDA IN THE SYSTEM.
SO JUST MOTION TO ME, IF YOU WANNA, UM, ASK A QUESTION.
UM, MR. MILK COUNCILMAN, MAY, SO JUST A QUICK FOLLOW UP.
UM, DO YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF HOW MUCH IS LAYING ON THE TABLE THAT WE'RE MISSING OUT ON, NOT JUST FROM THE STATE, BUT LIKE COUNCILMAN DUNN JUST BROUGHT UP FROM THE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES HERE LOCALLY? WELL, IT IS COLLECTIVELY, THE, THE 10 MILLION THAT I, THAT I SUGGESTED IS COLLECTIVELY GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.
AND WE'RE RELYING ON THE CLERK OF COURTS DATA KEEPING FOR, FOR THAT INFORMATION.
THAT WAS 10 MILLION OVER TIME.
HOW, OVER YOU, WHAT, WHAT WOULD BE THE ESTIMATE, OR IF SOMEBODY FROM FINANCE CAN ANSWER, IF, YOU KNOW, THESE THINGS WERE TO COME TO FRUITION, WHAT, WHAT ARE WE LOOKING UP, LOOKING AT THAT WOULD MAKE, WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT THAT THAT WOULD BE ADDITIONAL TO YOUR BUDGET? IT IS, IT IS ABOUT 750,000 THE STATE TO A MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR GOVERNMENT ENTITIES.
IT IS PROBABLY 90% STATE, UM, MATTERS THAT ARE FILED.
AND IT'S NOT THAT, THAT, THAT MONEY WILL NEVER BE RECOUPED.
IT JUST, THAT'S WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT.
THE APPELLATE PROCESS CAN BE A LONG PROCESS.
AND SO IT COULD BE FIVE YEARS DOWN THE ROAD, 10 YEARS DOWN THE ROAD BEFORE ANY OF THAT COMES BACK.
SO WE'VE BEEN FLOATING THE BILL THE ENTIRE TIME AND WHOLE AND, AND OWED THAT MONEY, SO TO SPEAK.
BUT THAT IS, THAT IS A CLERK OF COURT FUNCTION TO KEEP
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UP WITH THAT AND TRACK THAT.AND WE, WE RECEIVE OUR DATA FROM THEM.
WE'VE ASKED FOR IT TO BE BROKEN DOWN A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFICALLY TO SAY, YOU KNOW, WHAT MUNICIPALITIES, WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE THE CASES? AND THEY JUST DON'T HAVE THAT LEVEL OF DATA COLLECTION AT THIS TIME.
BUT THE BUT THE SEVEN 50 TO A MILLION, DO YOU KEEP BRINGING UP THE STATE AFTER YOU SAY THAT? OKAY.
BECAUSE IT'S PRIMARILY MATTERS THAT ARE FILED BY THE STATE WITH THE, WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE.
THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY FILE COLLECTIONS MATTERS.
THEY FILE, THERE'S NOT ALL LITIGATION.
SOMETIMES IT'S, UM, IT'S OKAY.
SO IF YOU WAS TO SAY THAT THE STATE MM-HMM
OUT OF A HUNDRED PERCENT THE STATE, AND YOU GOT ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES IN THE PARISH, YOU GOT THE STATE THAT SENDS STUFF TO Y'ALL OR THAT WE HANDLE.
AND YOU'RE SAYING THAT A GOOD PORTION OF IT IS THE STATE, WHAT PERCENTAGE DO YOU THINK OUT OF A HUNDRED PERCENT IS THE STATE? I'M GUESSING, BUT I'M GONNA SAY 90, 95%.
I MEAN, IT'S BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT STATE AGENCIES ARE HEADQUARTERED IN BATON ROUGE.
SO IF A SUIT IS FILED AGAINST A STATE AGENCY, THAT'S WHERE THE 19TH JDC GETS JURISDICTION.
SO IT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED IN CADO PARISH, BUT THERE, IF IT'S BEING BROUGHT AGAINST THAT AGENCY AND THAT AGENCY IS HEADQUARTERED IN BATON ROUGE, THAT'S WHY THE 19TH A DC HAS JURISDICTION.
I I, I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT, WHAT AN ADDITIONAL INCREASE TO YOUR BUDGET WOULD BE IF THE, IF THE, EVERYBODY STARTED PUTTING IN THEIR FAIR SHARE, WHETHER IT BE LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES MM-HMM
AND OR THE STATE OR ANY OTHER AGENCY THAT NEEDS TO PAY.
AND WHAT I'M GETTING OUT OF WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS, AS FAR AS PEOPLE STARTING TO PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE OR WHATEVER THEY CONSIDER, OR WHATEVER, 95% OF IT IS GOING TO COME FROM THE STATE.
5% WILL COME FROM THE REST OF THE REST OF THE MUNICIPALITIES.
UH, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS OTHER MUNICIPALITIES ACTUALLY FILING MATTERS IN THE 19TH JDC, IT JUST IS GONNA BE, DEPENDING ON THE NATURE OR JUST CASES, HANDLED CASES, CASES HANDLED FROM THOSE AREAS.
LIKE YOU SAID A WHILE AGO, LIKE YOU SAID A WHILE AGO, YOU KNOW, IF, IF SOMETHING HAPPENS IN BAKER CENTRAL, ZACHARY, ST.
OH, THOSE, OH, YOU'RE TALKING, YOU KNOW, AND WE'RE TALKING YES.
THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO GET AN IDEA OF IS IF, IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA BE LOOKED INTO, I'D JUST LIKE TO HAVE AN, YOU KNOW YEAH.
AN IDEA OF WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IT.
WOULD IT INCREASE YOUR BUDGET, POSSIBLY A MILLION, WHICH COULD BE JUST FROM THE STATE, OR WOULD IT INCREASE YOUR BUDGET BY A COUPLE MILLION THREE, FOUR? I THINK WE WOULD HAVE TO GET WITH THE CLERK OF COURT TO SEE IF THERE'S A WAY TO CAPTURE THAT INFORMATION.
AND, AND WE'VE NEVER REALLY LOOKED AT IT BECAUSE UNTIL JUST RECENTLY, IT REALLY WASN'T, IT, IT REALLY WASN'T A FOREFRONT ISSUE.
UM, BUT NOW IT IS BECOMING SOMETHING THAT WE DO NEED TO EXPLORE FURTHER.
AND I, I THINK THAT, UM, I, I DON'T, I DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW MUCH IS ACTUALLY FILED BY THE CITY OF BAKER, YOU KNOW, IN THE 19TH JDC, UH, YOU KNOW, NOW ARE THERE, ARE THERE INDIVIDUALS IN THOSE COMMUNITIES WHO FILE? WELL, THEY PAY.
SO THAT'S NOT THE, THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM.
IT'S JUST THE MUNICIPALITIES WHEN THEY ARE THE, THE PARTY FILING, LEMME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE, COUNCILMAN OF A FREE LAWSUIT.
GEORGE SUES THE CITY OF CENTRAL ZACHARY BAKER, OR VICE VERSA.
NOBODY'S GONNA PAY ANYTHING UNTIL IT GETS TO THE APPELLATE LEVEL, BUT WE'RE IN THE HOLE RIGHT THERE.
UM, WE ARE, WE'RE, WE'RE CLOCK CLOCKING TIME UP HERE.
ARE YOU, UM, COUNCILMAN GOD DATE? DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? SURE.
HEY, THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH FOR, UH, FOR THE PRESENTATION.
YOU, UM, MS. GIBBONS, YOUR LAST SLIDE, YOU KNOW, OUTLINE.
THIS IS A CONSTITUTIONAL MANDATE TO FUND YOUR OFFICE.
UM, SPECIFICALLY, DO YOU KNOW THE, THE LANGUAGE THAT THE CONSTITUTION SAYS IT'S UP TO THE PARISH GOVERNMENT? I THINK IT SAYS THAT IT IS.
UM, I BELIEVE IT SAYS THAT THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS REQUIRED TO FUND THESE OFFICES UNLESS THEY'RE FUNDED BY THE STATE.
ARE THERE 64 DISTRICT COURTS IN LOUISIANA? THERE ARE NOT 64, IT'S 42.
BECAUSE SOME, SOME DISTRICT COURTS HAVE MULTIPLE PARISHES, SOME GO BEYOND BOUNDARIES.
YOU SHARE THE BOUNDARIES OF EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
UM, HAVE YOU ALL LOOKED AT OTHER DISTRICT COURTS TO SEE FUNDING MIXES FROM THOSE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS? WOULD THERE BE BEST PRACTICES THAT YOU HAVE SEEN OUT THERE? WE HAVE HAD THE DISCUSSION, AND AS I MENTIONED PREVIOUSLY, A LOT OF THOSE OTHER DISTRICT COURTS HAVE THE SAME
[00:30:01]
ISSUES THAT WE HAVE.AND, AND THEN WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE SCALE.
WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT A, AT A JURISDICTION THAT HAS MULTIPLE PARISHES, EACH OF THOSE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS CONTRIBUTE.
AND IT'S ON A DIFFERENT SCALE.
WE TYPICALLY LOOK AT, UM, ORLEANS MM-HMM
UH, JEFFERSON PARISH, THE 15TH, JDC IN LAFAYETTE, AND, UM, AND THEN A LITTLE BIT IN CATO BECAUSE OF THE SIZE OKAY.
AND SO WE'VE BEEN TALKING, I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM, TALKING TO THEM, TRYING TO FIND OUT SIMILARITIES AND TRY TO SEE WHAT WE CAN, YOU KNOW, ARE THEY DOING SOMETHING? DO THEY HAVE SOME SECRET MAGIC SOLUTION THAT WE DON'T HAVE? AND SO IT'S ONGOING.
I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWER TODAY.
THAT'S KIND OF WHERE I WAS GOING.
TO LOOK AT, TO SEE IF, UH, THERE'S SOMETHING WE'RE NOT THINKING OF? YEAH.
TAM'S ANOTHER ONE THAT, UM, THANK YOU.
THAT, THAT HAS SOME THINGS TOO.
HEY, I JUST WANT Y'ALL TO KNOW THAT WE, WE HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH ON CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES NOT BEING PROPERLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE PARISH.
UM, WHERE BATON ROUGE IS PAYING FOR ALL, IF NOT THE MAJORITY, THE REST OF IT COMES FROM A SMALL PARISH MILLAGE.
AND SO IF IT WAS EVENLY DISTRIBUTED THROUGHOUT THE PARISH, IT WOULD PROVIDE AN ADDITIONAL $11.2 MILLION THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE SHARED FROM THE OTHER FOUR MUNICIPALITIES, WHICH WOULD ALLEVIATE AN ADDITIONAL $11.2 BILLION IN OUR GENERAL FUND, WHERE SOME OF THAT MONEY COULD GO TO SUPPORT THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES THAT ARE RUNNING A DEFICIT ALONG WITH THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS IN THE CITY PARISH.
SO, UM, I, I URGE, UM, OUR STATE LEGISLATORS TO PURSUE THE CHANGES THAT ARE REQUIRED THERE.
EVERYBODY SHOULD BE PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE.
A LOT OF PEOPLE GET CAUGHT UP IN, WELL, WE DON'T HAVE CRIME IN THESE CITIES.
BUT YOU STILL HAVE A CO THAT COMES OUT WHEN SOMEBODY DIES.
YOU STILL HAVE THE TAX ASSESSOR, YOU STILL LEVERAGE THE CLERK OF COURT.
YOU STILL LEVERAGE THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT PRIMARILY.
UM, THE REGISTRAR OF VOTERS AND CIVIL FILINGS AS WELL.
AND, AND I WAS GONNA SAY, AND IF IT'S NOT CRIMINAL CIVIL FILINGS, SO THE COURT SYSTEM IS HEAVILY INTEGRATED INTO THOSE AREAS.
MAYBE NOT THE DA AS MUCH IF YOU DON'T HAVE SOMEBODY BEING PROSECUTED, BUT I WOULD BEG THAT YOU STILL UTILIZE 'EM JUST NOT AS MUCH AS THE OTHER HIGH CRIME AREAS, RIGHT? MM-HMM
BUT MY POINT IS THAT IF EVERYBODY PAID THEIR FAIR SHARE, THERE WILL BE $11.2 MILLION THAT WOULD GO BACK INTO THE GENERAL FUND.
AND THAT INCLUDES SUBTRACTING THE PARISH MILLAGES THAT HAVE ALREADY APPLIED MM-HMM
UM, TO OUR GENERAL FUND BUDGET.
AND THEN FROM THAT, WHAT'S APPLIED TO THOSE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS.
SO JUST THROWING THAT NUMBER OUT THERE FOR YOU.
I, JUDGE SMITH AND MS. GIBBONS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
UM, AND LET ME, I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, REPRESENTATIVE RORY DARRELL ADAMS IS WITH US TODAY, AND I THINK I SAW REPRESENTATIVE VANESSA CASTON LAFLEUR WALK IN AS WELL.
UM, IF THERE ARE ANY OTHER REPS OR SENATORS HERE, WAVE YOUR HAND.
UM, THANK Y'ALL FOR BEING HERE.
UM, YOU'RE CRITICAL PARTNERS FOR US, AND WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR YOUR SERVICE AND, AND YOUR ASSISTANCE.
ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO TO THE NEXT, UM, OUR DISTRICT ATTORNEY, HILLER MOORE.
UH, THANK YOU FOR ALLOWING US TO BE HERE TODAY AND KNOW YOU GUYS HAVE A TOUGH JOB.
SO I'M GONNA STEP ASIDE AND LET JOHN DALEY, WHO IS THE, UH, CPA FOR THE OFFICE, UH, DESCRIBE HIS POWERPOINT.
I THINK YOU GUYS ARE FAMILIAR WITH OUR POSITION AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC DEFENDER, AND I AGREE THAT WE NEED BOTH A ADEQUATELY FUNDED DISTRICT ATTORNEY AND PUBLIC DEFENDER ALONG WITH THE, UM, COURT SYSTEM.
AND I THINK THE NUMBER ONE GOAL OF GOVERNMENT IS ALWAYS PUBLIC SAFETY FIRST.
SO, UH, HAVING SAID THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO JOHN.
UM, MUCH OF THIS WILL BE REDUNDANT, REDUNDANT.
UH, A LOT OF THIS IS HIGHLY PUBLICIZED AND HAS BEEN OVER THE PAST YEAR.
SO, I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE FORMATTING HERE.
UM, OUR POSITION, BASICALLY, THE WAY WE SEE IT IS, UM, THE JUSTICE SYSTEM AND PUBLIC SAFETY IS AT RISK AS A RESULT OF UNFUNDED MANDATES IMPOSED AND PASSED DOWN BY THE STATE.
AND ALSO INEQUITABLE COST SHARING, AS WE'VE ALREADY KIND OF DISCUSSED, UH, AMONG THE DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES WITHIN OUR JURISDICTION.
BUT ULTIMATELY, THE COST OF THIS ARE PASSED DOWN TO ALL CITIZENS, REGARDLESS OF WHAT MUNICIPALITY OR AREA YOU LIVE IN.
SO WE'VE, WE'VE OPERATED UNDER AUSTERITY FOR YEARS.
WE'VE, UH, REQUESTED, UM, WE'VE TRIED TO REQUEST ADDITIONAL FUNDING FROM CITY PARISH.
USUALLY WE WORK WITH WHAT WE GET.
[00:35:01]
UH, MOST RECENTLY, UH, WE'VE TRIED TO SECURE A PROPERTY TAX TO GET SUFFICIENT FUNDING.SO OUR BUDGET REQUEST, I'M SURE WAS SOME STICKER SHOCK FOR 2026, CONSIDERING IT WAS 173% INCREASE YEAR OVER YEAR.
HOWEVER, WE BELIEVE THAT THAT'S A REASONABLE REQUEST BASED ON OUR RESEARCH, UM, PARTICULARLY TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF THE LARGEST PARISH IN LOUISIANA, ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING PARISHES, AND TO PROVIDE THE LEVEL OF SERVICE THAT CITIZENS DESERVE AND EXPECT.
SO IF PASSED, FOR EXAMPLE, OUR TAX BACK IN MAY OF 2025, THAT WOULD'VE PROVIDED ROUGHLY 24 MILLION, ABOUT 21 NET FOR US.
SO WE'RE NOT FAR OFF ON OUR 2024, OR I'M SORRY, 2026.
SO, UH, THIS IS A CHART THAT IS SHOWING THE DOLLARS PER CAPITA RECEIVED BY THE TOP THREE DA OFFICES RANKED IN ORDER BY POPULATION.
SO IN THE ORANGE YOU SEE US EAST BATON ROUGE.
THEN THE NEXT ONE IS JEFFERSON, THE SECOND MOST POPULATED, FOLLOWED BY ORLEANS.
WE ARE, AND THIS IS 2024 NUMBERS.
SO IT'S, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOTTEN WORSE, BUT WE ARE UNDERFUNDED AS OF 12 31 20 24, 60 4% LESS THAN JEFFERSON, AND 79%.
SO COMPARED TO OUR PEERS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE JUST FORCED TO DO MORE WITH SIGNIFICANTLY LESS.
THE, THE MAIN DRIVERS OF THIS IS OUR, UH, PRIMARY SOURCES OF REVENUE IS STATE, UH, WELL ACTUALLY CITY PARISH FOLLOWED BY STATE.
AND THEN THE REST WE HAVE TO SELF-GENERATE AS BEST AS WE CAN.
THE STATE FOR YEARS HAS FAILED TO KEEP UP.
RECENTLY, THERE WAS A JUDICIARY REVIEW COMMITTEE WHERE THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THE FACT THAT THEY ARE STILL ALLOCATING FUNDS TO THE DIFFERENT DAS BASED ON OLD INFORMATION FROM 20 YEARS AGO, PRE-KATRINA ACTUALLY.
AND SO WHAT THAT ENDS UP LOOKING LIKE IS YOU HAVE ORLEANS WITH THE THIRD MOST POPULATED PARISH RECEIVING 30 MORE, UM, A DA WARRANTS, WHICH IS BASICALLY $50,000 FOR EACH PROSECUTOR.
IT ALSO, UH, PARISH LOCAL GOVERNMENT FAILS TO KEEP UP.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THIS CHART SHOWS THE FUNDING PROVIDED BY THE LOCAL PARISHES TO THEIR RESPECTIVE DAS.
UM, UH, ADDED 2025 ON THERE BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT IT'S GONNA LOOK LIKE ASSUMING THIS HIT, UM, IS ADOPTED.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE RECEIVE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS LESS COMPARED TO OUR PEERS EVERY YEAR, UH, CONSIDERING WE'RE HAVING TO DEAL WITH MORE, UM, CRIME.
I WOULD, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT MORE CRIME THAN ORLEANS, BUT I CAN ASSURE YOU WERE DEALING WITH A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN JEFFERSON.
UH, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE IT'S A, UH, DISPARATE LEVEL OF INVESTMENT.
SPEAKING OF JEFFERSON, I THREW THIS IN THERE BECAUSE I CAUGHT THIS IN THEIR AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS WHEN I WAS RESEARCHING.
THEY HAVE A LITTLE OVER $20 MILLION SITTING IN THEIR CHECKING ACCOUNT.
THAT'S MORE MONEY THAN OUR OFFICE HAS RECEIVED IN ANY YEAR EVER.
AND THAT'S JUST CASH SITTING THERE.
SO WHAT WE TRY TO DO, RIGHT, BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN OPERATING ON THEIR AUSTERITY, IS GENERATE AS MUCH REVENUE AS POSSIBLE.
THIS CHART HERE IS, YOU CAN BARELY SEE IT, IT'S REFLECTING OUR SELF-GENERATED REVENUES.
UM, THERE'S A LOT OF VOLATILITY BECAUSE A LOT OF THESE THINGS, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, FINES AND FORFEITURES, YOU KNOW, THAT'S CONTINGENT UPON OTHER ENTITIES OR OTHER OFFICIALS DOING THEIR JOB.
UM, THE CRIMINAL, LIKE CHECK COLLECTION FEES, FOR EXAMPLE.
WE MIGHT'VE MADE A KILLING OFF OF THAT.
UM, AND THEN THESE OTHER, LIKE PTI, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, THAT IS ACTUALLY COSTING US MORE THAN IT'S PRODUCING.
WE OFFER THAT BECAUSE WE BELIEVE, OBVIOUSLY, THAT DIVERSION AND INTERVENTION IS AN EFFORT WORTHY TO PURSUE, UH, AND PRIORITIZE OF A PROSECUTION WHEN NECESSARY.
HOWEVER, THE ONLY THING YOU CAN SEE HERE IS THAT THE ONLY CONSISTENT PIECE ABOUT THIS IS YEAR OVER YEAR.
OUR ABILITY TO GENERATE REVENUES IS STEADILY DECLINED, UH, AND IS DIMINISHED BY, UM, FOR EXAMPLE, THE CRIMINAL COURT FUND.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S OTHER AGENCIES THAT HAVE TO IMPOSE ANDT ON FEES TO THAT SO THAT THEY CAN CARRY OUT THEIR OBLIGATIONS AND THEIR DUTIES.
THIS ONE JUST SHOWS BREAKDOWN OF OUR MAIN EXPENDITURE CATEGORIES.
AS YOU CAN SEE AT THE TOP PAYROLL THAT ON ANY GIVEN YEAR, THAT'S GONNA BE 85 TO 95% OF OUR TOTAL EXPENDITURES.
THIS IS A CHART COMPARING THE PERSONNEL COSTS, AGAIN, OF THE TOP THREE OFFICES.
EBR NUMBER ONE, JEFFERSON TWO, ORLEANS THREE.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, THEY'RE, UM, LEMME LOOK AT, THEY'RE AT JEFFERSON IS AT 19.4 MILLION AS OF 2024.
THAT'S MORE THAN OUR ENTIRE BUDGET.
UH, ORLEANS PERSONNEL COSTS 20 POINT MILLION.
THAT'S AGAIN, MORE THAN OUR ENTIRE BUDGET.
[00:40:01]
BOTH JEFFERSON ORLEANS ARE OPERATING AT ABOUT 200 TO 210 TOTAL PERSONNEL.WE, AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, WE HAVE BEEN OPERATING UNDER AUSTERITY.
SO THAT HAS HAD US, I WANNA SAY AROUND HISTORICALLY 150 TO 160.
CURRENTLY WE'RE ABOUT 125, SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE BARELY TWO THIRDS THE SIZE OF OUR PEERS DESPITE SERVING A LARGER POPULATION.
SO THE MAIN THINGS I WANTED TO COVER HERE IS THE UNFUNDED MANDATES PART.
SO THIS WAS, UH, BASED ON MY RESEARCH, IT LOOKS LIKE IN THE EIGHTIES THERE WAS SOME ECONOMIC DOWNTURN.
AS A RESULT, THE STATE IMPOSED FUNDING MANDATES ON LOCAL GOVERNMENTS BASICALLY PASSING AND SHIFTING THE BURDEN, UH, PARTICULARLY FOR CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES AND STATE LEVEL FUNCTIONS.
AND SO THIS CREATES A SITUATION WHERE YOU HAVE RICH PARISHES OR RICH OFFICES VERSUS POOR OFFICES.
AND IT JUST PAVED THE WAY FOR CHRONIC UNDERFUNDING THAT WE'VE BEEN DEALING WITH.
AND THEN THE NEXT PIECE OF THAT IS THE EROSION OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT SUPPORT.
UM, OBVIOUSLY AS CITY PARISH COFFERS, SEA ROAD AWAY BY A NEW AREA INCORPORATING CARBON OUT THEIR TAX BASE, THAT'S LESS MONEY FOR YOU TO USE TO SCALE UP CONSTITUTIONAL PARISH WIDE SERVICES ACCORDINGLY.
AND SO, UM, NEXT THING, WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON, I'M SORRY ABOUT THE FORMATTING AGAIN.
UM, OBVIOUSLY YOU GUYS KNOW ABOUT THE TAX WE TRIED THAT FAILED.
UM, WE'RE IN CONSISTENT AND CONSTANT COMMUNICATION AND PROVIDING, YOU KNOW, WARNINGS TO ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS ABOUT OUR FINANCIAL SITUATION.
WE RECENTLY, UH, HAVE STARTED COLLABORATING WITH OTHERS TO LOOK AT AMENDING EXISTING STATUTES.
BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, HOW ORLEANS IS CARVED OUT IN STATUTE CARVING OUT EBR PARISH AND ENSURING THAT EVERYONE, REGARDLESS OF FORM OF GOVERNMENT, IF YOU'RE OPERATING AND RECEIVING PARISH WIDE SERVICES, YOU'RE PAYING A PROPORTIONATE FAIR SHARE.
UM, AND CONTINUING TO HAVE AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS AND LIKE THIS, FOR EXAMPLE.
UH, WE'VE COMMUNICATED THIS NUMEROUS TIMES, BUT OUR OBLIGATION IS TO REPRESENT THE STATE IN ALL CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS.
IT'S TO FUNCTION, IT'S TO BE A KEY STAKEHOLDER IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM AND PUBLIC SAFETY ECOSYSTEM.
THE PARISH GOVERNMENT IS TO FUND THE OPERATION OF OUR OPERATION.
THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK WE'RE CURRENTLY OPERATING UNDER, HOWEVER, HAS IT WHERE THE CITY PARISH IS THE ONLY MUNICIPALITY IN THE JURISDICTION THAT FOOT THE BILL FOR THESE SERVICES.
UM, AND SO OUR PRIMARY SOURCE OF FUNDING, THUS IS THE GENERAL FUND, WHICH AS I JUST MENTIONED, IS BEING ERODED EVERY TIME A NEW CITY INCORPORATES.
AND SO, UM, WE'RE BASICALLY LEFT WITH, UH, STRUGGLING TO OPERATE, UH, MUCH LESS PLAN OR EFFECTIVELY RESPOND TO CRIME.
OUR MAIN STATUTE, AS MENTIONED HERE, IS, UH, FUNDING STATUTE IS R 16 SIX, WHICH, UH, I'M NOT GONNA BORE YOU WITH, BUT IN THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE.
UM, THERE WAS A GROUNDBREAKING CASE, UH, IN THE SUPREME COURT, WHICH IS REED VERSUS WASHINGTON PARISH POLICE JURY, UH, AS IT RELATES TO FUNDING FOR DAS.
IN THEIR OPINION, IT IMPOSES A MANDATORY DUTY ON THE PARISH TO FUND THE REASONABLE AND NECESSARY EXPENDITURES OF THE DA.
AND IT ALSO CONCLUDES THAT THE DA DIDN'T HAVE TO LEVERAGE HIS OTHER SOURCES OF REVENUE TO GET REIMBURSED OR FUNDED, I SHOULD SAY, BY ITS POLICE JURY OR PARISH GOVERNMENT.
UH, THE SUPREME COURT FOUND THAT BECAUSE OF THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL FUNCTION PERFORMED BY THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THERE BE A RELIABLE SOURCE OF FUNDING TO ENSURE THE EFFECTIVE OPERATION OF THE OFFICE.
THEY ALSO CONCLUDED THAT THIS THEREFORE, 16 SIX CREATES A MANDATORY DUTY ON THE PART OF THE PARISH, THE POLICE JURY, TO FUND THESE EXPENSES IN THEIR ENTIRETY.
UM, AGAIN, THOUGH THERE IS AN EXCEPTION.
AND THAT IS THE REQUEST FROM THE DA MUST BE REASONABLE AND IT MUST BE NECESSARY.
SO IT MUST BE LEGITIMATE IN THAT IT'S RELATED TO HIS FUNCTION, UH, AND ALSO QUANTITATIVELY REASONABLE.
SO, UH, ADDITIONAL, AGAIN, I JUST MENTIONED THIS.
ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF REVENUES FOR THE DA, WERE NEVER INTENDED TO REST THE PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY FOR FUNDING THESE EXPENSES FROM THE SHOULDERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH.
EVERYONE AGREES THERE'S LITTLE TO NO CONFUSION ABOUT THIS PARISH GOVERNMENT'S ON THE HOOK TO FUND THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES, EVEN THOUGH IT'S A STATE LEVEL FUNCTION.
AND ULTIMATELY, THEY'RE THE ONES, IN MY OPINION, THAT SHOULD, UH, BUT THE POSITION THAT WE'RE IN IS THAT CITY PARISH IS ON THE HOOK.
THIS IS AFFIRMED BY AG OPINIONS LLA OPINIONS.
FOR EXAMPLE, AG OPINION 11 0 1 67.
IT AFFIRMS READ POLICE JURIES HAVE A MANDATORY DUTY TO FUND THE REASONABLE EXPENSES OF THE DA'S OFFICE.
[00:45:01]
ORDER OPINION.IT REVIEWED THE PLAN OF GOVERNMENT FOR EBR PARISH.
IT LOOKED AT ALL THE STATUTES, THE CONSTITUTIONAL MANDATES, AND THE ATTORNEY, RELEVANT ATTORNEY GENERAL OPINIONS REFERENCING THE FUNDING FOR DAS.
AND WHAT THEY CONCLUDED WAS THE SAME, JUST LIKE ALL OTHER PARISHES, CITY PARISHES ON THE HOOK OBLIGATED TO PAY.
UM, AND THEY NOTICED SOMETHING HERE THOUGH.
THEY SAID THE FACT THAT THERE ARE ENUMERATED CITIES WITHIN THE PARISH DOES NOT ATE THIS OBLIGATION.
THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY, ABSENT A SPECIFIC MILLAGE, SHOULD COME FROM THE GENERAL FUND OF THE PARISH.
CITY PARISH OFFICIALS EVEN AGREE.
THEY CONCEDED IN COURT TESTIMONY FROM 2022 CASE, BROOME V ROS, WHERE THEY TESTIFIED REGARDING THE EO PARISH BUDGET.
AND THEY SAID GENERAL FUNDS WITHIN THE BUDGET CAN BE BROKEN DOWN INTO THREE CATEGORIES, MANDATED EXPENDITURES, DIFFICULT TO REDUCE AND DISCRETIONARY.
THESE MANDATED, MANDATED EXPENDITURES ARE SET BY LAW, NOT SUBJECT TO REDUCTION.
AND THESE INCLUDE THE DA'S OFFICE.
THERE'S MANY CONSEQUENCES OF UNDERFUNDING.
UM, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE, THE JUDGE, UH, THE COURT JUST MENTIONED.
IF ONE WHEEL ON THIS BUS IS NOT PROPERLY INFLATED, IT'S NOT GONNA ROLL IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.
WE HAVE ALL GOTTA BE IN A LINE AND ALIGNMENT.
AND SO WHILE WE'RE, WE'RE HERE TALKING ABOUT THE DA'S BUDGET, IT REALLY IS A LOOMING CRISIS FOR THE ENTIRE JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY SYSTEM IN EAST BAT ROUGE PARISH.
UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT INCREASED CASE LOADS.
WE'VE ALREADY GOT, YOU KNOW, PLENTY OF OVERWORKED, OVERWHELMED, AND UNDERPAID PEOPLE AND PUBLIC SERVICE.
AND SO IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A REAL PROBLEM, OBVIOUSLY.
YOU HAVE DELAYED JUSTICE, BUT YOU ALSO, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE HAVE COMPROMISED LEGAL REPRESENTATION.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S JUSTICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY.
UM, THE OTHER THING, NEXT SLIDE, UH, AFTER THIS ONE MORE, PLEASE, CAN'T READ IT.
UH, THESE, BASICALLY, THESE ARE THE STAKES.
UM, YOU KNOW, MANY OF 'EM ALREADY, BUT WE'RE LOOKING AT POTENTIALLY NOT BEING ABLE TO KEEP THE LIGHTS ON.
AND THAT'S A, THAT'S A REAL PROBLEM.
UH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THREATS TO JUSTICE, PUBLIC SAFETY.
UH, BUT THE LEGAL CONFLICT IS, IS, IS WHAT'S MOST CONCERNING TO US AS A CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICE.
LIKE OUR JOB ISN'T TO FUNDRAISE.
IT'S TO OPERATE, RIGHT? AND SO WHEN WE EXHAUST ALL OUR TIME AND ENERGY TRYING TO FUNDRAISE AND, YOU KNOW, PURSUE EVERY REASONABLE ROUTE TO INCREASE OUR SUPPORT, GETTING NOWHERE, WE'RE LEFT WITH NO OTHER OPTIONS OTHER THAN TO PURSUE SOME LEGAL, JUDICIAL REMEDY LIKE A MANDAMUS SUIT.
UM, THAT'S A POSITION THAT WE FIND OURSELVES IN.
NOW, WE DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO PURSUE THAT.
AND ULTIMATELY THAT JUST DAMAGES RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ENTITIES THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO WORK TOGETHER.
THAT'S, THAT'S WRAPPING IT UP.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE WORKING AGAIN WITH, UH, ALL STAKEHOLDERS TO TRY VI TO TRY AND FIND A VIABLE SOLUTION.
HOWEVER, OUR BACKS ARE KIND OF AGAINST THE WALL AT THIS POINT.
SO, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, CONCERNS.
UM, COUNCILMAN NOELLE, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
UM, SO TOUCHING A LITTLE BIT ON WHAT YOU SAID AT THE END THERE.
UM, I, I DISAGREE THAT IT HURTS THE RELATIONSHIP BECAUSE I THINK SOMETIMES THAT'S A, UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN THINGS ARE DIFFICULT AND QUESTIONS ARE HARD TO ANSWER, I THINK SOMETIMES GOING TO THE JUDICIARY AND THAT ROUTE CAN'T HELP ANSWER THOSE.
SO I, I DON'T THINK YOU ALL DOING SOMETHING THAT YOU SEE NECESSARY LIKE MANDAMUS AND, AND WORKING IT THAT WAY.
UM, I DON'T, I DON'T SEE THAT AS SOMETHING THAT I TAKE ISSUE WITH YOU ALL AND, AND LOOK NEGATIVELY UPON.
I THINK IT'S JUST TRYING TO SEEK AN ANSWER.
AND, AND TO THAT END, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I HAD, IF, IF, IF, YOU KNOW, AND CAN EXPOUND AND, AND WHAT I'VE SOUGHT, UH, WHEN, WHEN ASKING OTHERS, UH, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT FAIR SHARE AND, UM, ALL OF THE CASE LAW YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT WHERE IT TALKS ABOUT REASONABLENESS, HAS THERE EVER BEEN A QUANTIFICATION OF WHAT THAT MEANS? BECAUSE IT'S, IT SOUNDED LIKE EVERY SINGLE ONE.
IT'S LIKE THEY ALL AGREE, THEY ALL AGREE, BUT IT'S ALWAYS SUBJECTIVE.
HAS THERE EVER BEEN, WHETHER IT'S A PER CAPITA OR SOMETHING THAT IS OBJECTIVE AND NOT SUBJECTIVE IN A RULING THAT WE'VE SEEN? NOTHING THAT I'VE COME ACROSS.
UH, I DON'T SEE ANYWHERE IN STATUTES WHERE REASONABLENESS IS ACTUALLY DEFINED, RIGHT? UM, I'M NOT THE ATTORNEY IN THE ROOM, BUT I WOULD ASSUME THAT WOULD BE WHAT A PRUDENT, REASONABLE PERSON WOULD CONCLUDE GIVEN
[00:50:01]
THE INFORMATION.UM, I DO KNOW THAT IT'S REASONABLE.
AND LIKE WITH REED, UH, IT WAS REASONABLE FOR HIM TO REQUEST, YOU KNOW, X AMOUNT FOR SALARIES, RIGHT? 'CAUSE HE HAD TO HAVE PROSECUTORS, HE HAD TO HAVE VICTIM, YOU KNOW, SO AS LONG AS IT'S QUANTITATIVELY REASONABLE, I GUESS, IS WHERE THEY LAND.
UM, BUT HOW DO YOU QUANTIFY THAT? MM-HMM
UM, WE ARE PROPOSING THAT HEY, THE SECOND AND THIRD MOST POPULATED PARISHES, UH, ARE RECEIVING X AMOUNT.
SO IT SEEMS REASONABLE WE SHOULD BE, YOU KNOW, FUNDED AT THE SAME LEVEL, AT LEAST.
BUT IF YOU CHASE THAT DOWN, THERE MAY BE, UM, A, YOU KNOW, THE POTENTIAL TO SEE THAT THOSE ARE OVERFUNDED.
NOW, I I, I, TRUST ME, I BELIEVE YOU'RE MORE UNDERFUNDED THAN THEY'RE OVERFUNDED.
BUT AGAIN, IT COMES BACK TO THO ALL OF THOSE THINGS NEED TO BE PULLED OUT TO COME UP WITH AN OBJECTIVE REASONING.
AND, AND LOOK, THAT'S THE KIND OF THING I LIKE TO SEEK OUT IS, IS LIKE, WHAT IS THE OBJECTIVE? UH, AND I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
I'M JUST WONDERING IF, IF THAT HAS EVER COME OUT OF ANY OF THOSE CASES.
AND IF NOT, THEN I THINK SEEKING SOMETHING FROM THE JUDICIARY IN THAT MANNER WOULD BE APPROPRIATE IF, IF THAT CAN BE HAD THROUGH THIS PROCESS TO TELL US, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT THAT IS.
SO LET ME ASK A, A QUICK QUESTION ABOUT, UM, STATE FUNDING.
IF, UM, WHEN YOU, I THINK YOU AND I MUST HAVE WATCHED THE SAME SENATE JUDE A COMMITTEE WE DID, UM, FASCINATING.
UM, IF OUR DA WARRANTS WERE ON PARODY WITH, WITH OTHER, UM, PARISHES, HOW MANY MORE WARRANTS SHOULD WE BE GETTING FROM THE STATE EVERY YEAR? RIGHT? SO CURRENTLY ORLEANS IS GETTING 83, JEFFERSON'S GETTING 54, AND WE ARE GETTING 55.
SO WE GET ONE MORE THAN JEFFERSON AND 28 LESS THAN ORLEANS.
AND WE'RE MORE, WE'RE MORE POPULATED THAN BOTH, CORRECT? CORRECT.
SO, UM, THE PROBLEM WITH THAT THOUGH IS EVEN THOUGH THAT IS SUPPORT FROM THE STATE, IT'S NOT SUFFICIENT SUPPORT IN THAT IT'S ONLY $50,000 PER WARRANT, RIGHT? MM-HMM
WE START ADAS OUT AT 60 AND THEN WE GOTTA COME OUT OF POCKET, NOT JUST THAT EXTRA 10, BUT YOU KNOW, THE ADDITIONAL FRINGE THAT'S TACKED ONTO IT, WHICH COULD BE ANYWHERE FROM 20 TO 40%.
UM, WE'VE BEEN HISTORICALLY OPERATING ON A BUDGET DEFICIT.
I DON'T KNOW HOW WE CAN, SO EVEN GETTING THOSE ADDITIONAL WARRANTS, WE WOULDN'T, FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE GOT 30 MORE, IT DOESN'T MEAN WE WOULD BE ABLE TO HIRE 30 MORE.
SO YOU SAID YOUR, YOUR STAFFING HISTORICALLY HAS BEEN ABOUT 150 AND YOU'RE ABOUT 125 RIGHT NOW.
WHY, WHY, WHY ARE Y'ALL, WHY HAVE Y'ALL LOST 25 PEOPLE? WELL, I MEAN, I CAN'T SPEAK FOR ALL OF THEM.
I CAN TELL YOU OBVIOUSLY THOSE WHO, UH, WE HAVEN'T GOTTEN RAISES IN GOING ON THREE YEARS FROM NOW.
UM, SO THERE ARE THOSE WHO I GUESS WHO ARE, I DON'T WANNA SAY PROFIT DRIVEN, BUT OBVIOUSLY LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, I HAVE A FAMILY, YOU KNOW, WE GOTTA DO WHAT I GOTTA DO.
UM, BUT THERE, I WOULD SAY OUR OFFICE HAS BEEN LIKE A LOT, LIKE A FORUM.
I MEAN, WE'VE HAD SOME US ATTORNEYS, WE'VE GOT PEOPLE COME COACH US ALL THE TIME FROM THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE.
WHO ELSE? AND SO, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE JUST A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES.
WE'VE GOT GOOD COMPETENT STAFF THAT WE JUST CAN'T KEEP BECAUSE SOME FEDERAL OR STATE ENTITY IS, YOU KNOW, JUST THROWING THE POCKETBOOKS AT 'EM.
SOME PEOPLE IT'S, THEY WERE ABLE TO GO ELSEWHERE AND GET MORE MONEY FOR THE SAME, LESS STRESS OR MAYBE EVEN LESS, LESS WORK, LESS STRESS, BETTER WORK LIFE BALANCE, MORE MONEY.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COUNCILMAN HURST? SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UM, JUSTICE AND THERE WAS ANOTHER WORD YOU USED, WHICH WAS, I DON'T KNOW, SOMETHING TO COMPARE, UH, OR JUST TO, TO, UH, DEMONSTRATE WHAT YOU NEED.
I THINK THE WORD THAT WE LEFT OUT WAS FAIRNESS.
AND FAIRNESS COMES TYPICALLY FROM PROVIDING ADEQUATE REPRESENTATION ON THE PUBLIC DEFENDER SIDE.
BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW MUCH MONEY WE GIVE Y'ALL AND, AND, AND THE DA KNOWS I'M A BIG SUPPORTER OF YOUR DEPARTMENT TO GET PROPERLY FUNDED, RIGHT? BUT I'M ALSO A BIG SUPPORTER THAT IF CARLA ROMANAK AND HER GROUP HAVE TO COME AGAINST Y'ALL AND Y'ALL HAVE AN EXPERT WITNESS, GUESS WHAT? THEY WANT AN EXPERT WITNESS.
AND IF THEY HANDLE 80% OF THE CASES THAT Y'ALL HANDLE, THEY SHOULD PROBABLY HAVE 80, IF NOT 70%.
'CAUSE Y'ALL DO A LITTLE BIT MORE, RIGHT? BUT 80, IF NOT 70% OF YOUR BUDGET.
SO NO MATTER HOW MUCH MONEY WE GIVE YOU, IT STILL SLOWS DOWN THE LEGAL PROCESS.
IT STILL LEAVES PEOPLE ON BOND FOR THREE YEARS THAT
[00:55:01]
PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE HAD DUE PROCESS IN 12 TO TO 24 MONTHS.SO SOMEBODY WHO IS GOING TO GET CONVICTED FOR A CRIME OF MURDER OR, UH, UH, A HEINOUS CRIME IS OUT ON BOND, POTENTIALLY COMMITTING MORE HEINOUS CRIMES BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO FAST TRACK THEM THROUGH THE SYSTEM WITH ADEQUATE DEFENSE, WHILE WE ALSO HAVE ADEQUATE PROSECUTION.
AND SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT BALANCE IS, BUT I DO KNOW THAT THERE'S NO POINT OF FUNDING ONE SIDE IF WE DON'T FUND THE OTHER.
SO I URGE MY COLLEAGUES THAT AS WE GO THROUGH THIS BUDGET, THAT WE ALSO CONSIDER THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE AND HOW GIVING ALL THIS MONEY TO THE DA'S OFFICE DOES NOTHING IF THE PROCESS IS STILL NOT ABLE TO GO THROUGH THE COURT SYSTEM IN AN EXPEDITIOUS TIMEFRAME.
ANYBODY ELSE? COUNCILMAN DUNN? OKAY, THANK YOU.
I AGREE WITH THE OVERALL POINT THAT MY COLLEAGUE COUNCILMAN HERS IS MAKING.
I, I WOULDN'T AGREE THAT YOU GUYS DO MORE OR OR LESS THAN THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE.
I THINK YOU GUYS BOTH DO YOU KNOW ABOUT AN EQUAL JOB IF, IF ONE WAS DOING MORE OR FUNDED MORE THAN WE WOULD HAVE AN IMBALANCE? UM, IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT NEW ORLEANS DID REFERENCING ORLEANS, PARIS IN 2021, IF I, IF I CAN REMEMBER RIGHT, THEY PASSED THE ORDINANCE TO FUND THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S, UH, OFFICE AT 85% THE RATE THAT THEY FUND THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO HERE.
AND THAT WILL RIGHTSIZE, UH, THE SITUATION.
WE'RE GONNA HEAR FROM THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE.
THEY'RE GONNA SAY MUCH OF THE SAME THINGS YOU SAID, UH, YOUR LEADER AND HILLER AND MS. ROMAN HAS BEEN STANDING TOGETHER, YOU KNOW, SPEAKING THE SAME LANGUAGE, UH, ADVOCATING FOR FUNDING FOR BOTH, UH, AGENCIES.
SO, THANK BOTH OF YOU GUYS, BUT I GOT A COUPLE QUESTIONS.
ONE, ON YOUR REVENUE SIDE, IF YOU CAN GO TO THAT REVENUE SLIDE.
YOU BROKE DOWN, UH, YOUR REVENUE AND I JUST WAS INTERESTED, YOU HAVE A NARCOTIC SEIZURE FEE.
HOW IS THAT CALCULATED? WHO PAYS THAT? HOW IS THAT DETERMINED? SO THE NARCOTICS SEIZURE FEE, I CAN'T TELL YOU OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, BUT THAT'S SPLIT MULTIPLE WAYS.
AND I, I BELIEVE THAT'S GOING TO BE PROBABLY DRIVEN BY STATUTE.
BUT YOU'RE GONNA GET A PORTION, I'LL GO TO THE COURT APP PORTION, I SHERIFF OR ARRESTING AGENCY, A PORTION OF THE PROSECUTING AGENCY.
AND THAT, I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S NOT MUCH, BUT IT, THE GOAL THERE IS TO DEFRAY THE COST OF THESE THINGS, OF OPERATING THESE THINGS.
UM, BUT WHO PAYS IT? THE NARCOTIC SEIZURE? YES.
SO THE SEIZURE IS COMING FROM ASSETS ULTIMATELY THAT WERE SEIZED.
SO YOU SELL THE ASSETS AND Y'ALL SPLIT THE, THE VALUE THAT THAT'S GENERATED FROM SELLING ASSETS.
AND ON YOUR, UH, EXPENSE SIDE, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS CAMOUFLAGE IN ANOTHER TITLE, AND IT MAY BE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES? I'M NOT SURE.
I DON'T SEE CONTINUED EDUCATION.
DO YOU GUYS GET THAT FREE SOMEWHERE? OR
IT'S INCUMBENT UPON, LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, I HAVE TO GET CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION.
TYPICALLY WE HAVE TO FACILITATE THAT AND THEN SEEK REIMBURSEMENT FROM THE OFFICE.
UM, SO, UM, TRAINING AND LIKE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, WE TRY TO DO AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE IN-HOUSE.
THE PROBLEM WE'VE RUN UP AGAINST IS WE'RE HEMORRHAGING PEOPLE IN MONEY, SO IT'S A MATTER OF TIME WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN HAVING TO NARROW OUR FOCUS IN STAFF COURT, SO THANK YOU.
A SIMILAR LINE OF QUESTIONING TO THE PREVIOUS GROUP THAT PRESENTED.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT ARE OTHER PARISHES DOING TO FUND THEIR DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE THAT YOU ALL HAVE SEEN THAT COULD BE RECOMMENDED? HERE IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, MOST OFFICES ARE FUNDED SIMILARLY IN THAT, UM, THEY'RE PREDOMINANTLY RELYING ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND STATE, AND THEN THEY KIND OF FILL IN THE GAPS WITH FEDERAL GRANTS AND DIFFERENT REVENUE STREAMS. BUT IT'S LITERALLY DIFFERENT FOR EACH MM-HMM
UM, SO I HAD MENTIONED RICH PARISHES, POOR PARISHES.
IN OUR CONVERSATIONS WITH OUR PEERS, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, IN JEFFERSON, IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY JUST GO BEFORE THE COUNCIL WITH A NUMBER AND THAT'S IT.
UM, ORLEANS IS SIMILARLY STRUCTURED.
I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY MAKE THEIR FUNDING DECISIONS, BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S ONE PARISH, ONE JURISDICTION.
AND SO, UM, I DO KNOW THAT IN OTHER PARISHES, UH, WHERE THERE ARE NUMEROUS, I MEAN, I'M SORRY, OTHER JURISDICTIONS WHERE THERE ARE NUMEROUS PARISHES MM-HMM
THEY HAVE, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW, I'VE ONLY LOOKED AT REALLY THE TOP FIVE, BUT,
[01:00:01]
UH, WHICH IS PREDOMINANTLY JUST SINGLE PARISHES, BUT THEY HAVE ARRANGED SOMETHING TO WHERE EACH PARISH IS PAYING A PROPORTIONATE SHARE.I THINK THERE WAS A STATUTE THE COURT WAS TALKING ABOUT, UH, I FORGET WHICH ONE IT IS, BUT IT BASICALLY, IT ALLOWS FOR THAT.
SO REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF PARISH, GOVERNMENT OR MUNICIPALITY MM-HMM
UM, THERE'S CERTAIN EXPENDITURES THAT YOU CAN RECOUP.
UM, WE JUST DON'T HAVE THAT APPARATUS.
I MEAN, WE'RE SO RELYING ON YOU GUYS AND, UH, HAVE BEEN, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT THE STATE STEPPING UP, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER OPTION.
UM, AND IT SEEMS LIKE MOST DAS ARE SIMILARLY SITUATED.
THE MILL THAT YOU ALL REQUESTED WAS FOUR MILLS.
AM I REMEMBERING ACCURATELY? MM-HMM
AND THAT WOULD'VE NETTED YOU JUST NORTH OF 21 MILLION, SOMEWHERE IN THAT RANGE.
THE BUDGET REQUEST YOU CAME IN WITH WAS THERE, WHAT WOULD $11 MILLION IN SALARIES DO FOR Y'ALL? 11 MILLION ADDITIONAL OR, UH, THAT, THAT'S THE REQUEST FOR PERSONAL SERVICES.
SO
AND SO, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, PROSECUTORS ARE SUBJECTED TO A DIFFERENT RETIREMENT SYSTEM.
WHEREAS A CITY PARISH, UH, EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT SYSTEM, UH, IS MUCH HIGHER.
THE PROBLEM THAT WE ARE CHALLENGED WITH IS WE CAN'T REALLY CONTROL OUR COSTS IN SO MUCH THAT THEY'RE DETERMINED AND DRIVEN BY CRIME OR CRIMINAL CASES WE RECEIVE.
SO WE KNOW WE'VE GOTTA KEEP CERTAIN THINGS STAFFED.
UM, BUT WE, IT'S HARD FOR US TO PLAN WHAT THAT MAY LOOK LIKE.
SO THE 11 MILLION MARK IS KIND OF LIKE THE SWEET SPOT THAT WE'RE ESTIMATING, UH, WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR US TO BE MM-HMM
UM, I MEAN, IT WOULD CHANGE OUR LIVES.
I CAN TELL YOU THAT $11 MILLION, WE'VE NEVER RECEIVED THAT MUCH TO COVER SALARIES SINCE EVER.
THE BUDGET REQUEST IN 2026 WOULD BE AN ADEQUATE REFLECTION OF, IF, SAY YOU ALL WERE TO SEEK THREE MILLS FROM THE PUBLIC, YOU WOULD WANT TO SHOOT FOR THE, THIS RANGE OF NUMBERS.
SO YOU'RE SAYING IF WE DIDN'T GO FOR FOUR, BUT WENT FOR THREE MM-HMM
I'M CONFUSED IF THERE WAS AN ENTITY THAT WAS AT 11 CURRENTLY THAT WAS GONNA COME BACK IN THE FUTURE AT EIGHT, AND THERE WAS THREE MILLS THAT YOU ALL COULD GO AFTER.
YEAH, I THOUGHT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT MILLIONS.
SO, UH, LET'S REPHRASE THIS THEN.
UH, WHAT WOULD 11 MILLAGES MM-HMM.
THREE, THREE DO FOR US? UH, IT WOULD PUT US IN A MUCH BETTER POSITION THAN WE ARE NOW.
UH, I CAN TELL YOU THAT'D PROBABLY GET US TO, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE 16, 18 MILLION NET MM-HMM
WHICH IS STILL MORE THAN WHAT WE GET NOW MM-HMM
UM, WOULD IT BE, WOULD IT PUT US WHERE WE NEED TO BE? NO, BUT IT WOULD HELP THE NUMBERS THAT YOU'RE SHOWING HERE.
I MEAN, 600, 580,000 IN SUPPLIES, ACCURATE NUMBER DEPENDING ON THE YEAR.
UM, BUT YEAH, WE'RE, WHEN WE'RE STAFFING THIS OFFICE, WE'RE STAFFING MM-HMM
JUVENILE, WE'RE STAFFING PTI, SO AT LEAST, AND THAT'S US BEING FRUGAL.
IF THE, IF THE BUDGET IS APPROVED AS IS, HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE Y'ALL LOOKING TO LAY OFF? WELL, IF IT'S APPROVED AS IS, WE'RE LOOKING AT AN ADDITIONAL MILLION DOLLAR REDUCTION.
SO WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING, RIGHT, WE'VE LOST, I DON'T KNOW, 50 OR 60 PROBABLY IN THE LAST 18 MONTHS.
WE'VE BEEN TRYING NOT TO BACKFILL THOSE POSITIONS SO THAT WE CAN GET OUR COSTS DOWN TO WHERE WE MAY BE FUNDED.
UM, BUT IF YOU HIT US WITH THAT, I MEAN, WE'RE PROBABLY LOOKING AT MAYBE BEING ABLE TO FLOAT A STAFF OF AROUND A HUNDRED, WHICH IS 50% OF WHAT OUR PEERS HAVE.
I WOULD SAY A MINIMUM 15 TO 25, DEPENDING ON THE POSITIONS.
YOU'RE GONNA HAVE SOME SALARIES THAT ARE HEAVIER THAN OTHERS.
AND THOSE WOULD INCLUDE ASSISTANT DAS.
I WOULD ASSUME IT WOULD INCLUDE A LOT OF ASSISTANT DAS.
IT JUST, WE CAN'T GET, WE'VE GOTTA HAVE ASSISTANT DAS GOT TO.
SO WHAT NUMBER IS THE BARE MINIMUM? I DON'T KNOW.
ANY YOU GOOD? YOU GOOD? ALRIGHT.
[01:05:01]
YOU.NOW WE WILL HEAR FROM THE FAMILY COURT.
UM, UH, LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF.
I'M CHIEF JUDGE ERICA GREEN OF THE FAMILY COURT.
I AM HAPPY TO HAVE, DON'T DO THAT.
I'M HAPPY TO HAVE ALL OUR JUDGES HERE.
ALL WHOPPING, FOUR OF OUR JUDGES HERE, UH, JUDGE, UH, BAKER, JUDGE RUSS AND JUDGE DAY ARE PRESENT.
AND ALSO I'M TAG TEAMING WITH OUR JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATOR, UM, RACHEL SCHO.
AND I'M TAG TEAMING BECAUSE ONE THING YOU WILL LEARN WITH FAMILY COURT IS THAT WE HAVE A SMALL, UM, ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM, VERY SMALL, UM, BUT WE ARE THE ONLY CONSTITUTIONALLY MANDATED FAMILY COURT IN THE STATE.
OKAY? SO WHEN WE GET INTO PEER, UM, ENTITIES AND COURTS, WE DON'T HAVE THAT.
WE ARE THE ONLY, AND, AND IT'S RIGHT THERE, LOUISIANA BY STATUTE 13 14 0 1.
UM, AND THAT, AND WE HAVE AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY PARISH AND THE FAMILY COURT.
WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT THE CITY PARISH HAS SOME RESPONSIBILITIES TO US, WHICH IS TO PROVIDE OUR QUARTERS BUSINESS AND OPERATING EXPENSES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO SUPPLIES, AUDITING, ACCOUNTING, JANITORIAL, CUSTODIAL SERVICES, BUILDING MAINTENANCE SERVICES, POSTAGE.
YOU SEE ALL OF THAT IN THE FIRST PARAGRAPH.
I DON'T WANNA READ IT TO YOU, BUT THAT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CITY PARISH BECAUSE WE ARE SEPARATED.
AND, UM, THE SECOND THING IS NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH 19 JDC.
YOU HEARD THE 19TH JDC COME UP AND GIVE A BEAUTIFUL PRESENTATION, BUT WE ARE A SEPARATE ENTITY.
WE ARE THE FOURTH ON THE FOURTH FLOOR.
AND, UM, WE HAVE OUR OWN BUDGET, WHICH IS WHY WE ARE SEPARATE DEPARTMENT.
AND SO, UH, BECAUSE OF THAT, UM, WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, PRESENTED TO YOU IN THAT WAY.
UM, AS I INDICATED, WE HAVE FOUR JUDGES.
WE HAVE 15 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES.
EACH OF OUR DIVISIONS HAVE, UM, UH, THREE EMPLOYEES, A JUDICIAL ASSISTANT DOCKET CLERK, A COURT REPORTER, MINUTE CLERK, AND A LAW CLERK, STAFF ATTORNEY.
LET ME PAUSE AND SAY THAT OUR JUDGES REPRESENT AND SERVICE THE ENTIRE PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE.
UM, THAT INCLUDES, UH, INCORPORATED IN UNINCORPORATED AREAS LIKE GLEN OAKS, UH, LOUISIANA, AND IT ALSO INCLUDES, UH, CITY OF, UH, BAKER, ZACHARY CENTRAL, AND ST.
UM, AND SO I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT EVERY SERVICE THAT WE PROVIDE IT IS TO THE ENTIRE PARISH, AND WE DON'T HAVE A WAY TO STOP THAT.
UM, AND SO THAT, THAT IS, UM, IMPORTANT TO NOTE WITH OUR, AGAIN, LIMITED STAFF CAPACITY AND ADMINISTRATION, UM, THAT WE HAVE.
ALSO, WHEN WE WERE STARTED IN 1993, UM, WE HAVE HAD AN INCREASE WHEN WE STARTED, WE HAD A SMALL GROUP, AND NOW WE HAVE INCREASED WORKLOAD, BUT WE DO WORK WITH ENTITIES LIKE THE CLERK OF COURT, UM, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, UM, AS WELL AS, UM, THE STATE.
BUT OUR STATE INVOLVEMENT IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
UM, OUR FUNDING SOURCE, AND IT'S A 5%, IF YOU LOOK ONLY FOR CHILD SUPPORT FILING FEES, LET ME START OVER.
AND SO OUR JURISDICTION AND OUR SUBJECT MATTER INCLUDES DOMESTIC CASES, CIVIL DOMESTIC CASES.
THAT IS, UM, DIVORCE, CHILD SUPPORT, UH, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, UM, COMMUNITY PROPERTY MATTERS, UM, AS WELL AS CUSTODY AND VISITATION.
UH, AND SO, UM, ANYTHING THAT FALLS INTO THAT DOMESTIC RANGE.
I MENTIONED CHILD SUPPORT FILING FEES ONLY.
SO THAT, YOU KNOW THAT THAT IS A FUNDING SOURCE.
BUT THAT MEANS THAT, UM, WE DID WORK WITH THE STATE TO GET THAT 5% ADMINISTRATIVE FEE THAT IS, UM, UH, DOCUMENTED WHEN IN THE FILING, UM, FILING FEES THAT WE MAY RECEIVE OR IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE FEES.
SO I'M GOING TO PASS IT ON TO, UM, OUR ADMINISTRATOR JUST TO ADDRESS, UM, OUR FUNDING.
SO I'M GONNA FIRST START WITH SOME STATISTICS THAT WE HAVE.
THE FAMILY COURT HAD 16,000 DOCKETED EVENTS IN 2024.
THAT AVERAGES 4,000 EVENTS PER DIVISION.
THAT'S A LOT FOR THE STAFF THAT WE HAVE.
OUR APPROVED BUDGET IN 2024 WAS RIGHT AT $1.7 MILLION.
AND THE ACTUAL OPERATING EXPENSES CAME RIGHT UNDERNEATH THAT.
I THINK IT WAS LIKE A $3,000 DIFFERENCE.
[01:10:01]
WE RECEIVE FIVE FUNDING SOURCES.WE RECEIVE, UH, THE LARGEST IS OUR CITY PARISH BUDGET.
WE DO RECEIVE CHILD SUPPORT, FILING FEES, FILING FEES FROM THE CLERK OF COURT.
THERE'S TWO, WE HAVE AN MOUA MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE CLERK OF COURT.
WE HAVE CONTEMPT FINES THAT ARE FILE THAT ARE, THAT THE JUDGES ARE ABLE TO, UM, PASS ISSUE IN COURT, UM, ISSUE IF CONTEMPT ARE FILED.
WE ALSO RECEIVE SOME COPY, COPY MACHINE INCOME AND A LITTLE BIT OF TRANSCRIPT INCOME.
THAT'S ALL OF OUR, THAT'S ALL OF OUR REVENUE SOURCES.
IF YOU REVIEW THE COST OF THE COST THAT WE HAVE, UM, FOR ANY REDUCTIONS THAT MIRE RECEIVE 2025, THE CITY ALREADY REDUCED US BY 4.8%.
UM, THAT REDUCTION RE RESULTED IN DECREASE IN OUR BUDGET FOR SUPPLIES CONTRACTUAL SERVICES.
UM, BUT I DO THINK THE CITY, BECAUSE WE WERE ABLE PREVIOUSLY TO FUND AN IT, UM, EMPLOYEE, SO WE DO HAVE AN IT EMPLOYEE.
I THINK THAT WAS TWO YEARS AGO.
UM, BUT THIS REDUCTION IN 2025 DID AFFECT US AND EVEN AFFECTED OUR, UH, STAFF SALARIES.
UM, ANOTHER WAY WE ARE MANAGING SOME OF THAT IS WE, UM, BY, UH, LAW, THE, UH, CLERK OF COURT IS ALSO SUPPOSED TO PROVIDE US SOME EMPLOYEES.
AND WE WERE ABLE TO UTILIZE THAT WITH OUR MINUTE CLERKS.
AND WE HAVE TWO ADDITIONAL PART-TIME MINUTE CLERKS THAT WE, UM, HIRED THIS YEAR TO RELIEVE OUR COURT REPORTERS WHO ARE OVERWORKED, UM, JUST LIKE, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE ELSE.
BUT WE DID HAVE A WAY TO, UH, FUND THEM, WHICH CAME FROM THE CLERK OF COURT.
SO WE DON'T, UH, PAY THOSE EMPLOYEES JUST THE ONES THAT I SPOKE ABOUT EARLIER.
UM, AND WHAT WOULD THE, UM, COST, UM, DECREASE OF THE 11%? YOU'LL SEE IT HERE.
UM, IT, IT WOULD, IT WOULD REALLY IMPACT US.
UM, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE TRYING TO SHOW YOU THAT WE'RE USING OUR, OUR, OUR BEING EFFICIENT
UM, BUT WE'RE LIMITED, UM, IN, IN EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE DOING.
AGAIN, I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT WE SERVICE THE ENTIRE PARISH.
UM, AND, UM, IF WE, THERE'S NO FAMILY COURT IN CENTRAL, THERE'S NO FAMILY COURT IN, UM, BAKER, BUT WE, WE RECEIVE, UM, ANY, UH, LITIGANT FROM THOSE AREAS.
UM, AND SO, UM, I THINK I WANTED TO, THE LAST THING I WANTED TO STATE IS THAT, UM, THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND THE IRIS DOMESTIC DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OFFICE HAVE WORKED WITH US AS WELL.
UM, AND WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, UM, WE PROVIDE, UH, PRO BONO SERVICES, NOT OUR COURT, BUT WE HAVE A SELF-HELP DESK.
SO I DON'T WANT YOU TO THINK THAT OUR COURTS ARE PROVIDING THE COURT, UH, WORKS WITH THE BATON ROUGE BAR AND WE HAVE A SELF-HELP DESK WHERE YOU CAN GET YOUR, UM, PLEADINGS.
UM, SOME OF THE PLEADINGS ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE LITIGANTS AS WELL AS, UM, AN AN EMPLOYEE.
SOMETIMES IT'S AN ATTORNEY OR A VOLUNTEER STUDENT, UH, LAW STUDENT THAT SITS ON THE FOURTH FLOOR ON TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS.
WE JUST WANT TO PLUG THAT IN SINCE WE DO HAVE THE, UH, PLATFORM TODAY.
UM, AND RACHEL CAN'T ANSWER ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, ANYTHING THAT YOU MAY HAVE WITH THE FUNDING.
UM, I WAS READING MY BUDGET BOOK, UM, AND ON PAGE 1 0 3, IT SAYS THAT, UM, THIS COURT HAS BEEN AT, FOR SOME TIME AT THE STATUTORY LIMIT FOR ASSESSING COURT FEES.
UM, SO IS THAT, DOES THAT, IS THAT, IS THAT RIGHT? YOU ARE AT THE STATU? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AT THE STATE LEVEL? DOES THE, THE, THE CEILING ON COURT FEES, Y'ALL CONSIDERED? SO THE COURT, YOU'RE SAYING THE FILING FEES, UM, THAT ARE ASSESSED HAVE BEEN YEAH.
ARE AT A, UH, A STATUTORY LIMIT.
AND IF WE DID, IT WOULD HAVE TO COME FROM LEGISLATION.
I JUST, WE HAD, WE HAD A COUPLE LEGISLATORS IN THE ROOM, SO THAT WAS
IT WENT FROM 25 PER FILING TO $35 PER FILING.
SO IT, SO OUR BUDGET BOOK MIGHT NOT BE CORRECT.
'CAUSE THE, OR, OR, WELL, THE LIMIT IS BASED ON THAT, THAT LOSS.
THAT WAS, THAT WAS MY QUESTION.
UM, ANYBODY ELSE? QUESTIONS WRAP MS. COUNCILMAN GOODDAY? THANK YOU, MS. GREEN.
YOU STARTED YOUR PRESENTATION BY SAYING EAST BATON
[01:15:01]
ROUGE FAMILY COURT IS THE ONLY CONSTITUTIONALLY MANDATE, I CAN'T REMEMBER MY OWN HANDWRITING MANDATED, UH, OFFICE IN THE STATE TO BE FUNDED BY THE PARISH.WE WERE ESTABLISHED CONSTITUTIONALLY BY THE STATE OF LOUISIANA THROUGH LEGISLATION, AND WE ARE THE ONLY FAMILY COURT IN THE STATE.
LAST YEAR THERE WAS ONE, UM, ADDITIONAL JUDGE, UM, SEAT THAT CAME IN ASCENSION, BUT IT JUST STARTED THIS YEAR.
AND SHE WILL BE A FAMILY COURT JUDGE.
BUT WE ARE THE ONLY CONSTITUTIONALLY MANDATED FAMILY COURT.
SO WE DON'T HAVE ANYONE TO COMPARE, UM, TWO ON ANY ASPECT OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE, WE DO WHAT DO OTHER PARISHES DO IN LIEU OF FAMILY COURT? GOOD QUESTION.
SO THEY HAVE GENERAL JURISDICTION JUDGES.
AND SO I THINK IT WAS STATED EARLIER THAT DIFFERENT PARISHES, I THINK THE DA DID A GREAT JOB ON, UH, STATING THAT EACH PARISH IS DIFFERENT.
SO YOU MAY HAVE A PARISH, UM, THAT HAS A JUDGE THAT GOES TO DIFFERENT, UM, THEY, THEY HAVE DIFFERENT CASES ON DIFFERENT DAYS.
AND IT MAY BE, THEY MAY SERVE AS THREE PARISHES, BUT, UM, FOR FAMILY COURT, FOR ANY OF THEIR FAMILY ISSUES, EITHER THEY WILL HAVE A HEARING OFFICER MM-HMM
THAT'S A PERSON THAT, UM, IS CONSIDERED LIKE A COMMISSIONER THAT HANDLES THEIR FAMILY CASES.
UM, AND THEN IF IT IS APPEALED OR, OR SOME SORT, THEY WANT TO GO STRAIGHT TO THE DISTRICT JUDGE, THEN IT, IT GOES TO THE DISTRICT JUDGE.
BUT THEY EITHER THE JUDGE, THE DISTRICT JUDGE HANDLES IT MM-HMM
ON A CERTAIN DAY OF THE WEEK, OR, UM, THEY HAVE HEARING OFFICERS THAT HANDLE THAT.
WANNA MAKE SURE I STATED THAT CORRECTLY.
I'M ONE OF THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH FAMILY COURT JUDGES.
THE, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US AND THE OTHER COURTS IS THAT WE'RE AN INDEPENDENT COURT WITH OUR OWN ADMINISTRATOR, OUR OWN BUDGET, OUR OWN EXPENSE FUND.
SO EVERY PARISH DOES IT DIFFERENT.
AND SOME PARISHES, YOU MAY HAVE ONE JUDGE, AND THAT ONE JUDGE DOES EVERYTHING, INCLUDING FAMILY COURT.
AND OTHER PARISHES, THEY MAY HAVE JUDGES THAT HANDLE THE FAMILY CASES.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, LIVINGSTON PARISH IS A GOOD EXAMPLE.
LIVINGSTON PARISH HAS TWO DEDICATED FAMILY COURT JUDGES, BUT THOSE TWO JUDGES ARE PART OF THE 21ST JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT.
SO THEY'RE ALL PART OF THAT SAME COURT.
UM, AND I, ONE OR TWO OTHER PARISHES MAY DO IT THAT WAY.
UM, ASCENSION IS GONNA START DOING IT THAT WAY.
ORLEANS HAS KIND OF A WEIRD THING GOING ON WHERE THEY HAVE TWO ELECTED THAT DO JUST FAMILY COURT.
AND THEY HAVE ONE THAT FLOATS.
BUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN US AGAIN, IS THAT WE ARE OUR OWN COURT.
WE HAVE OUR OWN JUDICIAL EXPENSE FUND, OUR OWN BUDGET MM-HMM
AND WE'RE IN ESSENCE A SPECIALTY COURT.
SO WHERE YOU'VE HEARD OF VETERANS COURTS, DRUG COURTS, THOUGH, THAT FALLS ON THE 19TH, JDC, UM, WE ARE THE SPECIALTY COURT FOR FAMILY COURT.
DOES THE, THE CONSTITUTIONAL LANGUAGE THAT ESTABLISHES YOU ALSO SET FORTH THAT THE PARISH FUNDS YOU? THAT'S THE, NO, THE, UM, INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT COVERS THE FUND, THE, UM, THE FUNDING, UM, OR MANDATES IT FROM THE CITY PARISH.
SO THEY HAVE THE WRONG POWERPOINT UP.
THEY HAVE JUVENILE COURT UP, AND THAT WOULD'VE BEEN IN THE FIRST LINE OF OURS.
WE DID, WE DIDN'T HAVE A POWERPOINT, BUT WE HAD A LITTLE SHEET.
BUT THAT WHAT THEY HAVE UP THERE, DIDN GET INTO THAT ON THE SCREEN IS JUVENILE THOUGHT THEY HAD AND WE'RE A FAMILY.
BUT IT'S ON, IT IS YOUR FIRST PARAGRAPH, LA REVISED STATUTE 13 14 0 1, UM, IS THE, THAT'S THE CONSTITUTION.
THEN THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT IS BETWEEN CITY PARISH AND THE FAMILY COURT.
AND THAT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1993.
SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR IT, THAT'S WHERE IT WOULD BE.
THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.
UM, SO I'LL SEE YOU ON THE, IN THE BUDGET BOOKLET ABOUT THAT ADDITIONAL ADMINISTRATIVE POSITION.
UM, HOW WOULD THAT ADDITIONAL ADMIN POSITION KIND OF SUPPORT YOUR OFFICE? WHAT WOULD ALLEVIATE CURRENTLY FOR SOMEBODY THAT WORKS IN THAT SPACE? FOR SOMEBODY THAT WORKS? GS THE ONE PERSON THAT HANDLES ALL OUR HR, OUR PAYROLL, BUDGET, BUDGET AND AUDIT.
I AM, I AM THE ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT AND, AND WE TRY TO HELP AS WE CAN.
WHY ARE WE THE ONLY CONSTITUTIONAL MANDATED? WHY ARE WE THE ONLY ONES THAT'S MANDATED CONSTITUTIONALLY AT AT SOME POINT? I BELIEVE THERE WAS.
UM, AND OBVIOUSLY IT'S AN UNFUNDED MANDATE.
WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT AT SOME POINT, THE, THE AMOUNT OF CASES THAT WERE RECEIVED MAY BE THE, THE DISTRICT COURT INDICATED TO THE LEGISLATORS, AND THAT
[01:20:01]
WE NEEDED TO SEPARATE TO ALLOW FOR, UM, THE, TO ALLOW FOR THE LITIGANTS TO BE, UM, TO BE FULLY ADDRESSED AGAIN, THAT, THAT ALSO WAS PROBABLY, UH, WORKED THROUGH OUR, UM, LE LOUISIANA JU UM, JUDGES, DISTRICT JUDGES ASSOCIATION THAT PROBABLY WAS WORK WITH, UM, THE SUPREME COURT, WHO IS OUR, YOU KNOW, UH, OVER, UH, WHO OVERSEES US.AND SO THAT PROB THAT, I DON'T KNOW FOR CERTAIN, BUT I AM CERTAIN THAT WAS A LOT OF WORK THAT WENT THROUGH ALL THOSE ENTITIES TO SAY THAT THIS ONE PARISH IS RECEIVING SO MANY, UM, CASES AND MAY NEED A SEPARATE, AND YOU KNOW, ALSO TO SAY YOU HEAR A LOT ABOUT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, UM, THERE IS, THE COMMISSIONERS HANDLE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FOR THE 19TH, BUT WE HANDLE OUR OWN DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASES TO THE EXTENT OF 20% OF OUR CASES ARE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE CASES.
IF THEY HAD ALL OF THEM, IF THE 19TH HAD OUR 20% AND THE COMMISSIONER'S AMOUNT, THAT WOULD BE A LOT OF WORK ON THE COMMISSIONERS OR THE OTHER JUDGES.
BUT WE ASSUME THAT, UM, THAT DESIGNATION, BUT THAT IS ALSO IN OUR, UM, WE CAN PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION TO, TO YOU AS WELL.
AND OUR STATE CASES REPRESENT 33% OF OUR, UH, CASES THAT WE HAVE.
AND IT'S LISTED IN THE BUDGET UNDER EVENTS, FAMILY EVENTS.
YOU SAID YOUR STATE CASES ARE 33%.
SO THAT'S WHEN THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE FILES, CASES, USUALLY CHILD SUPPORT.
I SAID USUALLY IT'S ONLY CHILD SUPPORT AND THE STATE THEN, UM, REPRESENTS THE LITIGANTS.
UM, I THINK, UM, AND I WANT TO MAKE SURE I SAY THIS CORRECTLY, UM, THAT'S PROBABLY THE ONLY TIME THAT THE STATE COMES INTO COURT AND I ON OUR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DAYS.
AND THAT IS, UM, LIKE I SAID, 30 PER 33% OF OUR CASES.
SO THE STATE, WE DON'T SEE THEM ANY OTHER TIME EXCEPT FOR THOSE PARTICULAR DAYS.
IS THAT SOMETHING WE DO? UH, FOUR DAYS.
CHILD SUPPORT IS CHILD SUPPORT.
AND THAT'S EACH JUDGE, FOUR DAYS WHEN WE HAVE TO HAVE THOSE HEARINGS.
WE CAN'T CHANGE THOSE COURT DATES OR ANYTHING.
THE THE STATE THING, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE DO ADDITIONAL ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT THE OTHER PARISHES DO OR NO, EVERY DISTRICT ATTORNEY OFFICE, UM, UH, WELL, THE STATE, UM, THE STATE ALLOWS FOR A DISTRICT ATTORNEY TO HANDLE THOSE CASES THAT THEY HAVE JURISDICTION OVER THAT.
I, I GUESS I'M, I'M JUST TRYING, IT'S NOT ANY DIFFERENT IN ANY OTHER PARISH.
I, I GUESS I'M JUST TRYING TO STILL, I'M STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT DO WE DO DIFFERENT THAN OTHER MUNICIPALITIES THAT WE WOULD BE CONSTITUTIONALLY MANDATED AND NO ONE ELSE IS.
I THINK THAT MAY BE, UM, AND IF WE ARE THE ONLY ONE, OUR STATE LEGISLATORS ARE HERE, IF WE'RE THE ONLY ONES THAT ARE CONSTITUTIONALLY MANDATED, IS THERE A, UM, REVENUE SOURCE STREAM THAT SHOULD ALSO, AND I UNDERSTAND IT'S AN UNFUNDED CONSTITUTIONAL MANDATE, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE HAS TO BE A REASON OR SOMETHING'S BEING SENT HERE THAT IF THEY GAVE, GAVE US 5%, THAT'S HOW, THAT'S THE REVENUE AND THE FUNDING THAT WE GET.
AND THAT IS BASED ON CHILD SUPPORT FILINGS.
UM, AND WE SUPPORT THAT LEGISLATORS,
IN, IN CLOSING, IF YOU EVER NEED ANYTHING, YOU KNOW, DINNER OR SOMETHING DELIVERED TO THE HOUSE, I'LL MAKE A RUN BY AGAIN.
THERE'S A, BUT I DO WANT YOU TO KEEP ANSWERING MY PHONE CALLS AND TEXT MESSAGES.
Y'ALL DO A GREAT JOB WITH THAT.
ANYBODY ELSE? ANYBODY ELSE? MR. OKAY.
UM, I JUST THINK IT'S INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT BECAUSE THE FAMILY COURT IS SEPARATE FROM THE 19 JDC, WHEN WE COMPARE JDC TO JDCS, WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY COMPARING APPLES TO ORANGES WHEN WE LOOK AT, LOOK AT OVERALL WORKLOAD WITHIN, WITHIN THE PARISH.
WILL YOU BOTH, UM, I'D LIKE TO VERY QUICKLY.
I I'VE BEEN INFORMED THAT WE HAVE, UM, ANOTHER LEGISLATOR THAT'S, THAT'S JOINED US.
REPRESENTATIVE TERRY LANDRY HAS IS HERE.
UM, I'VE HEARD SENATOR BARROW IS HERE.
AND, UM, MS. ANNA WITH REPRESENTATIVE? NO.
WELCOME TO, UH, METRO COUNCIL BUDGET HEARINGS.
[01:25:02]
NEXT UP, UM, JUVENILE COURT.JUVENILE COURT DOES HAVE A POWERPOINT.
I'M ONE OF THE TWO JUVENILE COURT JUDGES, UH, HERE IN BATON ROUGE.
GAIL GROVER, JUVENILE COURT JUDGE, DIVISION B AND LYNN MALLOY.
I AM THE JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATOR FOR JUVENILE COURT.
WE, WE ARE ONE OF FOUR JUVENILE COURTS IN THE STATE, AND WE HAVE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OVER, UM, JUVENILES THAT ARE ALLEGED TO BE DELINQUENT, UH, ABANDONED, NEGLECTED, OR OTHERWISE IN NEED OF SUPERVISION OR CARE.
UM, THE STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS FOR JUVENILE COURT, UM, TO ENSURE THE CONSTITUTIONALITY AND THE SAFETY OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE, UM, CHILDREN THAT ARE BEFORE THE COURT IN NEED OF CARE, REALLY MANDATE THAT THE COURT OPERATE WITH THE SUFFICIENT STAFF IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE COURT IS FUNCTIONING ON A TIMELY BASIS.
IF THOSE TIMELINES AREN'T MET, THAT COULD BE SOMEONE CO SOMEONE'S CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT, OR THAT COULD BE A CHILD WHO'S IN NEED OF CARE BASED ON AN ABUSE OR NEGLECT ALLEGATION.
SO THAT'S WHY IT'S EXTREMELY CRITICAL FOR JUVENILE COURT TO BE FUNDED PROPERLY.
UM, THE FIRST SLIDE WE SHOW HERE, THE AMOUNT OF OUR BUDGET QUEST REQUEST WAS EIGHT POINT, UH, NINE, ALMOST $9 MILLION.
THE MAYOR'S PROPOSED BUDGET IS 1.56.
THAT'S A DIFFERENCE OF $331,000.
NOW, IT, THAT'S AN 11% DECREASE OVER WHAT THE MAYOR PROPOSED LAST YEAR FOR THE COURT.
BUT IN ACTUALITY, IT'S 14.6%, UM, REDUCTION FROM WHAT WE ARE CURRENTLY FUNDED.
THAT WAS AFTER THE COUNCIL, UM, BUDGET HEARINGS LAST YEAR WHERE WE WERE PUT BACK TO WHAT OUR REQUEST WAS, WHICH WAS STILL A 1% DECREASE OVER THE PRIOR YEAR.
UM, OUR JUDICIAL EXPENSE FUND IS ANOTHER SOURCE OF, UM, FUNDING FOR THE COURT, BUT IT'S VERY LIMITED ON WHAT WE CAN, UH, GENERATE REVENUE FROM.
IT CANNOT PROVIDE FOR THE DEFICIENCY THAT THIS BUDGET IS GIVING US, AND WE RELY ON THE CLERK OF COURT TO PROVIDE SOME STAFFING FOR THE, UM, JUVENILE COURT BUILDING AS WELL.
UM, WE DON'T KNOW HOW THAT'S ANY KIND OF BUDGET.
UM, PROPOSAL'S GONNA AFFECT US IN REGARD TO THE STAFFING WE GET FROM THEM.
UM, AND THEN WE, WE CONTINUE TO ARGUE THAT WE AREN'T SUFFICIENTLY STAFFED OR SUFFICIENTLY FUNDED AS WE ARE NOW, EVEN WITH THE REQUEST WE MADE.
IF WE WERE TO HAVE TO ABSORB THE CUT THAT'S PROPOSED, THIS IS WHAT WE WOULD HAVE TO DO.
AND IT DOES NOT EVEN COVER EVERYTHING OF THE CUT.
WE, WE ONLY HAVE 18 POSITIONS WITH THE COURT THAT ARE FUNDED BY CITY PARISH.
WE HAVE TWO VACANCIES THAT WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE FILLED.
WE WOULD HAVE TO LAY OFF AT LEAST TWO OF OUR 16 REMAINING POSITIONS.
WE COULD NOT PROVIDE ANY ANNUAL MERITS EACH YEAR.
WE'D HAVE TO ELIMINATE PROGRAMS THAT ARE, THAT WE BELIEVE ARE CRITICAL TO THE COURT.
UH, ONE IS, UH, THE PROJECT MADE TRUANCY INITIATIVE AND THAT HANDLES TRUANCY, UM, MATTERS THAT ARE PRECURSOR TO DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR THAT'S EVEN MORE SERIOUS.
AND I'M SURE JUDGE GROVER COULD PROBABLY TALK EVEN MORE ABOUT THAT PROGRAM.
UM, IF WE HAD TO ABSORB MORE EXPENSES FROM OUR JUDICIAL EXPENSE FUND, WE COULDN'T DO SOME OF THE POSITIVE THINGS LIKE OUR ADOPTION DAY PROGRAM, WHICH CELEBRATES ADOPTIONS AND BRINGS AWARENESS, UM, FOR THE FOSTER CHILDREN IN THE COMMUNITY THAT NEED ADOPTION.
WE COULD NOT, UM, PROVIDE FUNDING FOR OUR TRAFFIC REFEREE WHO HAS BEEN AN ATTORNEY OFFERING THESE SERVICES PRO BONO, WHO REALLY WANTS TO GET PAID.
AND SO WE COULD NOT PROVIDE FUNDING FOR THAT.
UM, WE WOULD HAVE TO REDUCE SOME OF OUR CONTRACTUAL SERVICES, WHICH PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING IN OUR BUDGET FOR CONTRACTUAL SERVICES.
UM, THERE'S NO WAY TO CUT THAT.
THE COMPUTER SERVICES, THE COMPUTER, UM, SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE, WE ALL KNOW HOW THOSE INCREASE EVERY YEAR.
THOSE HAVE TO BE PAID FOR ANY PROGRAMMING COST ON TOP OF THAT TO INCREASE OUR EFFICIENCIES, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO.
AND THAT WOULD STILL LEAVE US OVER $20,000 SHORT OF WHAT WE NEED TO OPERATE WITH THE BUDGET THAT'S BEEN PROPOSED BY THE MAYOR.
SO EVEN WITH ALL OF THAT, WE STILL COULD NOT MEET WHAT IS PROPOSED FOR OUR BUDGET AND LAYING O LAYING OFF
[01:30:01]
ANY MORE THAN WHAT I SUGGESTED THERE.WE ACTUALLY COULD NOT OPERATE, IN MY OPINION, WE WOULD NOT HAVE THE STAFF.
IF AN EMPLOYEE CALLED IN, WHICH YOU'RE ALWAYS GONNA HAVE AN EMPLOYEE CALL IN WITH SICK VACATION, WHAT HAVE YOU, WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO OPERATE.
SO THE COSTS, UM, OUR EXISTING FUNDING WE SUGGEST IS NOT SUFFICIENT.
THE MANDATED COST THAT THE COURT HAS TO PAY EACH YEAR, UM, INTERPRETER FEES, TRANSCRIPTS, SANITY COMMISSION EVALUATIONS, THOSE ARE, WE CANNOT PREDICT WHAT THAT IS GONNA BE EACH YEAR, BUT THEY ARE INCREASING EVERY YEAR THOSE COSTS.
AND THAT'S MANDATED BY STATUTE THAT THE COURT HAS TO PAY THOSE.
THEY DON'T, THEY ARE NOT, UM, CHARGED TO ANY OF THE PARTIES.
UM, ADDITIONAL FUNDING, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE FOR OUR TRAFFIC HEARING OFFICER.
AND WE, WE WOULD ACTUALLY LIKE ANOTHER POSITION IN THE COURT, BUT WE HAVE YET TO ASK FOR THAT.
TRYING TO KEEP IN LINE WITH WHAT HAS BEEN REQUESTED OF US.
AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT REVENUE GENERATION FOR THE COURT, UM, OTHER THAN THE CITY PARISH FUNDING, WE DO RECEIVE SOME GRANT FUNDING.
WE HAVE BEEN GRANTED SOME OPIOID, UM, ABATEMENT SETTLEMENT FUNDS, BUT ALL OF THAT IS STRICT, STRICT TO THAT PROGRAM.
WE CANNOT USE IT FOR OUR GENERAL OPERATIONS.
UM, THE ONLY REVENUE WE ARE ABLE TO GENERATE IS, AND NOW THESE NUMBERS MAY BLOW YOU AWAY.
I KNOW HOW LARGE THEY ARE HERE.
WE, WE ESTIMATE ABOUT 34,000 CIVIL FEES FROM THE CLERK'S OFFICE, 2,500 BOND REGISTRY FEES, 5,000.
OUR INTEREST INCOME FROM THE BANK ACCOUNTS, 2300 AND VENDING MACHINE REVENUES, THAT'S ESTIMATING 45,000 BUCKS.
WE ARE THE ONLY PEOPLE HERE TALKING ABOUT OUR VENDING MACHINE MONEY, RIGHT?
BUT I MEAN, BUT REALISTICALLY IT IS, THAT'S HOW IMPORTANT EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR IS TO US, IS THAT WE TRACK AND WE KNOW WHEN OUR VENDING MACHINE, IF OUR VENDING MACHINES GO DOWN, WE ARE LIKE, WE NEED TO GET 'EM BACK UP BECAUSE WE ARE GONNA USE THIS MONEY.
RIGHT? AND SO FOR, FOR EVERYONE HERE, I THINK THAT, AND I'LL, I'M NOT GONNA TAKE LYNN NEEDS TO FINISH HERE, BUT LIKE, SINCE I'VE BEEN HERE 10 YEARS, RIGHT? THE JUVENILE COURT HAS BEEN THE GREATEST STEWARDS OF THE PUBLIC FUND OF ANY PUBLIC AGENCY THAT I HAVE ENCOUNTERED HERE.
RIGHT? WE DON'T ASK FOR ANYTHING, RIGHT? AND IN EXCHANGE WE DON'T GET ANYTHING.
AND SO WE HAVE BEEN OPERATING ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET, HAVE BEEN UNDERFUNDED FOR THE 11 YEARS THAT I'VE BEEN ON THE BENCH AND FOR THE 18 YEARS THAT THE CORPS WAS IN EXISTENCE BEFORE THAT.
AND YOU KNOW, I NEED EVERYBODY TO UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN YOU'VE GOT A, A GOVERNMENTAL, AN ESSENTIAL CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICE THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE, THE YOUTH OF OUR COMMUNITY, THE FUTURE, RIGHT? WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FUTURE OF EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
AND I'M SITTING HERE TALKING TO YOU GUYS ABOUT THAT $1,400 IN VENDING MACHINE MONEY IS IMPORTANT TO OUR BUDGET, RIGHT? LIKE EVERYBODY HERE NEEDS TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND QUESTION WHAT ARE WE DOING? ALRIGHT? SO THAT, I JUST, I ALWAYS WANNA POINT THAT OUT BECAUSE NOBODY ELSE, NONE OF THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT WERE UP HERE, THEY COULDN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH MONEY THEIR VENDING MACHINES BRING IN, RIGHT? UM, BUT LIKE THIS, THIS IS THE, THE LEVEL OF OF DETAIL THAT, THAT WE'RE BRINGING TO THIS AND HOW IMPORTANT IT'S, AND HOW, HOW MUCH OF STEWARDS OF THE PUBLIC MONEY WE HAVE BEEN THAT WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO SQUEEZE BLOOD OUT OF EVERY STONE, EVERY TURN OF EVERYTHING.
LIKE THERE, THERE IS NO MEAT LEFT ON THIS BONE, RIGHT? IF WE TAKE THIS CUT, WE'RE CUTTING BONE.
AND WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT IF WE'RE CUTTING BONE RIGHT, THAT MEANS REDUCED, THAT MEANS REDUCED SERVICES.
THAT MEANS THAT BASED ON THE TIMELINES THAT WE'VE GOT, UH, WE'RE GONNA HAVE YOUTH, UH, BE RELEASED TO THE COMMUNITY THAT MAYBE SHOULDN'T BE RELEASED TO THE COMMUNITY.
WE'RE GONNA HAVE CHILDREN THAT ARE SUBJECT TO ABUSE AND NEGLECT THAT ARE NOT RECEIVING THE SERVICES THEY NEED, THAT ARE NOT PROTECTED IN THE WAY THAT THEY NEED, RIGHT? SIMPLY BECAUSE THE COURT WILL NOT BE ABLE TO FUNCTION ON THE TIMELINES THAT ARE REQUIRED BY THE STATE.
AND SO WE'RE JUST GONNA HAVE TO SAY WE CAN'T DO IT.
THIS CASE IS DONE WITH BECAUSE IT WAS NOT ABLE TO BE DONE TIMELY.
UH, AND THAT'S CERTAINLY NOT ANYTHING THAT ANYBODY WANTS.
I HAD TO, THE BIDDING MACHINE MONEY GETS ME UPSET.
SO, AND JUST TO CONTINUE ON A LITTLE BIT, THE, UM, OUR JUDICIAL EXPENSE FUND IS THE, WHERE WE GET THE REVENUE.
UM, WE'RE PROJECTING ABOUT 45,000 FOR THIS YEAR.
38,000 OF THAT IS ALREADY BUDGETED FOR EVERYTHING.
SO THAT DOESN'T LEAVE ANY SURPLUS OF, OF AT ALL TO GIVE TO, UM, OUR GENERAL FUND BUDGET.
AND THE NEXT SLIDE GOES INTO, UM, WHAT OUR GENERAL, OUR JUDICIAL EXPENSE FUND PAYS FOR.
SO WE, THE STATUTE DOES SAY THE, UM, THE QUARTERS AND, UH, NECESSARY OPERATING EXPENSES OF
[01:35:01]
THE COURT IS TO BE BORN BY THE LOCAL GOVERNING BODY OF THE, THE PARISH.BUT WE SUPPLEMENT, UM, WITH OUR JUDICIAL EXPENSE FUND.
AND SO WE SUPPLEMENT AND PURCHASE ADDITIONAL SUPPLIES, EQUIPMENT, UM, OUR OUT-OF-STATE SERVICE FEES, UM, TRANSCRIPT COSTS, VERY LITTLE TRAVEL AND TRAINING, MAYBE TWO OR $3,000 IS, IS THE MOST WE EVER USUALLY SPEND ON THAT.
AND A GOOD BIT OF THAT IS OUR CERTIFIED COURT REPORTERS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE CONTINUING EDUCATION EVERY YEAR.
PRINTING, POSTING, JOB POSTINGS, UM, AND SPECIAL PROGRAMS. AND THAT'S IT THAT COMES FROM OUR JUDICIAL EXPENSE FUND.
THE LAST SLIDE JUST TALKS ABOUT OUR, OUR ONGOING CHALLENGES THAT WE BRING BEFORE THE COUNCIL EVERY YEAR.
UM, THAT'S THE INCREASED COSTS THAT I MENTIONED BEFORE WITH IN INTERPRETERS.
UM, TRANSCRIPTS, SANITY COMMISSIONS, OUR BANKING SERVICE FEES KEEP GOING UP.
THE INCREASING COSTS OF OUR COMPUTER SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE, THAT'S ONE OF THOSE ARE OUR CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE FACING THE COURT REPORTERS, UM, DIFFICULTY IN RECRUITING, ESPECIALLY WITH THE, THE LOW PAY THAT WE HAVE TO PROVIDE.
AND AGAIN, WE'VE TALKED BEFORE ABOUT OUR FACILITY, OUR PARKING LOT, AND ALL OF OUR SECURITY AND SAFETY NEEDS DUE TO THE LACK OF PROPER FACILITY.
SO THAT SUMS THAT UP WITH THIS CUT, THERE WOULD BE TWO PROGRAMS THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO TURN A LOOSE THAT HAVE FINALLY HAVE, UM, GOT UP AND, AND IS RUNNING.
ONE IS THE TRUANCY MENTORING PROGRAM.
AND SO THAT PROGRAM WILL GO AWAY.
AND WE KNOW THAT TRUANCY HAS BEEN SOMETHING THAT THIS PARISH HAS BEEN TRYING TO DEAL WITH FOR A GREAT PERIOD OF TIME.
AND IN FACT, UM, OUR TRUANCY COURT STATEWIDE DRAWS ATTENTION ALL THE TIME.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, WE HAD A SITE VISIT FROM JEFFERSON PARISH JUST LAST WEEK.
AND AS THEY WALKED THROUGH AND VISIT AND, AND SAW HOW WE OPERATE OUR TRUANCY, UM, THEY WERE ALREADY TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY COULD IMPLEMENT AND HOW THEY CAN TAKE IT EVEN FURTHER.
THEY WERE EMBARRASSED FOR US BECAUSE OF HOW WE HAD TO OPERATE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
BUT WE WERE DETERMINED TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
AND WE ARE GETTING THE RECOGNITION THAT TRUANCY ACROSS OUR STATE CAN BE DRE ADDRESSED WHILE WE IN ESSENCE WILL BE LEFT BEHIND.
THE OTHER PROGRAM JUST RECENTLY STOOD UP IS OUR GUN, UM, INTERVENTION PROGRAM.
CHANCES IN ORDER TO TAKE THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO HAVE GUN CHARGES THAT ARE NONVIOLENT MISDEMEANOR, BUT TO KEEP THEM FROM ESCALATING TO, FROM JUST CARRYING GUNS, TO USING GUNS, TO USING GUNS TOWARDS PEOPLE.
WE JUST GRADUATED OUR FIRST COHORT AND WE WERE IN JEOPARDY OF NOT BEING ABLE TO START A SECOND COHORT, ALTHOUGH WE KNOW IT WORKS.
SO MY QUESTION TO THE COUNCIL BEFORE I TAKE MY SEAT IS HOW DO WE RECEIVE VOLUNTARY PERSONAL CONTRIBUTIONS? BECAUSE I REFUSE TO LET EITHER GO, BUT I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I AM IN ORDER.
SO IF I NEED FINANCE OR SOMEONE ELSE TO TELL US, HOW DO WE MAKE THE CONTRIBUTION TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR KIDS CONTINUE TO GET WHAT THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO HAVE, WHETHER THIS CITY PARISH PROVIDES IT AS A COLLECTIVE, OR WHETHER THE JUDGES WHO SERVE THIS PARISH, THIS STATE WILL HAVE TO FOOT IT.
I'LL CLOSE WITH THIS PROBABLY BECAUSE I'M SUCH A JUVENILE YOUTH PERSON, I CANNOT REMEMBER WHO I CAN ATTRIBUTE THIS TO, BUT THERE'S A FORK LORD SAYING ABOUT THE MESSIAH GROUP FROM AFRICA, A STRONG FIGHTING TRIBE.
AND WHEN THEY GREET EACH OTHER, THEY NEVER LEAVE A CONVERSATION WITHOUT SAYING.
AND HOW ARE THE CHILDREN, WHETHER THEY ARE A WARRIOR, A COOK, A GRANDMOM, THEY'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT HOW ARE THEIR INDIVIDUAL CHILDREN, BUT HOW ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE TRIBE UNDERSTANDING, NO MATTER HOW MANY WARS WE WIN, HOW MANY GREAT THINGS WE DO WITHIN OUR OWN HOME.
IF OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT WELL, OUR COMMUNITY IS NOT WELL.
AND SO WE AS A PARISH NEED TO ASK OURSELVES.
AND HOW ARE THE CHILDREN VENDING MACHINES STRONG.
[01:40:01]
THANK YOU.UM, JUST FOR ME, 'CAUSE I'VE ASKED THIS QUESTION SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE, DEFINE TRUANCY.
TRUANCY BY STATUTE UNDER REVISED STATUTE 17 2 33, IS WHEN A CHILD MISSES MORE THAN FIVE UNEXCUSED ABSENCES OR TARDIES WITHIN A SEMESTER, THEN THEY ARE CLASSIFIED TRUANT.
BUT IT IS ALSO UNDER THE CHILDREN'S CODE SEVEN 30 SUBPARAGRAPH, ONE THAT INDICATES THAT A CHILD IS TRUANT ALSO, IF THEY ARE HABITUALLY AND REGULARLY VIOLATING SCHOOL RULES, EITHER ONE OF THOSE CAN BE DEFINED AS TRUANT.
SO IT'S EITHER NOT ATTENDING OR VIOLATING SCHOOL RULES ON A HABITUAL, UM, MANNER.
AND HOW MUCH IS THE TRUANCY PROGRAM THAT YOU SPOKE ABOUT, JUST THAT, HOW MUCH IS THAT PROGRAM ITSELF ESTIMATED TO COST? LYNN? WHAT ARE OUR, OUR TRUANCY PROGRAM, THE MENTORING PROGRAM THAT GOES ALONGSIDE THE TRUANCY IS WHAT THE, WHAT IS WHAT THE COURT HAS DEVELOPED.
AND SO THE TRUANCY COURT ITSELF IS THAT I DEDICATED TWO DAYS AS A PILOT FOR THE COURT, UM, TWO FULL DATES OUT OF EACH MONTH TO HANDLE ONLY TRUANCY CASES.
AND THEY CAN BE ANYWHERE FROM 30 TO 50 CASES, UM, ON EACH DOCKET.
AND SO WE HEAR THOSE IN COLLABORATION WITH THE CHILD WELFARE AND ATTENDANCE AND THE TRUANCY STAFF AND ANY COMMUNI COMMUNITY PARTNER THAT IS PROVIDING SERVICES, WE KNOW THAT THAT IS A SOCIETAL PROBLEM.
SO WE NEEDED A WAY TO BRING COMMUNITY IN.
AND THE MENTORING PROGRAM DOES THAT.
AND THAT IS ABOUT 40,000? ABOUT 44,000.
IS THAT RIGHT? WE DO IT TWICE.
TWO FULL DOCKETS TWICE A MONTH.
BUT THE MENTORS THEN TWO FULL DOCKET TWICE A MONTH ARE SIGNED.
AND EVEN THE MENTOR PROGRAM ABOUT $44,000 A YEAR.
AND WITH THIS BUDGET RECOMMENDATION THAT WE HAVE NOW, THAT'S, UH, ACCORDING TO Y'ALL'S ESTIMATE, THAT'S ONE OF THE ITEMS THAT COULD BE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK.
THAT WILL BE AN ITEM THAT IS ON IT, BE ON AN ITEM ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK AT LEAST PARTIALLY BECAUSE I'M GOING TO SEE TO IT THAT WE DO SOMETHING TO CONTINUE THAT EFFORT.
HOW MUCH DOES THE SCHOOL SYSTEM INPUT INTO YOUR COURT? THE SCHOOL SYSTEM FACILITATE TRUANCY.
THEY DON'T ANSWER YOUR QUESTION DIRECTLY.
THEY DON'T GIVE THE COURT ANY MONEY, BUT THEY ARE SUPPORTIVE RESEARCH.
THEY DON'T, THEY DON'T HAVE ANY FUNDING OUT OF THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH SCHOOL BOARD INTO YOUR COURT.
NOT, OR JUVENILE SERVICES THEIR STAFF.
SO I DON'T WANT TO THEIR STAFF UNDER CHILD WELFARE ATTENDANCE, RIGHT.
ITEM ON BUDGET? NO, WE ARE NOT A LINE ITEM BUDGET UNDER, OUT OF THE SCHOOL SYSTEM BUDGET.
BUT TRUANCY IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO ATTENDANCE IN SCHOOL AND OR REPEATED VIOLATIONS OF SCHOOLS.
THE STATUTE REQUIRES THAT THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, CHILD WELFARE AND ATTENDANCE SUPERVISORS REFER THOSE CASES TO THE COURT THAT IS STATUTORY, THAT THOSE CASES HAVE TO BE REFERRED TO THE COURT OR TO THE FS OFFICER OR OFFENSES, THE, UM, PROGRAM.
AND SO THAT IS HOW THEY COME IN.
THERE IS NO MANDATE THAT THEY FUND THOSE REFERRALS.
BUT AGAIN, WE'RE DEALING WITH A SCHOOL SYSTEM FUNCTION, AND I KNOW TRUANCY AFFECTS THE PARISH AND PEOPLE DOING DIFFERENT I GET IT.
THAT IT, IT, YOU KNOW, KIDS OUT, THEY'RE OUT DOING OTHER STUFF AND IT'LL AFFECT THE WHATEVER.
BUT AS AN ASSISTANCE IN THESE TIMES OF, OF NEEDS, I HATE FOR YOU, THE JUDGES, WHICH ARE ALREADY NOT MAKING WHAT YOU SHOULD BE MAKING TO TRY AND FUND THIS WHEN A POSSIBLE, ANOTHER REVENUE SOURCE TO AT LEAST $44,000 A YEAR OR POSSIBLY MORE TO ENHANCE THE PROGRAM IF NEED TO BE A YEAR.
WE HAVE ANOTHER GOVERNMENTAL BODY, ELECTED BODY THAT MIGHT GET HELP OUT.
WELL, WE ACTUALLY HAVE FIVE BECAUSE THIS COURT IS A CONSTITUTIONAL COURT.
AND SO JUST TODAY I DID A CASE FROM CENTRAL SCHOOL SYSTEM, SO WE GET CASES FROM BAKER, ZACHARY, ST.
GEORGE, AS WELL AS BATON ROUGE.
AND, AND AGAIN, UM, AND AGAIN, I AM PERFECTLY FINE WITH THAT.
I, I WAS JUST, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT, AS FAR AS PARISH WIDE AGENCIES, YES.
AGAIN, LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE LOOKED AT STUFF AND, YOU KNOW, APOLOGIZE FOR NOT MENTIONING ALL THE REST OF THE MUNICIPALITIES, BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING 44,000,
[01:45:01]
I WOULD THINK BETWEEN FIVE THAT WOULD JUST 15 FIVE MUNICIPALITIES.LET'S SEE WHAT WE CAN DO FOR YOU AS FAR AS I, I MEAN, 80% OF MY DISTRICT IS A WHOLE NOTHER CITY.
AND IF, IF THEY'RE NOT HANDLING THEIR OWN TRUANCY OR WHATEVER, AND WE'LL HAVE TO HANDLE IT AS A PARISH, I'D BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO GO TALK TO 'EM.
I, I WISH I COULD TELL YOU THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA FINISH THIS BUDGET TALK AND EVERYTHING.
AND I KNOW YOU, YOU'RE VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT THIS.
I CAN TELL, I CAN TELL BOTH OF Y'ALL, YOU BRING UP THE VENDING MACHINE STUFF, BUT IT'S 44,000.
I THINK WE CAN ASSIST IN LOOKING WITHOUT Y'ALL HAVING TO PAY FOR SOME KIND OF PROGRAM LIKE THAT YOURSELF.
WELL LET US KNOW WHERE WE CAN MEET YOU WITH THOSE PARISHES AND WE'LL BE, WE'LL BE THERE.
CAN I, I JUST WANT TO INTERJECT REAL QUICK.
I WANT TO THANK MY COLLEAGUE COUNCILMAN MO, FOR BEING CREATIVE AND LOOKING FOR OTHER WAYS TO FUND IT.
I WANT TO TIP MY HAT TO JUDGE GROVER FOR REINFORCING THE FACT THAT WE DON'T JUST HAVE ONE SCHOOL SYSTEM HERE IN THE PARISH, BUT, AND I THINK HIS, UH, SPIRIT AND WHAT HE WAS TRYING TO DO WAS, UH, HONEST AND SINCERE, BUT WE SEE THIS ACROSS THE BOARD.
EVERYBODY'S DEPENDING ON THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE, YOU KNOW, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY.
AND WE HAVE TO RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES OF THE CITIES AND OTHER SCHOOL DISTRICTS, CENTRAL ZACHARY BAKER AND THE PROPOSED ST.
NOW, I HOPE IT FAILS AT THE BALLOT BOX, BUT WE HAVE TO ENTER THESE CONVERSATIONS, NOT JUST THINKING ABOUT, UH, SUCKING THE BLOOD FROM THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE.
IS THERE ANY, ANYONE ELSE? LET ME, I, THIS IS PROBABLY A UNINFORMED QUESTION.
DOES EVERY PARISH HAVE A JUVENILE JUVENILE COURT? NO.
AS LYNN WAS SAYING, THERE ARE FOUR OF THE STATUTORILY, UM, ESTABLISHED JUVENILE COURTS, ORLENE, JEFFERSON, CADO, AND EBR.
THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING THAT.
UM, COUNCILWOMAN COLEMAN, BUT THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH.
AND THEY DO AN EXCELLENT JOB WITH THAT TRUANCY AND YES, UH, THE CHILD WELFARE AND ATTENDANCE SPOKE, UH, THERE AND IT MAY BE CAUGHT ALL DAY.
AND WE APPRECIATE YOU ALL AND GRATEFUL FOR THE POINT THAT, UH, COUNCILMAN DUNN MADE AND WHICH WAS ONE, TWO THINGS HERE.
AND THAT IS CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES AND ALL OF THESE OTHER ENTITIES.
I PERCEIVE THAT THAT'S THE ISSUE FOR EVERYBODY THAT HAVE COME UP HERE AND, UM, KIND OF GIVEN THEIR REPORT SO FAR.
SO IF EVERYBODY PAY THEIR PART, THEN THERE WILL NOT BE SO MUCH OF A STRUGGLE HERE.
THAT'S ONE POINT THAT I'D LIKE TO MAKE.
THE OTHER POINT IS I'M GRATEFUL FOR OUR LEGISLATORS, GRATEFUL FOR THEM TO BE IN THE HOUSE, TO HEAR WHAT'S GOING ON AND US NOT BE OPERATING IN SILOS BECAUSE WE ALL ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SAME PEOPLE.
AND SO THAT MEAN THE WORK THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING, YOU KNOW, SOME DO THE WORK AND SOME DO THE PAYING.
AND WITH THAT BEING SAID, I'M GOING TO TAKE A POINT OF PRIVILEGE HERE AND OUR, UH, UH, PRO TE IS HERE, COME ON UP.
UH, UH, YEAH, UH, PRO TEM, SENATOR BARROW, AND I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS TO TELL THESE FOLK TODAY.
AND IF YOU NEED ANY OF YOUR OTHER LEGISLATORS TO COME UP WITH YOU, INVITE THEM BECAUSE MINE IS IN THE HOUSE.
WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH, UH, COUNCILWOMAN COLEMAN.
AND I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THE INVITE AND I AM GONNA ASK ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES TO COME UP HERE.
UM, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH GOOD NEWS I MAY HAVE, BUT I DO, UH, WANT TO SAY, FIRST OF ALL, THANK Y'ALL FOR, UH, INVITING US.
AND, AND I KNOW THAT YEAH, IF VANESSA COMING, YES, SHE IS.
OKAY,
UM, AND WE ARE HAPPY TO BE HERE.
AND YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
WE REPRESENT THE SAME PEOPLE, UH, AND THEY DON'T CARE WHAT PARTY WE ARE IN.
UH, THEY DON'T CARE REALLY WHAT PART OF THE CITY WE ARE FROM.
THEY JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE TAKING CARE OF THE BUSINESS THAT IS MOST IMPORTANT TO THEM.
AND SO WE ALL HAVE A FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY TO DO THAT.
UM, BUT AS I WAS LISTENING, I DO WANNA SHARE WITH YOU, UM, THREE THINGS THAT I DID THIS, THIS PAST SESSION THAT HOPEFULLY WOULD SERVE AS A CONDUIT, UH, TO
[01:50:01]
HELP OUR GREAT PARISH.ONE IS, UH, THOUGHT THEY ARE ALL RESOLUTIONS.
AND SO THE FIRST RESOLUTION IS CALLED MY SWOT ANALYSIS.
AND SO AS I WAS LISTENING, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SOME GREAT THINGS THAT ARE STRENGTH IN THIS GREAT PARISH.
SOME WEAKNESSES, SOME OPPORTUNITIES, AND SOME THREATS.
AND SO, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I LEARNED FROM COUNCILMAN DUNN THAT I DIDN'T KNOW WAS HOW EACH MUNICIPALITY IS NOT PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARES.
THEY COME THROUGH THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM, BUT I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL KNEW THIS, THAT ALSO THE STATE OF LOUISIANA, BECAUSE EAST BATON ROUGE SERVED AS THE PARISH GOVERNMENT OR THE GOVERNMENT OF THE STATE, THAT ALL STATE CASES HAVE TO COME HERE.
AND THEN OFTENTIMES WE ARE NOT PAID OR NOT COMPENSATED.
AND THAT BILL CAN RUN INTO AND SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 700,000 TO A MILLION DOLLARS PER YEAR.
UH, THE STATE HAS BEEN SUBSIDIZED AND IT TO SOME DEGREE, BUT WE HAVE BEEN UP TO AS MUCH AS $7 MILLION BEING OWED BECAUSE WE ARE THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT.
SO THAT'S ONE OF THE OTHER RESOLUTIONS THAT I HAVE TO ENSURE THAT EVERY PARISH IS PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE TO THIS PARISH.
AND THEN THE OTHER RESOLUTION I HAVE IS DEALING WITH BLIGHT, UH, WHICH I KNOW IS A BIG ISSUE AS WELL, AND US ACTUALLY TACK TACKLING IT HOLISTICALLY, WHETHER THEN BEING IN A PIECEMEAL APPROACH AND HOW DOES THAT LOOK FOR THE ENTIRE STATE, NOT JUST OUR PARISH.
SO THESE ARE THREE RESOLUTIONS THAT WILL BE COMING UP OVER THE NEXT 30 DAYS.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN SERVING ON ANY OF THOSE TASK FORCE OR COMMITTEES, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
UH, BECAUSE AGAIN, WE CANNOT OPERATE AND FOLLOWS.
WE REPRESENT SOME WONDERFUL PEOPLE IN THIS PARISH.
AND LEMME TELL YOU, THEY DESERVE NOTHING LESS THAN A HUNDRED PERCENT.
AND I KNOW THAT YOU GUYS ARE GIVEN YOURS AND WE ARE GIVEN OURS, BUT WHEN WE COLLECTIVELY DO IT, THEN WE ARE DOING 'EM 200%.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO DO.
AND SO AGAIN, UH, WE ARE GLAD TO BE HERE.
AND LEMME JUST SAY THIS AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
WE ARE GO INTO SESSION THIS YEAR IN MARCH, WHICH IS A LITTLE EARLIER.
UM, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT HAVE COME UP ABOUT THE CONSTITUTION.
IF THERE ARE THINGS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THAT BEFORE SESSION.
WE TALKED ABOUT THAT WITH, UH, BRACK, UH, UM, A FEW MONTHS AGO.
UH, VANESSA AND I, REPRESENTATIVE LAFLEUR AND I, UH, WE WERE WITH THEM AND WE WERE SAYING, NOT WAIT UNTIL WE GO IN TO HAVE THE DISCUSSION.
LET'S HAVE THE DISCUSSION BEFORE SO WE CAN COME OUT WITH A PLAN THAT MAKES SENSE AND ONE THAT IS GOING TO BE PRODUCTIVE FOR THE ENTIRE PARISH.
SO AGAIN, WE ARE HAPPY TO BE HERE.
THANK YOU FOR THE INVITE AND PLEASE REACH OUT TO US AT ANY GIVEN TIME.
OKAY, IF I MAY TAKE A POINT OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE, LET ME THANK EACH OF YOU GUYS FOR SHOWING UP HERE AND RESPONDING TO THE CALL.
I WILL TELL YOU THAT, UH, ALL OUR LEGISLATORS IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, UH, RECEIVED THE INVITE.
AND I WANT TO THANK THE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS FOR RESPONDING HERE TODAY.
I WANNA THANK THE BLACK CAUCUS FOR RESPONDING HERE TODAY.
UH, NOT ONLY JUST RESPONDING HERE TODAY, BUT SENATOR BARROW, UH, REPRESENTATIVE LEFLEUR, REPRESENTATIVE JORDAN AND OTHERS PERSONALLY I'VE WORKED WITH, HAVE SENT RESOURCES AND MONEY TO HELP US ADDRESS SOME ISSUES IN OUR CITY PARISH, GOVERNMENT, FROM INFRASTRUCTURE TO COMMUNITY OUTREACH EVENTS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTNERSHIP.
WE THANK YOU FOR COMMITMENT AND WE THANK YOU FOR YOUR ALLOCATIONS.
AND I WOULD IMPRESS UPON YOU TO SHARE WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES THAT WE'LL RECEIVE SOME OF THEIR ALLOCATIONS AS WELL,
SO DON'T LET Y'ALL BEING THE MINORITY OF SENDING MONEY TO EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH OR THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE TO HELP US WITH THESE BUDGET ISSUES AND OTHER THINGS WE HAVE GOING ON.
AND I'D LIKE TO SAY THANK, THANK YOU, THANK YOU TO OUR JUVENILE COURT, UM, FOR ALL YOU DO.
AND THANK YOU FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, COMING EVERY YEAR.
I'M SORRY THAT YOU HAVE TO COME EVERY YEAR.
UM, AND, BUT I'LL TELL YOU, NATIONAL ADOPTION DAY, THE, THE CELEBRATION IS JUST ONE OF THE SWEETEST THINGS I'VE EVER BEEN TO.
SO, UM, THE, THE FAMILIES IN THIS PARISH, UM, GREATLY APPRECIATE YOU.
SO, UM, I WANTED TO GO BACK TO THE JUVENILE AND, AND JUDGE CHENEY AND JUDGE GROVER.
I'M Y'ALL, YOU SIT THERE, MAN.
BUT WE'VE BEEN ON TOURS, WE'VE BEEN ON, AND I WOULD, I WOULD URGE THAT OUR STATE LEGISLATORS ACTUALLY GO ON A TOUR OF THESE FACILITIES IF Y'ALL, Y'ALL HAVE ALREADY, THEY ARE BEYOND DEPLORABLE.
AND IF Y'ALL WANT TO KNOW WHERE, UM, THE JUVENILE DETENTION AND JAIL TASK FORCE GOT STARTED, HE GOT STARTED BY THOSE TWO INDIVIDUALS IN THE BACK.
[01:55:02]
'CAUSE JUDGE GROVER CORNERED ME IN A MEETING WITH BIG BUDDY AND SAID, WHAT ARE WE DOING? I SAID, WELL, LET'S FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET IT DONE.AND SO MY COLLEAGUES, THREE OF US SIT ON THAT COMMITTEE, BUT THE ADULT SITUATION IS HORRIBLE.
BUT I THINK WHAT WE FORGET IN THE JUVENILE SITUATION IS THAT THESE PEOPLE ARE AWAITING TRIAL AND THOSE FACILITIES THAT, THAT, THAT IS NOT A PRISON.
AND SO WE'RE TURNING GOOD KIDS A LOT OF TIMES IN THE CRIMINALS BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO FIGHT FOR THEIR LIFE IN A PLACE WHERE THEY SHOULD BE PROTECTED.
BUT BECAUSE WE HAVE DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS IN THOSE FACILITIES, THOSE KIDS THAT SIT THERE FOR TWO TO THREE YEARS SOMETIMES END UP BEING WHAT WE CHARGE THEM TO BE, EVEN THOUGH THEY WENT IN THERE WITH A CLEAN SLATE.
AND SO I WANT TO THANK Y'ALL FOR FIGHTING, NOT JUST FOR BUDGETS TODAY, BUT FOR FIGHTING FOR THE DETENTION CENTER, FIGHTING FOR THE ADOPTIONS, FIGHTING FOR THE FAMILIES THAT COME THROUGH THAT ENTITY.
UM, AND AGAIN, IF YOU GO IN, THEY GET TO EXPLAIN TO YOU HOW DYSFUNCTION IT IS.
YOU'LL SEE HOW NOT ONLY THE KIDS WHO ARE AWAITING TRIAL, BUT THE FAMILIES COME AND HAVE TO CROSS PATHS IN THE SAME HALLWAYS.
THE DISCUSSIONS, THE LACK OF PRIVACY, THE MEETING ROOMS ARE ALSO THE HOLDING ROOMS FOR THE KIDS.
SO YOU HAVE TO HAVE ONE TO GO OUT TO HAVE RESOURCES COME IN.
LITERALLY THE OFFICERS BIT NO BIGGER THAN THE FOUR DESK BACK KID AND ABOUT EIGHT PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO FIT IN.
SO, UM, I KNOW YOU CAN'T GO INTO THE DETENTION SIDE AS MUCH, BUT THE COURT SIDE IS JUST AS DEPLORABLE.
SO, UM, I I I WANNA SPEAK ON YOUR BEHALF AND OPEN OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO SEE THAT WHEN WE LAY A POOR FOUNDATION FOR OUR KIDS, WE HAVE TO FIX ADULTS.
AND SO WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT THE PUBLIC SAFETY CHALLENGES IN OUR COMMUNITY, WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO FIX THOSE IN YOUR COURT SYSTEM SO THAT WE'RE NOT TRYING TO, UM, DEAL WITH THE REPETITIVE CYCLE, UM, THROUGHOUT THE YEARS, NUMBER ONE.
AND NUMBER TWO, I WANT TO, UM, ASK ANGIE TO COME UP TO THE MIC.
'CAUSE FOR OUR STATE OFFICIALS, I WANT Y'ALL TO SEE WHO OUR BUDGET PERSON IS, AND SHE CAN KIND OF GIVE YOU AN UPDATE OF, OF WHERE WE ARE WITH LOOKING AT THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES, WHAT THAT NUMBER IS, AND, UH, HOW, HOW, I GUESS WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE.
SO WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON SOME, UH, LEGISLATION IN ORDER TO, UH, HELP BRIDGE THE GAP ON THE BUDGET CUTS.
UM, WE HAVE NOT FULLY VETTED ALL THAT.
SO AT THIS POINT WE'RE STILL IN A DISCUSSION PHASE AND THAT WE ARE STILL IN THE PLANNING PHASE OF THAT.
CAN YOU JUST TELL 'EM WHAT THAT NUMBER IS? I SAID IT EARLIER FOR THE ONES THAT CAME LATER, THE ESTIMATED NUMBER, YOU WANT ME TO SAY IT? IF YOU WANNA SAY IT'S $11.2 MILLION WHEN WE START INCLUDING THOSE OTHER FOUR MUNICIPALITIES, AND THAT'S THROUGH STATE LEGISLATION.
AND THERE WAS A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO SLICE THE BREAD AT THE STATE LEVEL TO PUT THAT MONEY BACK INTO OUR BUDGET FOR THE CITY PARISH.
SO DA HILL, HILLER MOORE, UM, COUPLE STATE LEGISLATORS, EVERYBODY WOULD, THEY STARTED THE CONVERSATION, ANGIE, UM, AND SOME OTHER FOLKS TO, TO KNOW THAT THERE WAS A HUGE GAP, 11.2 MILLION, MAKE SURE THAT OUR BABIES ARE IN GOOD POSITION.
WE'RE NOT GONNA CRY ABOUT 44,000 WHOM WE HAVE AN $11.2 MILLION DEFICIT THAT COULD BE FILLED BY EVERYBODY PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE.
SO I JUST WANTED THAT NUMBER OUT ON THE PUBLIC RECORD.
AGAIN, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT, NOT ONLY DOES IT HELP CLOSE THAT GAP, BUT IT ALSO HELPS CLOSE SOME ADDITIONAL GAPS IN OUR GENERAL FUND.
OKAY, SO LET'S MOVE ON TO CITY COURT PLEASE.
FIRST I'D LIKE TO START OFF WITH THANKING OUR COUNCIL FOR TAKING ON SUCH A DIFFICULT TASK.
UM, THANK YOU FOR THE WORK ON THE CITY'S FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES AND WE APPRECIATE IT.
SECONDLY, I WANT YOU TO KNOW I'M CELEBRATING MY 30 YEARS ON CITY COURT AND I'M VERY EXCITED AND PROUD ABOUT THAT.
I WANT TO ADD, THIS IS MY FIRST TRIP HERE FOR THE BUDGET.
SO WE APOLOGIZE FOR NOT HAVING THE BEAUTIFUL, UM, POWERPOINT, UM, THAT ALL THE OTHER CONSTITUTIONALLY MANDATE COURTS HAD.
WE ARE BATON ROUGE'S CITY COURT.
WE OPERATE WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF BATON ROUGE.
OUR COURT HANDLES CIVIL, CRIMINAL, AND TRAFFIC MATTERS IN OUR BUDGET.
[02:00:01]
FOR US TO ELIMINATE 21 POSITIONS.AND THE REASON WHY WE CANNOT ELIMINATE 21 POSITIONS, THERE ARE A WHOLE LIST OF THEM, BUT THE MAIN ONES, WE HAVE A CURRENT NEW CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, WHICH WE ARE JUST GETTING ADJUSTED TO.
BY THE WAY, THIS IS OUR INTERIM CLERK, JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATOR, UM, SHAQUITA HARRIS JACKSON.
SHE'S MARRIED, SHE'S WORKED IN CITY COURT SINCE SHE WAS 18, SO SHE'S WORKED WELL.
WERE YOU YOUNGER THAN THAT? YES, MA'AM.
SHE ONLY LOOKS SHE COULD COUNT THE YEAR.
AND NOW, UM, SHE'S OUR INTERIM CLERK, JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATOR.
WE HAVE A NEW CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, WHICH WAS PUT IN BY OUR PREVIOUS CLERK, JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATOR.
AND LAST YEAR, IN FEBRUARY HE RESIGNED ALONG WITH OUR DEPUTY CLERK JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATOR.
SHE WAS, UM, WORKING IN THE COURT AND IT WAS THE BEST PERSON IN THE COURT THAT KNOWS THE MOST ABOUT THE COURT.
AND WE ARE HAPPY THAT SHE TOOK OVER THIS POSITION TO BE OUR INTERIM VIEWER STAFF MEANS SLOWER PROCESSING FOR CIVIL, CRIMINAL AND TRAFFIC.
AND THE PUBLIC'S ACCESS TO JUSTICE AND COURT EFFICIENCY DEPENDS ON MAINTAINING AT ADEQUATE STAFFING.
THERE'S NOTHING WORSE THAN A WALK IN SOMEWHERE AND YOU CAN'T GET SOMEBODY TO HELP YOU DO SOMETHING OR GET WHAT YOU NEED FROM THEM.
THAT WOULD MEAN WE WOULD HAVE, UM, FEWER STAFF MAY REDUCE REVENUE GENERATING ACTIVITIES, CIVIL FEES, WARRANT FEES, ALL OTHER FEES.
AND IT WOULD ALSO INCREASE THE DELAYS THAT WE HAVE AND THAT WOULD FRUSTRATE OUR RESIDENTS.
CUTTING POSITIONS AFFECTS NOT ONLY STAFF, BUT THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS WHO RELY ON OUR TIMELY PROCESSING.
I'M HERE TO ASK THAT YOU RECONSIDER THE PROPOSED REDUCTION OF POSITIONS IN THE CITY COURT BUDGET.
ELIMINATING 21 POSITIONS WOULD NOT BE GOOD FOR US AT ALL.
THESE POSITIONS ARE ESSENTIAL TO PUBLIC SERVICE AND PUBLIC SAFETY.
OUR COMMUNITY DEPENDS ON THE TIMELY AND SAFE OPERATION OF THE COURT.
AND MAINTAINING THESE POSITIONS IS ESSENTIAL TO MEETING THAT RESPONSIBILITY.
THE SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE, IT REQUIRES FAR MORE MANUAL WORK, TROUBLESHOOTING AND TIME PER CASE THAN BEFORE.
AND WE ARE ALREADY STRUGGLING TO KEEP UP WITH THE WORKLOAD CUTTING POSITIONS WHILE STAFF ARE STILL NAVIGATING.
A DIFFICULT SYSTEM WILL ONLY WORSEN DELAYS AND REDUCE SERVICE QUALITY.
THERE IS A RAINBOW AT THE END OF THIS.
ONCE WE GET THE SYSTEM UP AND RUNNING, EVERYBODY KNOWS HOW TO WORK IT.
IT WILL MAKE THE THINGS THAT OUR CLERKS HAVE TO DO LESS CUMBERSOME.
BUT YOU HAVE TO GET TO THAT POINT.
I'VE HEARD PEOPLE SAY THAT WE HAD SOME POSITIONS THAT WERE VACANT AND SO WE MUST NOT NEED THEM.
WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO HIRE PEOPLE IN THESE POSITIONS, BUT WHEN THESE POSITIONS PAY $15 AND 37 CENTS AN HOUR OR $16 AND 94 CENTS AN HOUR, COUNCILMAN HURST, WE CANNOT GET PEOPLE TO EVEN QUALIFY FOR 'EM.
THOSE WHO WANT TO WORK, THEY WILL WORK.
BUT THE BIGGEST PROBLEM IS GETTING ON THAT LIST.
WITH CITY PARISH, AS YOU KNOW, THE CONSTITUTIONAL MANDATE COURTS, THEY DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH A LIST.
THEY DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH CITY PARISH WITH ALL OF THEIR EMPLOYEES.
EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEE EXCEPT OUR UNCLASSIFIED EMPLOYEES, WHICH THERE AREN'T MANY.
EACH JUDGE HAS ONE AND THERE MAY BE TWO, THREE IN THE ADMINISTRATION OFFICE, BUT EVERY SINGLE PERSON IS A CITY PARISH EMPLOYEE.
IF WE COULD CUT SOME OF THE POSITIONS TO ADD HIGHER PAY TO THESE POSITIONS, THEN WE PROBABLY COULD GET SOME PEOPLE ON OUR LIST.
UM, WE HAVE TRIED TO MAKE THIS AS LESS HURTING FOR EACH OF US, FOR THE CITY PARISH AND FOR US, BUT I IMPLORE YOU TODAY TO LOOK AT CITY COURT, LOOK AT THE REVENUE THAT WE BRING IN FOR CITY PARISH, WHICH IS ANOTHER THING.
I DIDN'T HEAR ANYBODY MENTION THAT TODAY, AS OPPOSED TO WHAT CITY PARISH
[02:05:01]
HAS TO GIVE TO US.AND WITH THAT DETERMINATION, I AM DETERMINED TO GET THIS SYSTEM TO WORK, TO GET IT UP RUNNING AND TO GET MORE EMPLOYEES IN THERE SO THAT WE CAN CARRY ON THE GREAT TRADITION OF BATON ROUGE CITY COURT.
SO IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I CAN ANSWER THEM OR, UM, OUR CLERK CAN ANSWER THIS.
AND THIS IS BERNADETTE MCFARLAND.
SO DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? COUNCILMAN DUNN? THANK YOU JUDGE ALEXANDER, WHEN WE MET WITH YOU GUYS LAST YEAR, THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS ACROSS THE STREET, WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF YOUR, UH, SELF GENERATING REVENUE ABILITIES, SPECIFICALLY WITH URINE TESTING AND DRUG TESTING AND STUFF, STUFF LIKE THAT.
AND WE TALKED ABOUT SOME OF THOSE SERVICES YOU COULD POSSIBLY PROVIDE FOR THE PARISH INSTEAD OF GOING OUT TO, UH, AN INDEPENDENT VENDOR, WHICH KEEPING SOME MONEY IN CITY PARISH KEEPING AND INCREASING THE COURT'S MONEY.
WELL, WE ARE DOING BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR THE WHOLE CITY OF BATON ROUGE.
AT NO CHARGE TO THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE, WHICH MEANS MORE THINGS FOR US TO DO IN OUR PROBATION.
UM, AND FOR HR, ALSO FOR HUMAN RESOURCES, EMPLOYEE BBR ALSO, AND ALSO FOR THE SEASONAL WORKERS.
WE ALSO PAID FOR THE HANDHELD TICKET WRITERS FOR THE BATON ROUGE POLICE DEPARTMENT BECAUSE IT WOULD BE MORE EFFICIENT FOR EVERYBODY.
UM, NOT ALL THE MISTAKES ON THE TICKETS, NOT THE WRONG, UM, NUMBERS PUT ON THE TICKETS, BUT WE HAVE NOT DONE THE DRUG TESTING BECAUSE WE CAN'T HIRE A DRUG TECH BECAUSE THE SALARY IS SO LOW.
SO THAT'S WHY WE HAVEN'T GONE TO THE DRUG TESTING.
BUT YOU DO HAVE THE C CAPABILITIES TO PROVIDE THAT SERVICE FOR THE PARISH.
IF, IF WE COULD GET A DRUG TECH IN YES.
AND WE ARE CURRENTLY, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, UH, PAYING A THIRD PARTY VENDOR OR PRIVATE VENDOR TO DO THOSE SERVICES, BUT YET WE HAVE CITY COURT, A BRANCH OF THE PARISH THAT CAN PERFORM THOSE SERVICES.
SO I WOULD IMPRESS UPON ADMINISTRATION, UH, AND YOUR ADMINISTRATION TO HAVE A CONVERSATION.
WE TALKED ABOUT THIS LAST YEAR.
I DON'T KNOW WHY WE OUTSOURCING IT WHEN WE CAN DO IT IN-HOUSE AND KEEP THOSE DOLLARS HERE.
AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE, WHAT THAT EXPENSES COSTING US.
WELL THE UM, THE HOW MUCH IS THE DRUG TECH SALARY? THE DRUG TECH SALARY IS $10.
WE MUST HAVE A MALE AND A FEMALE.
WE RECENTLY HIRED A MALE DRUG TECH WHO QUIT TWO WEEKS AGO BECAUSE OF THE SALARY.
OUR FEMALE DRUG TECH HAS BEEN IN THAT POSITION FOR 30 YEARS.
SO SHE WAS AT THE TOP OF THE SALARY AND SHE RETIRES NEXT WEDNESDAY.
SO WE CANNOT PUT POST THAT POSITION DUE TO THE WORKFORCE REDUCTION, UM, AS WELL.
SO WE CURRENTLY DON'T HAVE A, A DRUG TECH POSITION.
BUT IF YOU HAD THE DEMAND AND HAD THE CASELOAD, YOU CAN MAKE ENOUGH MONEY TO INCREASE THE POSITION.
AND ANGIE, I KNOW YOU'RE DOING SOME OTHER STUFF OVER THERE AND I WANT TO CATCH YOU OFF GUARD, BUT ANY IDEA HOW MUCH WE'RE PAYING THIRD PARTY VENDORS TO DO DRUG TESTING AND SCREENING? BALLPARK NUMBER, SHE DON'T KNOW RIGHT OFF THE TOP OF HER HEAD, BUT I THINK IT'S IT, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, IT'S DEFINITELY A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT TO BE ABLE TO PAY A TECH OR TWO OR THREE IF WE KEPT IT IN HOUSE.
SO AGAIN, AND IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE'RE GONNA SOLVE RIGHT HERE TODAY, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION TO LOOK AT BRINGING THAT IN HOUSE AND LET Y'ALL PERFORM IT.
IF Y'ALL HAD A CAPACITY TO DO IT, WHAT CAPABILITIES TO DO IT.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENT? SURE.
SO I, I THINK YOU KNOW THAT THE COUNCIL WAS LEADING THE CHARGE, UM, FOR THE PAGE STUDY AND I WORKED WITH COUNCILMAN HU HUDSON A FEW MONTHS BACK TO GET ALL CITY PARISH RAISES DOWN SOMEWHERE ABOUT 12.9 MILLION BEFORE THIS WENT OUT.
AND A YEAR AGO THAT WOULD BE INSIGNIFICANT TO GET EVERYBODY TO A LIVABLE COMPETITIVE WAGE.
BUT WHAT, WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES A YEAR MAKE? RIGHT? AND SO I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THE FIGHT IS NOT OVER.
I JUST THINK WE ARE IN A POSITION WHERE WE NEED TO BALANCE THE BUDGET FIRST BEFORE WE CONSIDER INCREASING ANYTHING RIGHT.
SIZE THE SHIP, BUT STILL THE NUMBERS, THE NUMBER'S, THE NUMBER.
I'M SURE SINCE THE BUDGET CUTS ARE HAVING THE NUMBERS GONE DOWN TREMENDOUSLY.
SO WE'LL REAL WE'LL RECALCULATE THAT NUMBER ONCE WE BALANCE THE BUDGET.
WE HAVE PEOPLE MAKING 8 25 AN HOUR.
THIS S**T IN THOSE POSITIONS IN PRIVATE INDUSTRY MAKING 20 PEOPLE MAKING 15 IN THE COURT SYSTEM, THAT WILL MAKE 25 TO 30 ELSEWHERE.
SO IT IS HARD TO GET SOMETIMES EVEN QUALIFIED.
I MAY WANNA SAY APPLICANTS, BUT QUALIFIED APPLICANTS.
[02:10:01]
HARD TO GET APPLICATIONS AT ALL.SO WE UNDERSTAND 'CAUSE WE DEAL WITH THE SAME THING IN TERMS OF OUR INABILITY TO PROPERLY SERVE OUR CONSTITUENTS DUE THE LACK OF WORKFORCE.
SO WE'RE IN THE SAME BOAT WITH YOU.
AND REMEMBER WE MAKE A THOUSAND DOLLARS A MONTH FOR ABOUT 40, 40 HOURS A WEEK.
SO 60, I GAVE, I SAID AVERAGE, BUT PUT IN ABOUT 60 HOURS A WEEK.
SO WE DON'T HAVE THE, AND THEN REALISTICALLY, I JUST WANT Y'ALL TO KNOW WE HAVE TECHNICALLY ONE STAFF PERSON THAT WORKS FOR US TO ANSWER 38,000 PEOPLE'S CALLS WITH A, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE REDUCTION WILL BE IN CERTAIN DEPARTMENTS, BUT EVERY DEPARTMENT THAT'S REDUCED TO INCLUDING Y'ALL'S, WE GET CALLS ABOUT 'CAUSE THEY THINK WE HAVE CAPES ON THAT CAN SAVE THE WORLD.
UM, YEAH, THEY THEY DO CLASSIFY US AS A DEPARTMENT, BUT THOSE SCHOLARS WHO KNOW THEIR, UM, YEAH.
SOCIAL STUDIES IS TELLING ME 40,000 OF PEOPLE IN THESE DISTRICT THAT CALL US, WE ARE ONE AID A THOUSAND DOLLARS A MONTH AND THEY EXPECT TO HAVE ALL OUR TIME 24 7.
'CAUSE WE KNOW WE SIGNED UP FOR IT.
WE, WE'VE DONE MORE OF A LESS FOR A LONG TIME.
SO WHEN PEOPLE ASK US TO REDUCE, WE LIKE, WHAT ARE WE GONNA REDUCE IT TO? NO AIDS SHARING THE AID FOR 456,000 PEOPLE.
SO I WANT YOU TO KNOW WE GET THE PAIN POINTS.
JUST KNOW THAT WE WANT Y'ALL TO RAISE YOUR WAGES AS WELL.
I BELIEVE THE COUNCIL COMPARED TO OTHER MUNICIPALITIES DESERVES TO RAISE WINTER TIME IS DUE.
WELL, WE JUST DON'T WANNA BE PENALIZED FOR THE FACT THAT WE CAN'T GET ANYBODY.
IT'S NOT LIKE IT'S NOT FOR US TRYING, IT'S JUST, AND SO THE THE REASONING BEHIND IT IS YOU DON'T HAVE ANYBODY IN THIS SPOT.
OUR REASON IS WE DON'T HAVE ANYBODY IN THERE, BUT WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET PEOPLE IN THERE.
SO WE JUST WANT YOU TO RECONSIDER THAT.
WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT OUR BUDGET, JUDGE ALEXANDRIA, COULD YOU SEND US A LIST OF THOSE FROZEN POSITIONS AND WHAT THEY ARE? I CAN, UM, THAT WOULD BE, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
I CAN, YOU CAN JUST SEND IT TO METRO.
THERE'S LIKE A METRO COUNCIL MEMBER EMAIL THAT GOES TO ALL OF US ON THE WEBSITE.
BUT THAT WOULD BE, THAT'D BE HELPFUL.
AND I WILL, I DON'T FULLY UNDER, I DON'T FULLY UNDERSTAND.
I WANT, I WANT THE INFORMATION.
SO SOMETIMES WHAT I'VE SEEN LATOYA SOMEWHERE SHE WAS HERE, PEOPLE DO, IS WORK WITH HR TO COMBINE MAYBE TWO VACANCIES, RECLASSIFY THAT POSITION, PUT MORE MONEY IN PLACE.
SO IF YOU HAVE MULTIPLE, THAT MIGHT BE AN OPTION AS WELL TO SAY, I MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO GET THE TWO I NEED, BUT I CAN GET ONE OVER QUALIFIED PERSON.
WE, WE, WE'D BE AMENABLE TO JUST ABOUT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, AS LONG AS WE CAN HAVE ENOUGH STAFF IN THERE TO DO THE WORK THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.
WHILE YOU'RE STANDING THERE, WHAT ARE THE, THE REQUIREMENTS, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE HAVE THE LISTENING AUDIENCE OUT HERE.
WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS FOR SOMEONE IN THAT, FOR THAT POSITION? WELL, WE HAVE SENIOR LEGAL, SO THEY HAVE TO KNOW WHAT NARCAN IS.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT, WHAT'S THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE DRUG TECH POSITION? FOR THE DRUG TECH OR FOR ANY OF, OR ANY POSITION? DRUG TECH, TECH POSITION.
BUT THEY CAN MAKE MORE THAN $10 AT MCDONALD ANYWAY.
AND WE CAN, WE'VE ASKED FOR A SPECIAL RECRUIT RECRUITING RATE, RATE FOR THAT POSITION BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HIRE PEOPLE, BUT THEY HAVE NOT STAYED IN IT FOR THREE YEARS.
WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HIRE PEOPLE AND THEY DON'T STAY.
BUT BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HIRE, WE CANNOT GET APPROVED TO EVEN GET A STEP SIX OR A STEP NINE TO OFFER SPECIAL RECRUITMENT ON THAT.
SO WHO NEEDS TO APPROVE THAT? THAT WOULD BE HR.
ALL RIGHT, DARLING, SEND THAT TO US.
ALL THIS OTHER STUFF THEY DOING, I'VE ENJOYED MY TIME HERE TODAY LISTENING TO ALL THE OTHER, UH, CONSTITUTIONALLY APPOINTED, UH, THANK YOU PEOPLE.
AND I HOPE Y'ALL CAN FEEL OUR PAIN AND HOPE THAT YOU CAN, UM, HELP US ALONG THIS JOURNEY.
UM, AND NOW, UH, THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC DEFENDER AND I, I APOLOGIZE FOR NOT HAVING A POWERPOINT.
I ACTUALLY DID ONE, BUT I'M NOT AS FAMILIAR WITH THIS PROCESS.
I DIDN'T KNOW WHO TO GET IT TO NEXT YEAR.
WE USED TO HAVE A COUNCIL MEMBER THAT CARED A WHOLE LOT ABOUT POWERPOINTS.
AS I WAS LISTENING TO EVERYONE WHO WAS SPEAKING IT, IT STRUCK ME THAT WE HAVE A LOT IN THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC DEFENDER HAS A LOT IN COMMON WITH JUVENILE COURT IN THAT WE ARE PROBABLY
[02:15:01]
THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM WHO ARE MOST ACCUSTOMED TO BEING POOR.UM, YOU KNOW, OUR OFFICE REALLY RUNS ON GOODWILL AND A LOT OF PRAYER, BUT IT IS A PUBLIC OFFICE AND A PUBLIC OFFICE DOES NEED SOME MONEY.
SO IN ADDITION TO THE GOODWILL AND PRAYER, WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE INCREDIBLY DEDICATED IN OUR OFFICE.
WE COULDN'T RUN THAT OFFICE IF WE DIDN'T HAVE PEOPLE WHO WERE WILLING TO DONATE GREATLY OF THEIR TIME AND EFFORT, WAY MORE THAN WE COULD EVER PAY THEM.
UM, THE BUDGET REQUEST THAT WE MADE, EVEN THOUGH WE NEEDED A LOT MORE, WE REQUESTED WHAT WE RECEIVED LAST YEAR, WHICH WAS WITH THE ENTERGY $250,000 WAS A TOTAL OF 1 MILLION 337, 750.
I UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S LISTED AT 1 MILLION 87 750, BUT WE ALSO RECEIVED LAST YEAR THE ENERGY DOLLARS, WHICH GOT US TO THE 1.337.
UM, THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS FOR 855,380 AND NO ENERGY MONEY.
SO THAT IS A CUT OF 482,370, WHICH IS A 38% CUT IN THE BUDGET.
UM, OUR ENTIRE BUDGET CONSISTS OF, UM, BASICALLY THREE SOURCES.
THE FIRST IS THE, WHAT WE CALL THE DAF OR THE DISTRICT ASSISTANCE FUND.
THAT'S THE MONEY THAT COMES FROM THE STATE LEGISLATURE.
THERE HAS BEEN TYPICALLY ABOUT 48 MILLION A YEAR FOR THE ENTIRE STATE FOR PUBLIC DEFENSE.
IT COMES FROM THE LEGISLATURE.
THE OFFICE OF STATE PUBLIC DEFENDER DIVIDES THAT MONEY AMONGST ALL OF THE DISTRICTS.
AND WE HAVE BEEN RECEIVING RIGHT UNDER $3 MILLION FROM THE DAF.
UM, THAT'S OUR LARGEST SOURCE OF FUNDS.
THE SECOND SOURCE IS MUCH LESS CONSISTENT AND, AND, YOU KNOW, SUBJECT TO LOTS OF THINGS THAT CAN GO WRONG IN THE COMMUNITY, LIKE A FLOOD OR COVID OR, UM, ANYTHING THAT DISRUPTS THE COURT SYSTEM BECAUSE THAT, THAT SECOND PIECE OF OUR FUNDING IS WHAT WE CALL CONVICTION USER FEES OR CUFFS.
THAT IS THE $40 APPLICATION FEE THAT EVERYONE WHO APPLIES TO THE PUBLIC FOR THE SERVICES OF THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE PAYS AS WELL AS THE $45, UM, CONVICTION FEE FOR THOSE WHO ARE CONVICTED OF A CRIME IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
THE TOTAL OF THAT HAS AVERAGED ABOUT $1.3 MILLION A YEAR.
BUT THAT CAN GO DOWN AT ANY POINT, WHICH IT, IT HAS IN THE PAST WHEN THERE WAS A FLOOD, WHEN THERE WAS A OUT IN STERLING, UM, SHOOTING AND, UM, WHEN COVID HAPPENED.
UM, AND THEN THE THIRD PIECE HAS BEEN THE LOCAL FUNDING FROM THE METRO COUNCIL, WHICH, UM, LIKE I SAID, THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS FOR 855,380, WHICH WOULD GIVE THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC DEFENDER A, A TOTAL BUDGET OF 5,155,380.
UM, IN COMPARISON WITH THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, UM, THEY CURRENTLY HAVE A BUDGET OF APPROXIMATELY 16 MILLION, UM, AND 8.7 MILLION OF THAT COMES FROM THE CITY PARISH.
THE PROPOSED BUDGET WOULD GIVE THE DA'S OFFICE 7 MILLION 359, 770, UM, WHICH WOULD REDUCE THEIR BUDGET TO APPROXIMATELY 15 MILLION.
SO EVEN IF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY RECEIVES NO ADDITIONAL FUNDING, THE OPDS BUDGET WOULD BE, OUR TOTAL BUDGET WOULD BE 34% OF THE BUDGET OF THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
UM, THE PROPOSED BUDGET GIVES THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE ONLY 12% OF LOCAL FUNDING THAT IS GIVING TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT THE, THE COMPARISON OF THE WORK BETWEEN THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE AND THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE, WE HAVE TO REMEMBER WE'RE IN THE SAME COURTROOMS. WE'RE DOING THE SAME WORK.
UM, THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE REPRESENTS ANYWHERE FROM 85 TO 88% OF ALL PEOPLE WHO COME THROUGH THE CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM.
WE ALSO REPRESENT EVERYONE, THOSE WHO ARE PROSECUTED IN BATON ROUGE CITY COURT, WHICH THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE IS NOT HANDLING BECAUSE THAT'S HANDLED BY THE CITY PROSECUTOR.
WE ALSO HAVE TO PROVIDE, UM, A PUBLIC DEFENDER FOR BAKER CITY COURT AND ZACHARY CITY COURT.
UM, OUR LAWYERS HAVE THE SAME UNDERGRAD AND LAW SCHOOL DEBT THAT THE ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEYS HAVE, BUT OUR LAWYERS DON'T RECEIVE THE BENEFITS THAT THE ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEYS RECEIVE.
AN EMPLOYEE OF THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC DEFENDER IS NEITHER A STATE EMPLOYEE NOR A CITY EMPLOYEE, WHICH MEANS WE WE'RE NOT IN LASERS FOR RETIREMENT.
WE'RE NOT IN CITY PARISH RETIREMENT.
UM, WE DON'T, WE DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO EITHER OGB HEALTH INSURANCE OR THE CITY PARISH HEALTH INSURANCE.
UM, WE DO HAVE A GROUP HEALTH INSURANCE, BUT BECAUSE, EXCUSE ME, BECAUSE THE OFFICE IS NOT ABLE TO PAY FOR ANY OF THE FAMILY PREMIUM, WE HAVE FAMILIES THAT ARE PAYING $1,800 A MONTH
[02:20:01]
OUT OF POCKET FOR THEIR PREMIUM AND HEALTH INSURANCE WHEN OUR STARTING SALARY IS $52,000 A YEAR.UM, IN AN ATTEMPT, BECAUSE WE ARE A CHRONICALLY CORE AGENCY AND AN ATTEMPT TO ENABLE PEOPLE TO PAY THEIR BILLS.
DECADES AGO, A DECISION WAS MADE THAT THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE DOESN'T PAY INTO SOCIAL SECURITY, WHICH MEANS THAT OUR EMPLOYEES ALSO, IF YOU WORK YOUR LIFETIME AT THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE, YOU'LL NOT RECEIVE SOCIAL SECURITY.
SO WE DO HAVE A 4 0 1 A AND A 4 57 B PLAN.
ALL THAT GOES INTO THAT IS WHAT WOULD OTHERWISE GO INTO SOCIAL SECURITY.
SO THAT'S ALL A PERSON HAS FOR RETIREMENT IF THEY WORK AT THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE.
UM, IN TERMS OF THE, THE COMPLICATIONS OF THE WORKLOAD AND, AND, AND WHAT IT COSTS, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HAVE TO CONSIDER IS THE COST OF CONFLICT COUNSEL, BECAUSE THE LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT CONSIDERS A PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE TO BE A LAW FIRM.
AND THAT MEANS THAT WE CAN REPRESENT IF EIGHT PEOPLE ARE ARRESTED FOR A CRIME, IF THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THESE GANG RELATED OR, OR YOU KNOW, A BIG DRUG BUST.
ANY, ANY MULTIPLE PERSON CRIME, WE CAN INTERNALLY REPRESENT WITH THE W2 EMPLOYEE.
WE CAN REPRESENT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE.
AND THEN WE HAVE TO HAVE CONFLICT COUNSEL, CONTRACT COUNSEL TO REPRESENT THE OTHER SEVEN.
UM, THE WAY THAT WE'VE HANDLED THAT IS WE'VE HAD FOUR LAWYERS WHO HANDLE CONFLICT CASES IN THE NON, WHEN I SAY NON LWOP, NON-LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE CASES.
SO THAT'S LWOP CASES OR YOUR FIRST DEGREE MURDERS, SECOND DEGREE MURDERS, FIRST DEGREE RAPES, AGGRAVATED KIDNAPPINGS.
SO WE HAVE FOUR LAWYERS WHO HANDLE ALL OF OUR CONFLICT CASES FOR ANY CASES THAT DON'T INVOLVE LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE.
AND THEN WE HAVE THREE LAWYERS WHO HANDLE THE CONFLICTS FOR THE LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE CASES.
WE HAVE TWO ADDITIONAL CONTRACT OVERFLOW, LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE LAWYERS.
AND THAT'S BECAUSE WE HAVE CURRENTLY, WE HAVE 197 PENDING OPEN LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE CASES.
AND WE, WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH LAWYERS TO HANDLE THOSE.
AND THEN WE HAVE TWO LAWYERS WHO HANDLE CONFLICTS IN JUVENILE COURT BECAUSE WE'RE ALSO RESPONSIBLE, OBVIOUSLY, FOR REPRESENTATION IN JUVENILE COURT.
UM, WHEN YOU COUNT ALL OF THE COURTS THAT WE HAVE TO COVER, WE HAVE TO COVER A TOTAL OF 25 COURTS.
UM, WE HAVE 36 ATTORNEYS WHO ARE ASSIGNED TO THE 19TH JDC.
THIS INCLUDES THE LAWYERS WHO ARE ASSIGNED TO A PARTICULAR SECTION OF COURT.
UM, ALSO THOSE ASSIGNED TO COMMISSIONER'S COURT TO CALL OUT OR FIRST APPEARANCE.
THOSE ASSIGNED TO SPECIALTY COURTS, THE ATTORNEYS WHO HANDLE THE LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE CASES IN MULTIPLE SECTIONS.
AND IT ALSO INCLUDES THREE ATTORNEYS WHO ARE BEING PAID OUT OF CAPITAL FUNDS, BUT WHO ARE ALSO REPRESENTING PEOPLE BASICALLY PRO BONO IN NON-CAPITAL LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE CASES IN THE 19TH.
AND THEN WE HAVE FOUR ATTORNEYS IN BATON ROUGE CITY COURT WHO COVER THE FIVE SECTIONS OF COURT PLUS THE CITY COURT CALL OUT.
WE HAVE FOUR ATTORNEYS ASSIGNED TO JUVENILE DELINQUENCY CASES IN EAST BATON ROUGE JUVENILE COURT, FOUR CONTRACT ATTORNEYS TO COVER THE CHILD IN NEED OF CARE CASES IN JUVENILE COURT.
ONE CONTRACT ATTORNEY IN BAKER CITY COURT, ONE CONTRACT ATTORNEY IN ZACHARY CITY COURT.
AND THEN AS I MENTIONED, THE TWO CONTRACT ATTORNEYS WHO COVER OVERFLOW LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE CASES.
UM, THE SERVICE IMPACTS OF A BUDGET CUT TO THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE.
THERE'S JUST NO NICE WAY TO PUT IT THERE.
THERE, THERE ARE NO EASY SOLUTIONS.
AND I, YOU KNOW, I KNOW, UM, I THINK I PROBABLY WAS THE FIRST PERSON WHEN I SAW THE PROPOSED BUDGET TO ACTUALLY TELL PEOPLE THAT THEY WERE GONNA BE LAID OFF BECAUSE WE JUST DON'T HAVE A LOT OF PLACES TO CUT.
UM, LAST MONDAY MORNING, I WENT AND TOLD SEVEN PEOPLE THAT AS OF JANUARY 1ST, THEY'RE NOT GONNA HAVE A JOB.
UM, THOSE PEOPLE WERE OUR ONLY SOCIAL WORKER AND SIX INVESTIGATORS BECAUSE I DON'T WANNA TAKE LAWYERS OUTTA COURTROOMS UNTIL I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO.
AND WE CANNOT NOT HAVE A SECRETARY BECAUSE WE WON'T HAVE OUR FILES IN COURT.
I MEAN, IT'S IMPOSSIBLE FOR LAWYERS TO OPERATE WITHOUT SECRETARIES.
SO THE ONLY THING I COULD DO WAS CUT INVESTIGATORS.
WE STILL NEED INVESTIGATORS, BUT WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO GET STUDENTS TO DO THAT WORK.
THAT OBVIOUSLY IS, UM, IT CREATES A, A LOGISTICAL NIGHTMARE.
I DON'T HAVE A JOHN DALEY UP HERE TO, TO PRESENT MY INFORMATION.
I DON'T HAVE A CPA, UM, I DON'T HAVE AN HR PERSON.
SO WHEN I HAVE TO CONSTANTLY GET NEW STUDENTS EVERY SEMESTER TO BE OUR INVESTIGATORS, I HAVE TO DO THAT.
I'M ALSO OUR LEAD CAPITAL COUNSEL.
SO, AND I SAY THIS NOT TO COMPLAIN, BUT TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE STRETCHED AS THIN AS WE CAN POSSIBLY BE STRETCHED.
IT'S NOT THAT PEOPLE AREN'T COMING TO WORK.
IT'S NOT THAT THEY'RE NOT DOING THEIR JOB, BUT THE, THE CUTS THAT I MADE ONLY COVER ABOUT $250,000.
[02:25:01]
THAT'S, YOU KNOW, ABOUT HALF OF THE PROPOSED CUT FOR THIS YEAR AND THE BUDGET AND THE MAYOR'S PROPOSED BUDGET.UM, YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE DON'T GET ADDITIONAL FUNDING, MY OPTIONS WOULD BE, I COULD EITHER STOP PROVIDING LAWYERS AND CONFLICT CASES, WHICH MEANS THEY, THOSE PEOPLE STILL NEED TO BE REPRESENTED, BUT THEY WOULD NOT BE COVERED BY OPD FUNDS, WHICH WOULD MEAN THE JUDGES WOULD HAVE TO SAY, YOU KNOW, PHELPS DUNBAR, I NEED YOU TO PROVIDE ME SOME LAWYERS FOR FREE.
'CAUSE WE HAVE NO MONEY TO PAY YOU.
YOU KNOW, UM, KEEN MILLER, I NEED SOME LAWYERS, UH, YOU KNOW, LOCAL CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY, WE CAN'T PAY YOU, BUT YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO HANDLE THESE CASES.
UM, THE OTHER OPTION WOULD BE TO PICK A FEW COURTROOMS THAT WE SIMPLY DON'T STAFF WITH LAWYERS.
AND AGAIN, THEN THE JUDGES HAVE TO JUST START APPOINTING PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT GONNA GET PAID.
UM, A THIRD ALTERNATIVE WOULD BE TO PROVIDE AT LEAST ONE LAWYER IN EVERY COURTROOM, BUT THEN HAVE A LIMIT TO THE NUMBER OF CASES.
AND THEN ANY CASES AFTER THAT, THE JUDGES ARE BACK IN THE POSITION OF WE'VE GOTTA FIND A LAWYER THAT WE CAN'T PAY.
UM, WHICHEVER OPTION WE CHOOSE IS LIKELY TO LEAD TO LITIGATION BECAUSE THERE'S A CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT TO COUNSEL.
AND THAT RIGHT CANNOT BE MET IF THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC DEFENDER IS NOT ADEQUATELY FUNDED.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I REALIZE THAT WE'RE NOT ALWAYS THE FIRST OFFICE THAT EVERYONE WANTS TO FUND, BUT WE PERFORM SOME REALLY BASIC FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANT FUNCTIONS IN THE SYSTEM.
WE ARE THERE TO ENSURE FAIRNESS IN THE SYSTEM.
WE'RE THERE TO ENSURE THAT ANY CONVICTION OBTAINED IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH IS OBTAINED FAIRLY AND THAT IT'S A CONVICTION THAT YOU KNOW, THAT THAT IS VALID AND IT'S NOT ULTIMATELY GONNA BE REVERSED BECAUSE THERE WAS NOT ADEQUATE COUNSEL.
AND WE'RE ALSO THERE TO PREVENT CRIME BY IDENTIFYING AND MEETING PEOPLE'S NEEDS.
THAT'S WHY WE HAVE PEOPLE AT WHAT WE CALL, CALL OUT OUR FIRST APPEARANCE SO THAT WE CAN SCREEN PEOPLE AND SAY, IS THIS, DO YOU HAVE A DRUG PROBLEM? DO YOU HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEM? WHAT IS IT THAT BROUGHT YOU TO THIS PLACE? AND IF WE DON'T HAVE SUFFICIENT STAFF TO DO THAT, WE'RE JUST, WE'RE SPINNING OUR WHEELS LIKE A HAMSTER BECAUSE THEY'RE GONNA KEEP COMING BACK INTO THE SYSTEM BECAUSE WE'RE NOT ABLE TO IDENTIFY AND DIVERT THEM TO THE SERVICES THAT WOULD KEEP THEM FROM COMMITTEE CRIMES.
THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE, LIKE I SAID, I, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT WE WE'RE ALWAYS REDHEADED STEPCHILD, BUT WE PROVIDE SERVICES THAT WITHOUT OUR SERVICES, THIS SYSTEM CAN'T WORK.
WE, YOU CAN'T HAVE A COURTROOM.
I MEAN, WHEN I FIRST BECAME THE PUBLIC DEFENDER, I APPLIED FOR OPIOID FUNDS.
AND WHEN I MET WITH THE COMMITTEE, THEY SAID, WE ALREADY GAVE THAT MONEY TO JUDGE JOHNSON.
AND I SAID, WELL, GOOD LUCK TO JUDGE JOHNSON RUNNING HIS COURT IF WE'RE NOT THERE.
BECAUSE IF WE'RE NOT THERE, THE COURT CAN'T RUN.
SO I, I RECOGNIZE, YOU KNOW, THE DIFFICULTIES THAT YOU ALL ARE IN, IN THIS BUDGET SITUATION, BUT I'M ASKING THAT YOU PLEASE CONSIDER THE NEEDS OF THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE WHEN YOU'RE MAKING YOUR DECISIONS.
COUNCILMAN HURST, UM, I SPOKE OF FOR YOU EARLY, I DUNNO KNOW IF YOU IN THE ROOM, BUT I I WOULD, I APPRECIATE THAT.
YOU KNOW, I'M ALWAYS FIGHTING FOR YOU.
UH, AGAIN, WHETHER WE GIVE MONEY TO THE 19TH, GIVE MONEY TO THE DA FAIR REPRESENTATION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.
AND THE CONVERSATION THAT YOU AND I HAVE HAD THAT THE WORLD SEEMS TO NOT GET ANYMORE IS THAT I WOULD RATHER HAVE A HUNDRED, UM, GUILTY PEOPLE GO FREE THAN ONE PERSON THAT'S INNOCENT BE LOCKED UP.
AND I MEAN, I HAVE, I HAVE COME BEHIND ANOTHER LAWYER AFTER TRIAL IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH WHERE A PERFECTLY INNOCENT CHILD WAS CONVICTED AND SENTENCED TO LIFE WITHOUT PAROLE OUT OF EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
AND IF I HADN'T BEEN SITTING IN THAT COURTROOM BECAUSE A LAWYER CALLED ME AND SAID, WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM WITH THIS CASE AND I NEED YOU TO COME SEE WHAT'S GOING ON, THAT KID WOULD STILL BE SITTING IN PRISON.
AND IT HAPPENS RIGHT HERE IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH THAT NOBODY MEANS FOR IT TO HAPPEN.
AND IF WE AREN'T THERE, IT'S GONNA CONTINUE TO HAPPEN.
AND THERE WON'T BE ANY, ANY, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE COMING BEHIND TO, TO HELP GET THAT KID OUT.
AND I WAS TALKING TO JUDGE MARKELL YESTERDAY ABOUT YOUR PROBLEM PRIMARILY.
AND, UM, HE WAS STATING THAT THERE ARE, WHAT I'VE SEEN IN THE PAST THAT I DON'T WANNA SEE IN THE FUTURE IS A FINANCIAL LAWYER, UM, REPRESENTING SOMEBODY ON A CAPITAL MURDER CASE, ALMOST GUARANTEED, UM, CONVICTION WHETHER IT'S CORRECT OR WRONG.
BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE ADEQUATE REPRESENTATION.
AND THAT'S WHAT YOU TALKED ABOUT WHEN YOU START TALKING ABOUT CORPORATE LAWYERS LIKE
[02:30:01]
KEEN MILLER AND PHELPS DUNBAR.SO, UH, AGAIN, IF WE WANT REAL PUBLIC SAFETY, PUBLIC SAFETY COMES WITH A BALANCED BUDGET BETWEEN THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE AND THE DA'S OFFICE BECAUSE SOMEBODY WILL BE OUT ON BOND FOR THREE YEARS, THAT SHOULD BE LOCKED UP AND SOMEBODY WILL BE OUT ON BOND FOR THREE YEARS.
BECAUSE THEY CANNOT FAST TRACK IT THROUGH THE COURT SYSTEM THE WAY THAT IT SHOULD WITH ADEQUATE REPRESENTATION AS WELL AS ADEQUATE EVIDENCE, UM, AND EXPERTISE NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE TRIAL IS FAIR.
SO, UM, I'VE BEEN A HUGE SUPPORTER OF YOUR OFFICE WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO, AND WHEN YOU FIGHT FOR THE DA, MAKE SURE YOU FIGHT FOR BOTH SIDES.
COUNCILMAN HARRIS, ARE THERE ANY, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? OKAY, THANK YOU.
WE APPRECIATE, UM, BOTH YOUR PRESENTATION AND YOUR WORK.
THAT IS ALL THAT WE HAVE FOR TODAY.
UM, WE WILL HAVE OUR NEXT COUNCIL BUDGET HEARING TOMORROW AFTERNOON AT 3:00 PM UM, I'M SORRY, IT HAS TO BE AT 3:00 PM UH, THE SCHOOL BOARD, UH, USES THE SAME BROADCASTING SYSTEM, THE SAME BROADCASTING CHANNEL, AND THEIR MEETING BEGINS AT FIVE.
SO WE HAD TO MOVE OURS TO THREE.
UM, WE'LL BE HEARING FROM THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT AND FROM THE PARISH ATTORNEY'S OFFICE.
SO, UM, COUNCILWOMAN EMMA, BEFORE, BEFORE WE ADJOURN, IF I CAN HAVE A A A POINT OF PERSONAL PREVIOUS SURE.
JUST TO CLOSE THINGS OUT, I THINK WE ALL, UH, ON THIS COUNCIL AS WELL AS THOSE IN THE AUDIENCE SAW A REOCCURRING THEME HERE TONIGHT.
UH, MANY OF THESE AGENCIES, UH, THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES TALKED ABOUT THEM SERVICING THE PARISH, NOT JUST THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE HAVING, UH, CASES THAT COME FROM ZACHARY CENTRAL, UH, BAKER AND THE CITY OF ST.
UH, BUT THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE, THE PARIS EAST BATON ROUGE IS THE ONLY ONE FOOTING THE BILL.
UM, I'M HAPPY TO HEAR THAT THIS CONVERSATION IS ELEVATED AND MORE PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT THIS BECAUSE WHETHER IT'S LEGISLATION OR IT'S VOLUNTARILY, WE NEED THE REST OF THESE CITIES TO PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE SO IT CAN EASE THE BURDEN OF THE PARISH AND WE CAN PROVIDE THE EFFECTIVE SERVICES, UH, THAT THESE OFFICES ARE DESIGNED TO PROVIDE.
YOU HEAR THE ISSUES AND THAT IS FACING, YOU HEAR THE CHALLENGES I HEARD JUDGE HA, JUDGE HANEY SAY, WHAT ARE WE DOING? I WOULD ACTUALLY REPHRASE THAT.
JUDGE HANEY, I WOULD SAY, WHAT HAVE WE DONE? THE CREATION OF THE CITY OF ST.
GEORGE HAS CREATED A $50 MILLION BUDGET DEFICIT IN THE PARISH GOVERNMENT.
UH, THE THINGS THAT THE LITIGATION THAT WAS FILED TO STOP IT SAID IT WILL DO, IT HAS CREATED THE NEED TO LAY PEOPLE OFF AND IT WILL IMPACT SERVICES.
IT WILL, UH, MINIMIZE DELAY SERVICES.
THAT'S THE REALITY OF THE CITY OF ST.
THAT'S WHY THE LITIGATION WAS FILED TO STOP IT.
SO WE ALL NEED TO KEEP THAT ON TOP OF MIND.
THIS IS MOVING FROM BUDGET HEARING INTO POLITICAL SPEECH, SIR ROOM.
BUT WE ARE HERE BECAUSE OF THE CREATION OF THE CITY OF ST.
I, I WANTED, UH, COUNCILMAN HUDSON.
I'LL TAKE ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS OF PERSONAL PRIVILEGE.
AND I, I DON'T NECESSARILY DISAGREE WITH THE IDEA THAT ALL OF THE MUNICIPALITIES NEED TO BE AT THE, AT THE TABLE FOR A DISCUSSION.
UH, I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE THAT IT IS TRULY A DISCUSSION WHERE WE ALL TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO HOW THE NUMBERS BREAK OUT.
UM, I'VE DONE A LITTLE BIT OF, YOU KNOW, BACK OF THE NAPKIN MATH SITTING HERE, AND I KNOW THAT BETWEEN THE CITY PARISH, UH, UH, BETWEEN THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE, 2% SALES TAX GENERATES ABOUT 145 MILLION.
AND THE UNINCORPORATED PART OF THE PARISH GENERATES ABOUT 55 MILLION.
SO ALL IN ALL, ABOUT $200 MILLION.
IF YOU ADD UP JUST THE THINGS, UH, THAT COVER CITY OF BATON ROUGE AND UNINCORPORATED PART OF THE PARISH, UH, THOSE ARE ACTUALLY ABOUT 207 MILLION.
AND SO, UH, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE REST OF CITY PARISH BUDGET, YOU KNOW, BATON ROUGE, THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE AND THE INCORPORATED PART OF THE PARISH ARE GETTING A WHOLE LOT MORE USE OUT OF A LOT OF OTHER DEPARTS, UH, THAN THE REST, THAN THE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES.
SO I, I'M, AGAIN, I'M CERTAINLY OPEN TO THE DISCUSSION.
UM, I, I REJECT THE PREMISE THAT THIS IS ALL THE CITY OF ST.
UH, NOBODY AT CITY, NOBODY IN ST.
GEORGE, UH, REQUIRED, UM, YOU KNOW, US TO USE THAT PART OF THE PARISH OF SALES TAX DOLLARS TO GO TOWARDS CITY FUNCTIONS.
UH, AND SO, UH, IT DOES HAVE TO BE A ROBUST DISCUSSION WHERE WE TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO THESE NUMBERS, UH, AND NOT JUST HOW MUCH EVERYBODY OWES, BUT HOW THE FUNDS ARE STRUCTURED, I THINK IS A MORE IMPORTANT, UH, EXERCISE TO START WITH.
UM, I, I LIKE THE IDEA OF US LOOKING AT A CITY OF BATON ROUGE GENERAL FUND AND A PARISH GENERAL FUND.
[02:35:01]
A DISCUSSION WE NEED TO HAVE SO THAT WE CAN GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF, UM, WHERE THE MONEY COMES FROM, WHERE IT GOES.UH, AND THEN THAT GIVES TRUST TO THE VOTERS TOO, TO KNOW THAT THEIR MONEY IS BEING SPENT ON SOMETHING THAT IT SHOULD BE GOING TO.
SO I LIKE HAVING THAT DISCUSSION.
I LIKE THE IDEA TO TWO DIFFERENT FUNDS, BUT I WOULD ALSO SAY DWIGHT, UH, COUNCILMAN HUDSON THAT WORKS IN REVERSE, CITY OF BATON ROUGE FUNDS WENT TO FUND ALL THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN ST.
THOSE ROADS, THOSE BRIDGES, THOSE SCHOOLS.
SO THIS CONSOLIDATED FORM OF GOVERNMENT IS A SHARED REVENUE FUND THAT HAVE BENEFITED BOTH NORTH, SOUTH, EAST, AND WEST.
IT'S GONNA BE AN INTERESTING SEASON, MY FRIENDS.
IT'S GONNA BE AN INTERESTING SEASON.
UM, COUNCILMAN AND ROSA MAKES A MOTION TO ADJOURN AND EVERYBODY ELSE SECONDS.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.