St. Tammany President Proposes $118 Million Budget

COVINGTON, La. (AP) — St. Tammany Parish President Pat Brister has submitted a proposed $118 million operating and capital budget for 2014, a 4-percent increase over this year's budget. At about $103 million, The erating budget is 1.75-percent higher than the current spending plan.

The capital budget, at $15.2 million, is about 27-percent higher than 2013, reflecting an anticipated increase in sales tax revenue that funds road improvements and associated drainage work.

The legal, finance and purchasing departments have seen a spike in their expenses.

Brister says the Legal Department has experienced a "drastic increase" in the number of public records requests from citizens and organizations in the past year, and additional staffers are being hired to produce those records.