One of an elected official’s most important jobs is to wisely manage tax dollars. Each year, the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury takes in tens of millions of dollars in both property and sales taxes to provide a variety of services. Every dollar spent is one hard-earned by someone in our parish. If I’m elected your next District 8 police juror, one of my top priorities is fiscal responsibility.
What is fiscal responsibility?
In general, you may think of “financial” responsibility in terms of a family. Can the income-earners of the household pay their bills on time? Have they taken on only the debt they can afford? Are they able to take care of themselves and their dependents? Are they prepared for the unexpected so that financial liability will not ruin them?
A similar term, “fiscal,” applies to public funds. Put simply, “fiscal” responsibility means using public money wisely. This may include earning money in a sustainable way; not spending money irresponsibly; and saving money (and investing it for the future). Bottom line: are we striking a balance between government spending and taxes to maximize our output while minimizing the burden on our taxpayers?
Why is it important to be fiscally responsible?
Fiscally responsible entities can both achieve and maintain financial stability. A fiscally responsible government can both accomplish its goals and be responsive as public needs change.
Fiscal responsibility + transparency = fiscal accountability
If we’re truly being fiscally responsible, I look forward to also being fiscally accountable! Fiscal accountability requires agencies to appropriately, lawfully carry out policies and programs as intended and with proper accounting, all while maintaining fiscal responsibility.
You, the taxpayers, also deserve full transparency. As a member of the police jury, I’d welcome audits or other reviews of our work. Having been involved with such measures throughout my career, these opportunities to open the books are a wonderful tool for us to evaluate our spending in pursuit of efficiency and effectiveness.
My promise to you
As your District 8 Police Juror, I’ll work with other police jurors to be both financially and fiscally responsible when making recommendations and decisions to meet the needs of our residents and the parish as a whole.
In fact, I’ve done it before! This is a skill I practiced as the Director of Student Financial Aid at McNeese. In that role, I provided oversight for millions of state and federal dollars, maintaining prudence and integrity in the process. I am proud to say that during my tenure, we maintained a clean record and passed all state and federal audits with flying colors.
And you can trust me to do the same as a member of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury.