Children's program hit by budget cuts

FRANKLIN — The impact of parish government budget cuts came up again at the April 8 Parish Council meeting, this time involving a program for children.
To cope with a looming budget shortfall — Parish President Sam Jones put the amount at $400,000 — the parish instituted a series of cuts, including a 25% reduction in funds for nongovernmental agencies.
For the Save Our Children Mentoring Program in Franklin, that cut took a big chunk out of the $10,000 it has received from the parish.
“But nobody seems to care,” said Jacob Bell of Save Our Children, who spoke to the council April 8.
Bell pointed to the recent Futures Project program, a joint effort by the Sheriff’s Office and the School Board to educate fifth-graders about bullying, substance abuse and other topics.
Bell said he learned that the Futures Project is supported by funds from an opioid lawsuit settlement involving millions of dollars. Yet he’s making do with less.
“I applaud what you do …,” Jones said. “The work you’ve done in the past has been excellent.”
That work has included monthly birthday parties, talks on topics such as bullying and nutrition, and Christmas gifts for participating kids in Franklin, mostly under 13.
But Jones said that while the parish’s financial picture is improving, cuts had to be made.
Councilman the Rev. Craig Mathews offered help in finding a grant writer for Save Our Children.
Also April 8, the council introduced two ordinances setting property tax rates for 2026. Both re-enact taxes that are already in place and would require no tax increase.
One ordinance keeps a millage of 5.72 mills for the parish library system. The tax is imposed across the parish except for Morgan City, which has its own library. Another 0.46 mills is dedicated to library debt repayment.
The second ordinance would keep the parish criminal justice property tax at 7.60 mills for unincorporated areas of the parish and 3.80 mills in municipalities.
A mill is 1/10th cent of tax levied on every dollar of assessed valuation. Louisiana’s homestead exemption, which protects the first $7,500 of assessed valuation from being taxed, applies to the library and criminal justice taxes.
Twenty days must elapse between the introduction of an ordinance and a final vote. The ordinances could come up for public hearing and a passage vote as early as May 13.