2025 was a busy year as usual. Matter of fact, a lot of what we do yearly is usual. A few things in 2025 stand out.
The Webster Parish Courthouse Maintenance Tax came up for renewal in 2025. It is a 2.68 Mill property tax used to maintain WPPJ properties. They include the courthouse which is home to the judges offices, courtrooms, multiple DA offices, multiple Clerk of Court offices, sheriff’s tax collection offices, Registrar of Voters, 911, Homeland Security and the women’s jail. The Courthouse Annex which houses the WPPJ and the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office. Also includes the Tax Assessors office building, Minden and Springhill Health Units, Office of Community Service Building and Bus Barn, WPPJ Creighton Road and Sarepta Highway Barns. The voters of Webster Parish passed this renewal by a large margin for a period of 10 years. I thank them for that. Most of the agencies I mentioned help with some of their maintenance or the WPPJ might not be able to maintain them, we thank them for that. WPPJ also acquired the old Armory Building from the City of Minden. It is now the GOHSEP/OEP warehouse for District 7. It is used to store emergency supplies for the district. Our Office of Homeland Security has received some Grant money for improvements and applied for more.
The Road Districts A and B tax renewals also passed by large margins this year. They are also 10-year renewals. I have been on the jury for about 20 years, over that period, the state transportation fund has been relatively the same since I was first elected. The State Transportation Fund is funded with tax money residents of Webster Parish pay the state, the state then sends the parish a percentage of them back. Road materials have increased nearly 4 times as much in that same period. If it were not for the A and B District Road Taxes, I do not know what WPPJ would do to keep up the over 600 miles of parish roads.
The Council on Aging was able to get a small property tax, 1.75 mills, passed in 2025 to help fund their agency. It was much needed. I want to thank the voters for this too. It is not a WPPJ tax but it does pass through the WPPJ to the Council on Aging.
The WPPJ was able to help acquire Water Enrichment Funding for parish water systems. They were the Bistineau Water System, Sibley Water System and the Gilgal Water System. We are working on some more for 2026.
The construction has finally begun on the women’s jail we have been working on for a couple of years. It was slow at first but seems to be moving along better now. Hopefully it will be finished later this year. We need it as soon as possible. The jail is presently on the fourth floor of the courthouse. It is outdated and we need change. The new jail is a collaboration between Sheriff Jason Parker and the WPPJ. The sheriff has gone way above and beyond his legal responsibilities. The WPPJ is responsible for furnishing the housing and operating expenses, the sheriff is charged with operating it. Jason pledged a large sum of money toward construction. Without his help, I doubt we would be building this prison.
Lastly, the WPPJ received another clean audit in 2025. This is at least 20 in a row. The only findings we have had as far back as I know were a couple of procedural findings and the state changing the rules caused them. We have great people in place. Our office staff is second to none. I want to publicly thank Lisa Balkom, our WPPJ Secretary Treasurer and her staff, Alisha Owens, Koko Jones, and Angie Jackson, as well as our Highway Department Superintendent Teddy Holloway and his staff, Chris Bagwell, Chris Silvis, Benny White, and Michelle Thompson. There is a mountain of paperwork that not only has to be completed but it must be completed right. The WPPJ is very lucky to have these people.