The Jeff Davis Parish Police Jury is considering a proposal to use a portion of an existing half-cent sales tax, originally intended for the regional consolidated jail, to help fund the new parish animal shelter.

“The animal shelter committee supports approving to ask voters to authorize the Jeff Davis Police Jury to reallocate the regional consolidated jail tax between the jail and the new animal shelter on the November election ballot, pending our attorney’s review,” Police Juror Kori Myers.

A follow-up meeting will be scheduled to finalize the election details, she said.

Legal attorney Lance Person said there are no issues with reallocating the jail funds for this purpose.

“I have reviewed it and it’s perfectly fine to rededicate the funds to a different purpose,” Person said.

However, police jurors Byron Buller and David Lejeune voted against the reallocation, with Buller voicing concerns about the police jury potentially struggling to maintain the animal shelter financially and using jail tax revenue to support its operation.

“You don’t build a $2 million building and have no way to fund it,” Buller said. “…And I don’t believe in taking our jail tax. We worked too hard to get that for the jail.”

Police Jury President Steve Eastman clarified that there are funds available in the jail fund that could be used for the animal shelter without imposing additional taxes. He also stressed that the rededication is not a new tax and will not cost locals anything more than they are already paying.

He also reassured that the jail’s operation would not be negatively impacted by the reallocation.

The original 10-year, half-cent sales tax, in place since 2014, currently generates about $3 million annually for jail maintenance and operation. The new animal shelter, slated to open in early 2026, is expected to have annual operating costs of nearly $300,000 a year.

Parish Administrator Ben Boudreaux said the strategic co-location of the animal shelter and jail on the same grounds could allow for shared use of jail maintenance personnel and animal control officers for routine maintenance and shelter upkeep.

“It’s perfectly in line with trying to use those funds to possibly pay officers for animal control and jail maintenance personnel to do some work at the shelter itself,” he said.

Boudreaux noted that the biggest expenses for the shelter will be food, the animal control officer, and utility costs.

“We are trying to be efficient with our funds and not have to pass another tax,” Boudreaux said. “We think we can do both without having to ask taxpayers for another burden of another tax.”

Police Juror Butch Lafargue suggested asking local municipalities to help support the animal shelter to ease the police jury’s financial burden.

“I would like to approach the Town of Lake Arthur, the Town of Welsh, and the City of Jennings and see if they would help because they’re essentially going to be in the same bedroom situation with us,” Lafargue said. “We could use all the help we can get.”

Eastman said that he has already spoken with local municipalities and will continue to seek their involvement and support for the animal shelter project, noting stray dogs are a parishwide issue.

“The dogs in the rural area are coming from the city,” he said.  “They’re not just out there in the rural area. Somebody is dropping them off, so this is a parishwide issue.”

Eastman also noted the significant community interest in volunteering and supporting the animal shelter with food and spay/neuter programs.

“I don’t know if it meant anything, but they pledged to help us with food and this and that,” he said. “It’s just going to have to be a parishwide effort.”