Covington mayor hopes voters approve tax

Covington Mayor Candace Watkins said the step pay plan that would be funded by the 1/4 cent sales tax she’s asking voters to approve Tuesday would cost the city $483,000 in the first year.

The sales tax, if approved, is projected to bring in between $800,000 and $900,000 a year, she said, more than enough to pay the salaries of police and firefighters for the first few years.

Watkins is asking voters to approve the tax in an effort to pay the city’s police officers and firefighters better salaries, to help recruit experienced officers and to help the city keep the officers they hire and train.

Not everyone supports the tax, including City Council President Matt Faust. Faust is not against paying police officers and firefighters; instead, he believes the money is already available. Faust said recently the money could be found in the budget to cover the step pay plan.

Watkins disagrees with Faust, who previously said he believed the plan would cost about $250,000.

Faust said until last week he hadn’t seen a plan in writing and believed the $250,000 was needed by the police department. He stands fast in his belief the $483,000 the mayor says is needed is already available in the budget.

Recently, Watkins held a press conference and town hall meeting to discuss the tax.

At both meetings, Police Chief Richard Palmisano said two officers recently resigned for higher paying positions.

He and Watkins said the resigning officers’ reasons for leaving are “strictly financial” and in most cases involve a salary increase of at least $10,000.

The fire department is also facing challenges. According to Watkins, 937 structures have been constructed in the city, but the number of paid fire fighters has not increased in 11 years.

At the same time, the number of calls has increased from about 800 per year pre-Katrina to about 1,200 the first nine months of this year, said Fire Chief Richard Badon.

The proposed sales tax increase will bring Covington’s total sales tax to 9 percent, applied to all purchases. Mandeville’s current sales tax is set at 9.25 percent.

Watkins said that while Covington has about 9,700 residents, an additional 15,000 people come to the city each day.

By instituting a sales tax, the cost of fire and police services would be shared by everyone receiving them, not just the residents.

“We have a responsibility to control public safety in our city,” she said.