Fiscal administrators

I wonder how many people know this is even a practice in Louisiana.

This year the state took the first step towards taking over the administration of more financially troubled towns than ever before.

But Louisiana’s own money troubles kept state government from taking the second step – asking the courts to appoint a fiscal administrator – leaving those towns in financial crisis for months without a fixer.

This is happening at time when Legislative Auditor Daryl Purpera doesn’t know many more towns – his office recently counted 15 – are also on the brink of needing to replace elected local officials with a single administrator who has the power to unilaterally raise fees, fire workers and otherwise make the tough decisions that stave off financial ruin.

Small town life in Louisiana is getting tougher. Back in March we read that 25 local governments derive over half their revenue from fines and fees.. in other words, they send cops out to collect bounties from people. 

And 194 of the state’s 304 incorporated cities, towns and villages raise more in fines and forfeitures than they do in property taxes, according to latest financial audits.

The reason is less Barney Fife passionately holding scofflaws to account for minor infractions and more small-town officers strictly enforcing traffic laws — issuing tickets costing $80 to $200 or more — that has the added benefit of bringing more money to municipalities with few other revenue-raising options.

“That’s the symbol of a broken system when you have to depend on preying on people to pay your bills,” said Robert Scott, head of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana. PAR is a nonprofit Baton Rouge-based government policy analyst. “If you’re protecting people, that’s OK, but if you’re protecting services, you need to re-examine.”

In New Orleans we already have a version of this problem as city leaders have spent much of the past year playing gotcha with residents over traffic tickets and water bills and the like.  At least they're still accountable to voters, though, which means we can go yell at them and they might even listen.  A Fiscal Administrator doesn't have to put up with any of your crap.