A Fair Pay Raise for St. Tammany Parish Employees

The economy is on the mend but still has a way to go.  Many people are seeing a pay raise but there are those who still have yet to see one since the up rise in the economy.  St. Tammany Public Works employees are hoping for a pay raise for 2019.

This hope stems from a proposal given by Councilman Richard Tanner during a recent public hearing. Tanner proposed a 2 percent raise to employees that work in the Public Works department. It

would cost the department approximately $273,000 for the 2 percent pay increase minus the department director. He sees the raise is justified because the department has its own funding source.  This source stems from a dedicated sales and property taxes. Many others agreed during the public hearing on the proposed 2019 operating and capital budgets that the employees should be given a raise.

“Public Works does a fabulous job and it would be my pleasure to vote for this,’’ said Councilman Jerry Binder.

Pat Brister, St. Tammany Parish President, feels that giving raises to one department and not the others “is incorrect and wrong.”

“Everybody in this parish works just as hard as Public Works,’’ Brister told the council.
Brister voiced there is very little wiggle room in the Parish Budget.  The proposed sale tax increase was a no go with voters last election. The two sales taxes that were denied would have brought in $22 million dollars annually. The current budget that Brister will be presenting totals to $99 million and will be adopted by December 31, 2018.

An Economic Balancing Act

After the fall of the economy in 2007, policymakers want to keep a healthy balance in today’s economy. The Federal Reserve does not want to repeat what some economist consider to be the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

According to a statement released by the Federal Reserve, the labor market is continuing to strengthen and the “economic activity has been rising at a strong rate.”

This week Fed policymakers agreed to keep the rates the same for November 2018.  The reason for

this decision was based on the continued growth of the American economy.  The Federal Reserve wants to make sure the growth stays at a healthy rate, neither too fast nor too slow. The benchmark rate, the determining factor for the cost of borrowing on credit cards, mortgages and other loans, will stay between 2% to 2.25%

Markets have gone up this month and the Fed will more than likely raise rates at the final 2018 meeting. This also suggest the rates will raise several more times in 2019. Policymakers explain that this is a standard reaction to the strong economy.  This will give central bankers some cushion if a downturn were to occur.

Not all of the aspects of the economy are at full force. Business investments have risen very little and the investors are curious to see if the Fed officials will anticipate a lower growth in next year’s forecast.

The job market is strong. In October, employers added 250,000 jobs.  Wages have also gone up 3.1% year-over-year. While this is good news for Americans, officials fear that low unemployment and higher wages might speed up inflation which could force the central bank to raise rates aggressively.

A Local Developer’s Unique Twist At Adaptive Reuse

As a community starts to thrive and grow, more and more businesses and residents move into the area.  Along with new growth, comes new buildings and homes in the community. What about the existing buildings in the area that might have lost their tenants due to previous lack of growth?  An Adaptive reuse, the process of reusing an old site or building for a different or new business, is a great way to bring new life into an old building.

existing building is a perfect place for future business owners to begin a new business. 

One community that is booming with growth along the Northshore in the New Orleans area is Mandeville. Barrett and Jill McGuire, of McGuire Real Estate Group, are using adaptive reuse at two sites in Mandeville. Rest Awhile is currently underway and is now a restaurant complex and Band’s Food Store’s old building is currently under review to become a restaurant in Old Mandeville.

Currently under way, is the Rest Awhile restaurant complex.  Originally the Rest Awhile building was the Frapart Hotel in the 1800’s which later became a retreat house for those in need. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the building

was left abandoned and now the project is preserving the old building into a sit-down restaurant.  Two other buildings on the site include the Hadden Cottage, which plans to be a coffee and tapas bar and the Sophie B. Wright Cottage which plans to be a tavern.

The McGuire’s second project is close to Barrett’s heart. Band’s Food Store, in Old Mandeville, was built in the 1940’s and served Old Mandeville for decades.  As a young boy, McGuire remembers sweeping the parking lot of the grocery store, located at Lafitte and Monroe, to earn money to buy baseball cards.  The couple purchased the site for $275,000 and hope to turn the building into a restaurant.  McGuire says they are focusing on “a lunch counter concept at this point” and as for the name, “we haven’t gotten that far yet,” he said.

Adaptive reuse is not only a smart and green way to reuse current buildings, but is also a great way to preserve a community’s memories and history. As for the McGuire’s belief on conserving the old grocery store site, “It’s a great little place. It deserves to be put back into commerce,” he said.

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Patios Make A Great Outdoor Living Space

A homes outdoor space can be just as important as the indoor living space. In fact, there are scientific backed reasons that a homeowner’s outdoor space makes them happy. Several of these include, it is a space for bonding, plants can reduce stress and give off oxygen to help you breathe deeply, it can make you feel younger and it can prevent depression.

Builder’s see the importance in this concept when building most homes. According to the NAHB (National Association of Home Builders) out of the new homes started in 2017, 58.6 percent included patios. This is a huge jump from 2011 where under 50 percent of new homes had patios. The SOC (Survey of Construction) also points out that patios were more common than decks by 23.8 percent in 2017.

Patios differ in size and materials throughout the United States. The average size of a patio on a new home built in 2017 was 260 square feet according to the Annual Builder Practices Survey (BPS)

conducted this year. Although patios are not as common in New England and Middle Atlantic, surprisingly when it comes to new homes with patios, they are the largest nationally topping off at over 370 square feet on average. The building materials used in the two regions usual consists of poured concrete with concrete pavers, natural stone or brick pavers. In the West South-Central poured concrete is not used as much as just concrete pavers.

Over the nine Census divisions there are vast differences on the amount of new homes that were built with patios in 2017. On the high end were the West South-Central at 80 percent, the Mountain at 71 percent, the Pacific at 62 percent and the South Atlantic at 62 percent. The division under 50 percent include West North-Central, East North-Central, New England, Middle Atlanta and East South-Central.

The Northshore is definitely a perfect area for a patio and will make a great space for homeowners to relax and spend weekends and evenings in the great outdoors.

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One Student’s Kindness Develops Into A Nonprofit

The holidays are fast approaching and many call it the season of giving. It is a time of not only giving to friends and family but also giving to those in need. One St. Tammany mom has organized a way not only to give during the holidays but all year round. Wendy Keller and her close friend Tina Billiot Our Friends Closet which helps students in need.

started an organization this year called

Although St. Tammany is an affluent area, there are 316 students within the St. Tammany Parish public school district that are currently homeless and a projected 1,000 or more will be homeless by the end of the school year. There are not only homeless students in need, but also students who might not be able to afford essentials.

The catalyst to Keller’s idea was her 14-year old daughter who is a student in the St. Tammany Parish public schools. One day Keller’s daughter asked her for extra hygiene products to take to school for her friends that were homeless. After calling the school office at St. Tammany Junior High, she confirmed that this was a true need.

“It ate at me,” she said. “Then, in church one Saturday the homily was ‘If not me, then who? And if not now, then when?”’

That is when both Wendy Keller and Tina Billiot started to collect basic hygiene supplies and made their first delivery to two schools, St. Tammany Junior High and Salmen High School.  From then on word begin to spread through social media.

Currently the Billiot’s home has a room that is filled with supplies such as socks, deodorant, shampoo, toothbrushes and even quarters for the laundromats. Crews fill the supplies up into bags and they are delivered to the schools. There is no contact with the students, all the work is done through the counselors at each school.

Our Friends Closet is now registered as a nonprofit and now delivers to schools in St. Tammany, St. Bernard, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes and Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

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A Plan For St. Tammany’s Growing Economy

The economy and housing market are the strongest they have been in the past 10 years.  As the housing market and economy thrive so does the ever-changing communities throughout the country.  St. Tammany Economic Development District wants to evolve with the ever-changing market.
The St. Tammany Economic Development District is the forefront of St. Tammany’s economy. As stated on their site, the agency’s objective is to “seek to preserve and promote the quality of life by strengthening and supporting vibrant economies.” Businesses and Residence can follow the community’s economic development, successes and future opportunities found throughout St. Tammany via the agency.

St. Tammany is a great area to both live and work.  With the low cost of living and the strong business climate, the parish is on a growing trend and is home to industries that include advanced manufacturing, corporate headquarter offices, distribution and logistics, oil and gas, information technology, and healthcare and biosciences. The current population of 255,000 and civilian labor force of over 126,000 keeps this strong economy going.

Along with the growth comes competition with other attractive communities throughout the state and the country. Chris Masingill, who leads the St. Tammany Economic Development District, announced a plan to attract and keep businesses in St. Tammany Parish to the St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce, November 10, 2018, at a breakfast held at Tchefuncta Country Club. First on the agenda is to rebrand St. Tammany Economic Development District with a name change to “St. Tammany Corp.” and a new logo.

Masingill explained that along with the name change, the St. Tammany Corp. will have a new framework for how it handles business in the Parish. They will focus on many factors which include how the Parish’s various communities interact with each other to the role of government and tax incentives in economic development.

“This is not just an academic exercise,” Masingill said. “We’re looking at everything.”
A study will be conducted on how the agency wants to expand its “regional reach.” Masingill wants to establish a good working relationship with other agencies in the Parish, the economic development group Greater New Orleans Inc. and even over state lines.  The plan for the new framework is slated to be completed by year’s end.

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Home Buyers Enjoying Price Allowances by Sellers

Even though the housing market continues to see rising home prices throughout the United States as supply is shrinking, the demand for buying a new home or buying a home for sale has tapered off slightly because of the rising interest rates. The good news is that the economy has finally rebounded from the devastating effects of the Recession, but that means that in order to stem inflation and keep the economy in check, the Fed had to raise interest rates. Because of the this, buyers are being more careful and thrifty with their money and the amount of money they can spend on their monthly mortgage note which translates for sellers that even though it’s very much a seller’s market, sellers are having to make concessions in order to close the deal with home buyers.

In June, 2018, sellers cut prices on approximately 14% of all home sales in order to close the sale. At the end of 2016, the lowest price cut by sellers was 11.7%, so price cuts are on the rise as home prices, having been on the rise, might be reaching their ceiling.

Simple supply and demand have been factors in the cost of homes and the affordability of homes. Rising interest rates have also affected affordability with the ability of buyers to make a larger monthly note. The supply of houses for sale was affected by two huge factors – the so-called “millenial” generation coming of age to be able to buy a home for sale and the disappearance of homes through the foreclosure process that were then turned into single-family rentals, removing them as purchasable homes on the market.

Also, builders recovering from the Recession were cautious as to how many construction loans they took on, having been burned by the Recession and standing inventory. The slow start of builders to start to get “spec houses” out for sale, sticking to the guaranteed deal of having contracts to build a new home or build a completely custom home also contributed to the lack of supply on the market.

Even though the slowdown of the housing market might seem alarming to some people, economists predict rightly that real estate is finally returning to a normal market. Nationwide, there is not a reflection of a total overall slowdown though. Different markets with different factors including job growth and corporate buy-in’s give different locations encouraging statistics. One such market is Austin, Texas, which is enjoying an incredible housing market because of an influx of technology jobs.

“We saw intense bidding on homes over the past few years, but that is calming down with more inventory in the area,” said B Barnett, a real estate agent at Reilly Realtors in Austin. “Our inventory of homes is going up with new construction, and it is helping transfer power back to the buyer.”

Economic forecasts for 2019 show a slowdown of the GDP as the effects of the tax cuts and stock market surge level off. If you are interested in skipping the challenge of supply and demand in your market and would like to just build your own new home in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, Contact Ron Lee Homes, a custom home builder, directly at 985-626-7619 or email Info@RonLeeHomes.com.



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