Calcasieu Parish police jurors heard Thursday about a strategic plan that is designed to improve the parish’s performance and services over the next three years and beyond.

Created over 10 months, the plan was drafted using feedback from residents, parish employees and stakeholder groups. Six priorities were established, and department leaders came up with more than 100 aligned goals.

Parish Administrator Bryan Beam said the vision is for Calcasieu to serve as a model parish, while promoting quality of life and continued growth through better infrastructure. The core values include vision, collaboration, dependability and financial stewardship.

One of the six priority areas focuses on getting the Police Jury and other government agencies to be more efficient with their resources and reducing duplicated services. Another calls for addressing infrastructure needs, such as roads and drainage, over the long term.

Improving drainage parishwide has its own priority. Others call for pushing development through property standards; supporting quality of life measures; and being more environmentally friendly.

Beam said the 106 goals have specific steps that will be put in place over the next several years.

The Police Jury is expected to take final action on the strategic plan at its Jan. 3 meeting. Once approved, Beam said it will remain flexible in order to accomplish the six priorities.

The entire plan is available on cppj.net. Beam said it will be updated periodically as progress is made.

Emergent Method, a Baton Rouge-based company, compiled the data from the surveys and interviews to help form the plan.

Budget approved

Earlier in the meeting, police jurors approved the $244 million budget for 2019. It is 4.5 percent more than the $233.5 million in the current budget. Some of the increases come from operations and capital projects like roads, drainage and facilities.

The parish plans to spend $120.1 million on capital projects. Road and bridge improvements make up $53 million, with 10 scheduled bridge replacement projects, along with extensions to Coach Williams Drive, Johnny Breaux Road and Ham Reid Road.

Drainage improvements make up $14 million in spending.

Operations costs are estimated at $94.5 million, up 3.6 percent from the $91.3 million in the current budget. It includes a 3.8 percent salary boost.

Calcasieu Parish Police Jury (American Press Archives)