FRANKLINTON -- Voters will decide Saturday whether to pass a new 1/2 percent sales tax that will generate an estimated $2.4 million in annual revenue for the Washington Parish Sheriff’s Office.

When asked what that $2.4 million will be spent on, Washington Parish Sheriff Robert Crowe casually picked up a tri-fold brochure from his desk and pointed to the answer below question No. 5: “The additional monies will be used for community policing, full time staffing of our substations, equipment and vehicles.”

In a nutshell, that’s where the money will go, in addition to halting the $50,000 WPSO is losing every month due to inflation and rising expenses.

Washington Parish Sheriff Robert Crowe and WPSO Chief Financial Officer Mechelle Galloway look over budget numbers at WPSO headquarters in Franklinton Wednesday. Crowe says if a sales tax propostion is not approved by voters Saturday, the department will be forced to make unwanted cuts. DAILY NEWS PHOTO/Jacob Brooks Advertisement

“It will get us caught up on the budget,” said Crowe, who sat down with The Daily News for an hour and half Wednesday to explain the need for a tax.

The 1/2 percent sales tax will cost taxpayers 1/2 a penny for every dollar spent in the parish. For a $100 purchase, it would amount to 50 cents.

Another 1/2 percent sales tax that goes to WPSO was approved by voters in 1992.

But times have changed since then, and WPSO’s budget isn’t keeping pace with an ever-growing criminal population, said Crowe.

“Crime never sleeps,” he said. “I’m just trying to look ahead.”

To that end, Crowe proposed the new tax, which has drawn a line in the parish between those for and against the proposal.

If passed, Crowe said he will set up new WPSO substations in Isabel and Angie, each staffed with a community deputy who knows the area.

“Community policing is a proactive way to go,” Crowe said, adding it would lead to faster response times and deputies would be able to act as school resource officers.

WPSO will also look into getting new vehicles, Crowe said, adding the current fleet of police cruisers is old and not cost-effective to maintain.

“Most of them have 100,000 miles when we get them,” he said. “We would like to purchase some new vehicles that are going to last us three or four years, and not a year and a half.”

If the tax passes, WPSO would also look into getting dash camera systems for patrol vehicles, which would record interactions between deputies and potentially save the department money on court costs.

Those camera systems can cost more than $2,000 each, Crowe said, adding the jail is also in need of new surveillance equipment.

While Crowe has stated in general terms where the proposed tax money will go to, he hasn’t specifically budgeted the money.

“We’ve discussed what we could do,” he said. “I don’t count chickens before they hatch.”

However, if the tax passes, Crowe said he won’t spend money just for the sake of spending money.

He said he would hire about six new personnel, including two or three road deputies, another radio dispatcher (currently there is only one position), a transportation deputy and a full-time animal control officer.

If Washington Parish had the tax base like retail store-heavy St. Tammany or Tangipahoa, Crowe said he wouldn’t need to ask for the tax.

Opponents of the tax — none who wished to be named publicly — said WPSO’s current budget is sufficient. They point to more than $7 million in revenues in last year’s budget, and that the sheriff should tighten his belt and deal with the bad economy like everyone else.

“Enough funds are currently available to run WPSO without another tax,” wrote one person who is circulating anti-tax messages through e-mails. There are even two anti-tax videos highlighting WPSO’s budget numbers posted on YouTube.com. The videos can be found by searching “WPSO Tax” on the Web site.

Crowe says the budget was over $7 million because of post-Katrina influence and former Sheriff Aubrey Jones’ now-defunct work relocation program. With those issues in the past, a realistic WPSO annual revenue is more like $6 or $6.5 million — still not adequate to fight the increasing crime in Washington Parish, according to his office.

“We’ve done everything we can without cutting service and people,” said Mechelle Galloway, WPSO’s chief financial officer.

However, since Crowe took over in July 2008, the WPSO’s number of personnel has dropped from about 120 to 106. When deputies or other staff quit, he chose not to replace them as a way to save money, Crowe said. And Crowe’s pro-tax information brochure states the sheriff has taken a pay cut and overtime and other expenses have been cut to the bare minimum.

Crowe said he has received mixed comments about the tax, from high praise in the rural parts of the parish to completely against it from people in Bogalusa, where the sales tax is 9.16 percent.

If it does not pass, cuts would have to be made in order to erase the $50,000 monthly deficit. Those cuts would include DARE and “other services that are not mandatory,” Crowe said without getting too specific. Likely he would cut “a little bit across the board,” he said. Personnel cuts are also likely, he added.

Will crime increase if the tax does not pass?

“Not if I can help it,” Crowe said, adding he and his deputies will fight crime no matter what happens.

“I’m ready for whatever the voters of the parish decide,” he said.