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FINANCE
About the Finance Department
Section 5.02 of the Home Rule
Charter establishes the Department of Finance and provides for
its duties and responsibilities.
Primary functions include:
- Collection and custody of
all funds due to the Parish
- Disbursement of funds from
the Parish treasury in accordance with applicable laws and
budgetary restraints
- Maintenance of a
centralized accounting system utilizing nationally accepted
standards
- Procurement of all
property, materials, supplies and services required by the
Parish under a centralized purchasing system
- Providing assistance to
the Parish Administrator in the preparation of the Annual
Operating and Capital Improvement Budget
- Timely payment of
principal and interest on Parish indebtedness
- Prudent investment of all
Parish funds
- Preparation of monthly
statements of revenues and expenditures
- Administration of data
processing systems.
Other important functions
include:
- Preparation of Parish
payrolls and timely accounting for all employment taxes and
deductions
- Maintenance of public
records
- Application and accounting
for federal and state grants
- Preparation and
publication of the annual audited financial report
- Preparation of all
regulatory and credit rating reports
- Issuance of all parish
business licenses
The Department of Finance is
committed to a high standard of excellence in the performance
of these duties and responsibilities. Maintaining the public
trust is our highest consideration.
Purchasing
If you sell supplies or
services you can probably sell them to the Parish of Caddo.
The Parish, through the Purchasing Division, contracts for
almost millions of dollars in supplies and services each year.
The primary objective of the Purchasing Division is to acquire
highest quality supplies and services at the lowest cost. We
are constantly seeking new sources of supply and welcome your
participation.
You will find doing business with the Parish easy. Most
purchases are made through a comprehensive system of
specifications and competitive bidding. This process ensures
that contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder who complies
with the specifications, terms and conditions, and who also
has the capability to deliver the service or product in a
timely manner.
Business Relations
We realize it is essential to
develop good relationships with our suppliers. It is our
policy to be fair and courteous to all vendors. However, our
operating agencies are usually quite busy; therefore, it would
be appreciated if you make the Purchasing Division your first
point of contact. The Purchasing Division will then arrange
contacts with our operating agencies. While walk-in sales
calls are welcome, we suggest that you make an appointment
prior to visiting the Purchasing Division in order to assure
adequate time to address your concerns. Click
here for a list
of products and services purchased by departments.
Location
The Purchasing Division is
located at 505 Travis Street, Suite 850. Office hours are 8:00
a.m. to 4:45 p.m., Monday through Friday. For appointments,
please call (318) 226-6903.
Vendor/bidders’ list
The Purchasing Division
maintains a centralized bidders’ list which is classified
according to supplies or services provided. You may be placed
on this list upon written application. Click here to request
an application form. Supplemental catalogs and price lists are
most helpful to the Purchasing Division.
Request for Quotations - ($7,500 – $15,000)
The Parish Purchasing Policy
requires that all purchases up to $15,000 be made by requests
for quotations. The procedure follows:
- A Request for Quotation (RFQ)
or request for telephone quotes is made, depending upon the
nature of the item to be purchased.
- As quotes are received
they are tabulated and evaluated.
- A formal purchase order is
prepared and issued to the Vendor.
- Some purchases under
$7,500 may require quotes as well.
Competitive Sealed Bids -
($15,000 and greater)
It is the policy of the
Parish to solicit competitive sealed bids for purchases
exceeding $15,000. Click
here for the latest Invitations to
Bid.
The procedure follows:
- A public notice to bidders
is issued in the local newspaper.
- Invitations for Bids
issued to prospective vendors.
- Bids are received,
tabulated and evaluated. Bid Results
- Awards are made to the
lowest responsible bidder.
- Bid Awards are approved by
the Purchasing Division.
- A formal purchase order is
issued to the successful bidder.
Samples
When samples are requested,
they will be held until the award is made. Samples for trial
should be at no cost to the Parish. Samples should be clearly
identified.
Taxes
The Parish of Caddo is exempt from all Federal and State sales
taxes.
Purchasing Cards
Division heads or their designees are authorized to purchase
items up to $500.00 with purchasing cards which function
similar to credit cards.
Purchase Orders
All purchases other than those with a purchasing card must be
authorized by purchase orders. Only the Purchasing Division
may issue a formal purchase order.
Payment
The Purchasing Division is available to assist vendors by
providing general information on the payment process. For
assistance you may call (318) 226-6903.
Insurance and Bonds
The Parish of Caddo may require insurance and/or bonds from
vendor’s doing business with the Parish of Caddo.
Complaints and Grievances
All vendor complaints or grievances should first be submitted
in writing to the Purchasing Agent who will take prompt
remedial action. The Purchasing Agent will investigate the
validity of the complaint and present the findings in writing
to the vendor. If the vendor is dissatisfied with the
Purchasing Agent’s remedies, he may then make an appeal to the
Parish Administrator. This policy does not preclude
consideration of legal questions in connection with any
decisions made by the Parish.
PARISH OF CADDO DEPARTMENT OF
FINANCE PURCHASING DIVISION
P. O. Box 1127
Shreveport, LA 71163-1127
Phone: (318) 226-6903
Fax: (318) 226-6909
E-mail: purchasing at caddo.org
Contacts
Department of Finance
P. O. Box 1127
Shreveport, LA 71163-1127
Telephone & E-mail Directory
Map
Frequently Asked Question About the Finance
Department
Q:
How does the Parish determine the assessed value of my
property?
Q: What is a
property tax mill?
Q: What is the
Homestead Exemption?
Q: Where do
I pay my property tax bill?
Q:
What permits and/or licenses will I need to operate a business
in Caddo Parish?
Q:
If I intend to sell alcohol, what permits or licenses do I
need?
Q:
Has the Parish paid or received my invoice?
Q:
Why
did I receive a notice regarding a paving lien against my property
and why is my assessment more than my neighbor’s
assessment?
Q: Where can I obtain copies of the annual audit report and the
annual operating budget?
Q: How does the Parish determine the assessed value of my
property?
A: Property is assessed by
the Caddo Parish Tax Assessor. Questions concerning property
assessments should be addressed to:
Caddo Parish Tax Assessor
501 Texas Street, Room 101
Shreveport, LA 71101
(318) 226-6701
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Q: What is a property
tax mill?
A: A property tax mill is the
tax rate on real property based on $1.00 per $1,000 of
assessed property value. A mill is equal to 1/10 cent.
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Q: What is the
Homestead Exemption?
A: The homestead exemption is
a tax exemption on the first $75,000 of the value of a
person's home. The value of your home is exempt up to $75,000
from state and parish property taxes. The exemption applies to
all homeowners. If your home is worth $70,000, you are fully
exempt from the payment of property taxes. If it is worth
$90,000, you are exempt on the first $75,000 of value; and you
pay taxes only on the remaining $15,000 of value. If your home
is worth $200,000, you are exempt on the first $75,000 of
value; and you pay taxes on the remaining $125,000 of value.
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Q: Where do I
pay my property tax bill?
A: The Caddo Parish Tax
Assessor values real estate and personal property in Caddo
Parish for property tax purposes. The Parish of Caddo does not
collect property taxes. Your property tax bill is sent to you
at the end of each year by the Caddo Parish Sheriff and Tax
Collector. Any inquiries concerning your property tax bill
should be made to Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office – Tax Division
at (318) 681-0638.
Parish taxes should be remitted to:
Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office
Tax Division
501 Texas Street, Room 101
Shreveport, LA 71101
(318) 681-0638
City taxes should be remitted
to:
City of Shreveport
Revenue Customer Service
P.O. Box 31109
Shreveport, LA 71130
(318) 673-5500
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Q: What permits and/or licenses will I need to operate a
business in Caddo Parish?
A: An occupational license
tax is due and payable upon commencement of the business. The
Parish issues a temporary license to conduct business for a
period of 30 days. The temporary license must be updated after
30 days, and the original license will be mailed. Occupational
licenses may be obtained from the Purchasing Department.
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Q: If I intend to sell alcohol, what permits or licenses do I
need?
A: A class A or B Alcohol
Beverage License is required for the sale of alcohol in the
Parish. A class A license is for the consumption of liquor on
the premises, class B is for liquor in package form only.
Applications for an Alcohol Beverage License may be obtained
from the Purchasing Department. The application must be
accompanied by certified funds in the proper amount payable to
the Parish. The amount payable depends on the type of
business.
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Q: Has
the Parish paid or received my invoice?
A: The Finance Department is
responsible for paying invoices for the Parish of Caddo. Any
questions concerning the payment or receipt of invoices should
be directed to the Finance Department at (318) 226-6913.
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Q: Why did I receive a notice regarding a paving lien against
my property and why is my assessment more than my neighbor’s
assessment?
A: The Parish of Caddo has
the authority to order the paving, repaving, or improvement of
any streets, public alleys, or public places in the Parish
whenever in its judgment and discretion it may be necessary.
Property owners whose property abuts a dirt street may
petition the Caddo Parish Commission to pave the street.
Property owners who represent more than 50 percent of the
assessable front footage must sign the petition. Currently,
the Parish pays 60 percent of the costs of the paving with
property owners on either side of the street paying 40
percent. Upon completion of a street paving project, 40
percent of the total cost of the project is assessed against
the property owners on the basis of the owner’s respective
front footage. Property owners may repay the assessment over a
period of four (4) or nine (9) years. The current interest
rate on street paving assessments is 5 percent. Until the
assessment is paid in full, a lien is placed against the
property and filed with the Clerk of Court. For more
information on paving assessments, contact the Finance
Department at (318) 429-7644.
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Q: Where can I obtain copies of the annual audit report and
the annual operating budget?
A: Copies of audit reports
and operating budgets can be obtained from the Department of
Finance. Audit reports and operating budgets are also kept on
file in the public documents area at the Shreve Memorial
Library.
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