Jefferson Parish
The latest news on how the Jefferson Parish tax payer money is being wasted…..
Jefferson Parish to pay $8M for outside help to fix late audits, bond rating loss
Should the Jefferson Parish taxpayers foot the bill for Cynthia Lee Sheng’s incompetence? According to a news article posted by NOLA.com on September 17, 2025, that is exactly what she is attempting to do by utilizing taxpayer money to dig herself out of the self-imposed loss of Jefferson Parish’s bond rating due to negligence. Taxpayers should be aware that the
Below are excerpts from the Nola.com article which can be read in its entirety here: https://www.nola.com/news/jefferson_parish/jefferson-parish-asks-to-pay-deloitte-8m-per-year/article_d641cd5c-3290-46d9-9faf-6a01455c6113.html
“As Jefferson Parish attempts to get its financial house back in order following multiple late audits and the loss of its bond rating, the administration says it needs to pay a consultant millions more to help dig them out after hitting roadblocks.”
“Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng is asking the Parish Council to increase its contract with consulting firm Deloitte and Touche to $8.5 million per year for up to five years to accommodate its expanding scope of work, which includes supplementing department staff, turning over financial documents to auditors, and transferring decades-worth of data from an outdated accounting software to a more modern one.”
"This was a blanket ask with no information, and that is not acceptable," said At-large Council member Jennifer Van Vrancken, who has clashed with Lee Sheng in the past year.
“Walker said the $8 million will prevent the parish from falling further behind on its late audits for the past two years, which are being prepared by EisnerAmper for another $700,000. The 2023 audit is expected to be completed by the end of the month, and the 2024 audit by the end of the year.
Once those audits are complete, the parish can begin the process of reacquiring its bond rating. Without a rating, it would be incredibly difficult for the parish to fund any projects that require the issuance of bonds at a reasonable interest rate.”
