CENTERVILLE — St. Mary Parish voters have the option of approving a half-cent sales tax to give the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office its first revenue increase in 17 years, Sheriff Mark Hebert said.

Hebert said the Sheriff’s Office has had to “borrow money on a cash flow basis for probably eight out of the last 10 years” and, despite efforts to reduce costs, cannot afford to continue to do so without a bump in revenues.

The last revenue increase, Hebert said, was a quarter-cent sales tax enacted in 1997. This was before the Sheriff’s Office Law Enforcement Center and the staff it required was built in Centerville, he noted.

In an effort to streamline work and reduce expenses, Hebert said the office, through attrition as opposed to layoffs, reduced staff from 211 to 175 and also shuttered the jail on the seventh floor of the St. Mary Parish Courthouse in Franklin, which primarily housed female inmates.

“We did everything we could to cut the costs to see wha we could do without calling for a new tax,” he said.

The tax is expected to generate around $5.15 million annually to add to the $10-12 million brought in every year from ad valorem and sales taxes (grants can bring that total up to $14.5 million depending on the year) Hebert said.

In this year’s budget, Hebert said 73 percent was dedicated to salaries and employee benefits. Other expenses include regularly updating equipment and jail-related expenses. Hebert noted the office spends around $10,000 a week on fuel alone.

The new tax, listed as a Law Enforcement District Proposition on the ballot, is strictly for the Sheriff’s Office, would be taxed parishwide (including municipalities) and would go into effect April 1 if approved by voters Dec. 6.

Hebert said the added revenue would likely be used to stabilize the amount of money his office has to borrow and help assure the ability to invest in the office’s infrastructure down the road. He said he believes voters have generally accepted the request for the tax.

“We feel that we got our message out and people understand the great needs that we have,” he said.