District 12 Council Member· January 2024 – December 2027 (month-level start: January 2024 current term, first on the January 11 2024 agenda roll call per municode meetings portal and March 2024 and 2026 minutes, earlier first-office date for returning members unsourced; month-level end: December 2027 per stpgov.org 2026 Appointment Book, Planning and Zoning terms concurrent with Parish Council terms expire December 31 2027)
Jerry Binder
St. Tammany Parish
No biography on file yet.
Want every word Binder has said?
The OpenCity MCP for Claude.ai answers questions like “what has Binder said about housing this year” with one prompt — full speaking history, with YouTube timestamps.
Top issues during term (20)
NAMI and the Safe Haven campus funding crisis
NAMI provides about $1.9 million a year in services for free; the disputed rent is $165,000, under 1% of the $22 million deficit.
Townhouse and development moratoriums
Pauses new multifamily construction and the tax base it would add in affected districts.
December 'Keep St. Tammany Safe' sales tax proposition
A quarter-cent sales tax for five years, starting April 1, 2027 — costs shoppers a quarter per $100 spent.
Fill and grading standards for residential subdivisions (Ord. Cal. No. 8216)
No direct parish cost, but residents worry about well contamination and property values nearby.
Courts and District Attorney face 60% cuts
Court request of $3.4 million funded at $1.8 million; DA and jail cuts of roughly 60% each.
Parish jail conditions and funding shortfall
Roughly $14.5–15 million from the sheriff's general fund next year, plus mounting repair costs and $5 million in federal inmate revenue at risk.
New Acadian Ambulance services contract
No subsidy — the parish pays Acadian nothing to provide the service.
Impact fee update and refund provision (Ord. Cal. No. 8215)
Impact fees on a single-family home rise more than 27% under the update.
Coroner's DNA laboratory closure
Funded by reserves lasting until mid-2027 after the millage failed to renew.
Manufactured Home Minimum Size Standards
Stricter minimums could raise housing costs but improve neighborhood standards.
Coffee and bottled-water spending challenged
Roughly $40,500 in 2025 coffee spending and $39,000 in water spending parishwide, all under state contracts.
Lock No. 2 Bridge and Woodlands drainage land acquisition
Acquisition costs come from capital and drainage budgets already appropriated.
Planning and Zoning Commission vacancy filled
Property tax appeals — Board of Review
Appeals can lower individual property tax bills.
2026 budget amendments
Reallocates existing parish funds across funds and projects without raising taxes.
FY2026 millage rates and drainage funding
About $3.16 million a year in taxpayer savings, offset by less dedicated drainage funding.
Mosquito Abatement millage renewal
Saves taxpayers about $4 million a year versus the old max rate.
Helenbirg tract street dedications
Read-only access to parish financial systems for councilmembers
No direct cost stated; administration noted training staff takes months and the system covers roughly 100 funds.
H1 Associates Covington rezoning appeals (Highway 1077 corridor)
Developer projects homes in the upper-$200,000s to low-$400,000s, aimed at attainable housing; residents warn of rising flood insurance and infrastructure costs.
Decisions during term (141)
Recorded while Binder was in office — not necessarily decisions they moved, spoke to, or voted on.
Postpone adoption of the 2027 operating budget (Ordinance Cal. No. 8185)
Postpone adoption of the 2027–2031 capital improvement budget (Ordinance Cal. No. 8186)
Postpone appeal — conditional use for outdoor storage yard, 215 Park Place
Appointments to the St. Tammany Parish Development District board (postponed)
Appoint two members to the Commission on Cultural Affairs
Appoint Kevin Groger to Sewage District No. 1 board
Appoint Todd Sheffet to Fire Protection District No. 6 board
Appoint Dylan Estein to Recreation District No. 7 board
Adopt the consent calendar
Adopt Resolution C7389 — special election, Lighting District No. 5 (as amended)
Adopt Resolution C7390 — special election, Lighting District No. 7 (as amended)
Adopt Resolution C7392 — special election, Lighting District No. 11 (as amended)
Adopt Resolution C7369 on developer plans and zoning matters
Concur with City of Slidell annexation of 54.58 acres on Highway 190 East (Res. C7384)
Adopt Resolution C7398 referring priority recommendations to the RESET task force
Adopt sixteen ordinances for final adoption (Ord. Cal. Nos. 8187–8202)
Denial of appeal — Walheim Materials conditional use permit, Ben Williams Road, Bush
Adoption of consent calendar
Resolution C-7378 — concur with Slidell annexation of 2.12 acres on Gause Boulevard East
Ordinance 8070 — six-month extension of Highway 59 area moratorium
Voting record (5)
Oldest to newest — hover a bar for the item.