BREAUX BRIDGE, La. (KLFY)- When the new Breaux Bridge City Council took over in January, they started looking at the city’s current revenue and expenses. The council quickly realized Breaux Bridge had a revenue deficiency.

Now the city of Breaux Bridge is considering a new one-cent sales tax.

“Breaux Bridge is the only community in all of South Louisiana other than a couple of small villages that still has a one-cent sales tax,” Breaux Bridge Mayor Ricky Calais said.

In 1971, the city council adopted its first one penny sales tax. Mayor Calais says the city has not looked at increasing that tax until now.

The mayor says this sales tax would generate $2.7 million in additional funds for the city.

“At one cent, we currently bring in $2.7 million in sales tax. Simply to run the police department, it takes us 2.6 million,” Mayor Calais said.

Mayor Calais says that leaves no money left for anything else.

“Once you pay that bill and set that money aside to run the police department, you have very little money left to run your city,” the mayor added.

If this one-cent sales tax passes, the additional funds could only be used for certain projects.

“It’s dedicated to infrastructure, to parks and rec, to police or fire protection, to drainage, and to economic development. It can’t be used for anything but that,” Mayor Calais said.

The one-cent sales tax will be on the November 16th ballot.

If the tax passes, it will take effect January 1, 2020.