Expenses; operating budget

A. In addition to the expense allowance provided by R.S. 16:6, the district attorney of the Twenty-Fifth Judicial District shall be entitled to an operating budget, paid by the governing authority of the parish of Plaquemines from the general fund, and any other funds made available for this purpose, for the expenses of the operation of the office of the district attorney. Such expenses shall include but shall not be limited to the following: (1) Salaries of stenographers, clerks, administrators, secretaries, and investigators. (2) Salaries of assistant district attorneys, as provided by R.S. 16:573, except that there shall be no increase in any one year exceeding the amount budgeted by the parish governing authority for merit and cost-of-living increases for civil service employees without approval of the governing authority of the parish of Plaquemines. (3) Expenses for stationery, telephones, automobiles, office equipment, and office supplies. (4) Funds for matching federal grants, parochial retirement coverage for employees, as provided by law, and hospitalization insurance coverage for employees, as provided to other employees of the parish. (5) Travel expenses where appropriate for operation of the office or for training seminars, and registrations for seminars, schools, and professional societies. (6) Any other expenses which may be incurred in the normal operation of the office of the district attorney. B. All such expenses shall be paid by the governing authority of the parish of Plaquemines. C. The operating budget shall not be reduced without the consent of the district attorney during the year in which it is effective, nor shall the district attorney's annual budget for any year be less than the annual budget for the preceding year without the consent of the district attorney, except in the case of a pro rata reduction in the operating budgets of all other departments in the parish of Plaquemines due to reduction in revenues. This Subsection shall not apply to the capital outlay portion of the annual budget for the office of the district attorney provided that, for purposes of this Subsection, the capital outlay portion of the budget shall not include office equipment, furniture, communication equipment, expenses associated with maintaining a law library, and computer systems.