HAMMOND - Sheriff Gerald Sticker has been in office for nearly ten months, and Saturday parish voters chose not to adopt a three-quarter cent sales tax that he says would have benefitted his office.

The tax would have raised nearly $25 million dollars. Without that money, Sticker says his office will need to make adjustments.

"There's just not an abundant amount of finances," Sticker said. "That would have put us on par with our neighboring sheriff's office in Livingston Parish."

Sticker says in 20 years the sheriff's office has stayed the same size while the parish has grown. More than 17,000 people voted on the tax, but it failed by a little more than a thousand votes. It would have gone towards providing resource officers for all public schools, hiring deputies and raising pay.

"Our turnover and our ability to recruit and hire people is greatly diminished because we don't have the money to pay them," Sticker said.

He says the goal was to be able to pay deputies at least $20 an hour.

"The last part of that money was the equipment, technology, police cars. They don't cost $30 thousand anymore. It's north of $60 thousand to buy and fully equip," he said.

Sticker says other ballot items worked against the measure.

"When they go to our initiative, they probably didn't think twice to vote 'no' on that as well," Sticker said.

Sticker says he plans to work with the public to set a tax plan that is affordable for citizens and can fund the sheriff's office.