2009-0308
INTRODUCED BY: DENNIS NUSS, COUNCILMAN, DISTRICT VII
ORDINANCE NO.____________
Title
An ordinance to roll back the Parish Government millage rate by 6.06 mils for tax payers in St. Charles Parish under the jurisdiction of the said governing authority. This reduction in ad valorem property tax rate is to keep total collection of taxes the same as in 2004, to reflect the increased tax collection due to higher assessed property values.
Body
WHEREAS, property tax collection increased from 2004 (pre-Katrina) through 2008 for all taxing authorities in St. Charles Parish as follows:
Assessor $ 354,986.95
Sheriff $ 8,544,967.68
Hospital $ 1,358,442.62
School $14,647,975.26
Parish $ 5,774,856.33
and,
WHEREAS, the Parish President has submitted a proposal on August 3, 2009, to keep millage rates the same or roll forward without any proposal to reduce costs on the expenditure side; and,
WHEREAS, only one tax increase has been voted on by the people of St. Charles Parish since 2004 (for the Sheriff); and,
WHEREAS, there was an unintended windfall due to the reassessment of 2007; and,
WHEREAS, reserve funds for Parish Government and other taxing authorities are high, in some cases exceeding six months of operating expenses to be used for an emergency; and,
WHEREAS, the 2009 tax assessment will result in an undue burden on working families, early retirees, and fixed income residents, creating a windfall for public bodies and squeezing the middle class; and,
WHEREAS, the appraised property values in St. Charles Parish have come down in the past year and the taxing authorities have not adjusted the taxation to reflect the market value of the same, resulting in excessive tax collection; and,
WHEREAS, sales tax collections in the preceding years have increased post-Katrina resulting in a windfall to taxing authorities in the Parish.
THE ST. CHARLES PARISH COUNCIL HEREBY ORDAINS:
SECTION I. The excess funding of all taxing authorities i...
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