In case you missed it, your elected officials have done it again! They are raising taxes without a vote of the people. It is all part of a song and dance called “Roll-Forward.”
“ROLL-FORWARD”
The phrase “Roll-Forward” is similar to “Roll Tide.” They both elicit a similar reaction from Louisiana Tigers fans who pay attention to tax policy. (i.e., clenched fist and curse words). The “roll-forward” mechanism, which allows elected officials to raise taxes without a vote of the people, is found in our Constitution. Article 7, Section 23(C) provides:
Nothing herein shall prohibit a taxing authority from collecting, in the year in which Sections 18 and 20 of this Article are implemented or in any subsequent year, a larger dollar amount of ad valorem taxes by (1) levying additional or increased millages as provided by law or (2) placing additional property on the tax rolls. Increases in the millage rate in excess of the rates established as provided by Paragraph (B) above but not in excess of the prior year’s maximum authorized millage rate may be levied by two-thirds vote of the total membership of a taxing authority without further voter approval but only after a public hearing held in accordance with the open meetings law; however, in addition to any other requirements of the open meetings law, public notice of the time, place, and subject matter of such hearing shall be published on two separate days no less than thirty days before the public hearing. Such public notice shall be published in the official journal of the taxing authority, and another newspaper with a larger circulation within the taxing authority than the official journal of the taxing authority, if there is one.
That’s it! By a vote of 2/3, your elected officials may raise taxes “without further voter approval.” Of course, they are expected to provide public notice and have a public hearing, but we all know how it turns out if they fail to do so. They go through the steps again and achieve the same outcome. But what if they don’t do it promptly and miss the deadline for the Assessor to send notice of the amounts to the Tax Collector? Most likely, it would have to be litigated, and some other elected official in a black robe would rule, “The remedy kills the patient, case dismissed.” Our system of government is carefully designed to self-perpetuate, grow, and increasingly escape any challenges.
HOW MANY TAXES ARE THERE?
According to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor, over 40 separate property taxes are collected in Lafayette Parish alone. Depending on where you live determines which ones you pay. For instance, there are about 20 parish-wide taxes. Those levied by the Parish Council are:
- General Alimony (authorized rate: 3.250 mills)
- Exempted Municipalities (authorized rate: 1.626 mills)
- Airport Regional (authorized rate: 1.710 mills)
- Courthouse Complex (authorized rate: 2.340 mills, but a maximum of 2.510)
- Detention and Correctional Facility (authorized rate: 2.060 mills but a maximum of 2.210)
- Juvenile Detention and Rehab (authorized rate: 1.170 mills but a maximum of 1.250)
- Library (2017 – 2026) (authorized rate: 2.910 mills)
- Library (2023 – 2032) (authorized rate: 1.840 mills)
- Drainage District (authorized rate: 3.580 mills)
- Roads and Bridges (authorized rate: 4.170 mills but a maximum of 4.470)
- Combined Health Unit, Drainage, etc. (authorized rate: 3.560 mills but a maximum of 3.640)
Then there are those levied by the Lafayette Parish School Board:
- School District Regular (authorized rate: 4.920 mills)
- School District No. 1 Consolidated (authorized rate: 7.270 mills)
- School District No. 1 Consolidated (authorized rate: 5.000 mills)
- School District No. 1 Consolidated (authorized rate: 16.700 mills but a maximum of 17.880)
Others levied by a single elected official, such as the Sheriff and Assessor:
- Law Enforcement District (the Sheriff) (authorized rate: 8.500 mills)
- Law Enforcement District (the Sheriff, again) (authorized rate: 8.760 mills)
- Assessment District (the Tax Assessor) (authorized rate: 1.070 mills)
Those controlled by un-elected Boards:
- Lafayette Economic Development Authority (authorized rate: 2.500 mills)
- Bayou Vermilion District (authorized rate: 0.750 mills)
- Teche-Vermilion District (authorized rate: 1.5 mills)
- Downtown Development District (authorized rate: 15.00 mills)
Lastly, though not parish-wide, if you live in the following municipalities, you pay additional property taxes:
- General Alimony (authorized rate: 7.000 mills)
- Streets, Roads, and Alleys (authorized rate: 1.290 mills)
- Playgrounds and Recreation Centers (authorized rate: 1.920 mills)
- Public Buildings (authorized rate: 1.130 mills)
- Police and Fire Departments (authorized rate: 3.280 mills)
- Police Salaries and Benefits (authorized rate: 3.000 mills)
- Fire Salaries and Benefits (authorized rate: 2.000 mills)
- General Alimony (authorized rate: 7.000 mills)
- General Alimony (authorized rate: 7.000 mills)
- General Alimony (authorized rate: 7.000 mills)
- Fire Protection (authorized rate: 1.860 mills)
- Fire Protection and Waterworks Facilities (authorized rate: 6.000 mills)
In case you are wondering, the City of Broussard is also authorized to collect upwards of 7.000 mills in general alimony. However, they are the only municipality in the Parish of Lafayette that doesn’t collect a property tax.
WHO ROLLED-FORWARD (RAISED) TAXES?
The Lafayette Parish Council voted unanimously to raise taxes as follows:
- Airport Regional (1.600 mills to 1.710 mills) [Just in time to meet the demands of Sheriff Mark Garber for more money.]
The Lafayette Parish Council, excluding John Guilbeau, voted to raise taxes as follows:
- General Alimony (3.040 mills to 3.25 mills)
- Exempted Municipalities (1.520 mills to 1.625 mills)
- Courthouse Complex (2.360 mills to 2.51 mills)
- Library (2017 – 2026) (2.930 mills to 3.120 mills)
- Juvenile Detention and Rehab (1.170 to 1.250 mills)
- Detention and Correctional Facility (2.070 mills to 2.21 mills)
- Drainage District (3.360 mills to 3.580 mills)
- Roads and Bridges (4.200 mills to 4.470 mills)
- Library (2023 – 2032) (1.730 mills to 1.840 mills)
- Combined Health Unit, Drainage, etc. (3.580 mills to 3.810 mills)
The Parish Council consists of Bryan Tabor (R), Donald Richard (R), Ken Stansbury (R), John Guilbeau (R), and A.B. Rubin (R). These roll-forward tax increases will result in an additional $5,835,666 dollars being taken from the pockets of families.
School board rolled-forward, too!
The Lafayette Parish School Board also voted unanimously to raise taxes as follows:
- School District Regular (4.620 mills to 4.920 mills)
- School District No. 1 Consolidated (7.310 mills to 7.790 mills)
- School District No. 1 Consolidated (4.690 mills to 5.000 mills)
- School District No. 1 Consolidated (16.780 mills to 17.880 mills)
Just in time to provide a little relief to their budget shortfalls brought on by wasteful spending, rising costs, and the spigot being turned off on federal handouts. The Lafayette Parish School Board consist of David LeJeune (R), Chad Desormeaux (R), Joshua Edmond (R), Amy M Trahan (R), Britt Latiolais (R), Roddy Bergeron (R), Kate Labue (R), Hannah Mason (R) and Jeremy Hidalgo (R). These roll-forward tax increases will result in an additional $6,081,987 being taken from the pockets of families.
Sheriff Mark Garber and the Tax Assessor rolled-forward.
Lafayette Sheriff Mark Garber (R) single-handedly raised taxes in the Law Enforcement District, as did Assessor Conrad Comeaux (R) for the Assessment District:
- Law Enforcement District (Tax No. 1) (8.070 mills to 8.600 mills)
- Law Enforcement District (Tax No. 2) (8.220 mills to 8.760 mills)
- Assessment District (1.570 mills to 1.670 mills)
Garber’s roll-forward single-handedly took $2,966.764 more, while Comeaux’s decision netted his office $285,391.
The Lafayette City Council also voted unanimously to raise taxes as follows:
- General Alimony (5.390 mills to 5.670 mills)
- Streets, Roads, and Alleys (1.280 mills to 1.350 mills)
- Playgrounds and Recreation Centers (1.910 mills to 2.010 mills)
- Public Buildings (1.120 mills to 1.180 mills)
- Police and Fire Departments (3.170 mills to 3.330 mills)
- Police Salaries and Benefits (2.850 mills to 3.000 mills)
- Fire Salaries and Benefits (1.900 mills to 2.000 mills)
The Lafayette City Council consist of Thomas Hooks (R), Andy Naquin (R), Liz Hebert (R), Kenneth Boudreaux (R) and Elroy Broussard (R). These tax roll-forward increases will result in an additional $2,307,632 being taken from the pockets of families.
Lafayette’s other local municipalities
In addition, the City of Carencro council voted unanimously to raise taxes. Council members are Jordan Arceneaux (R), Antoine Babin, Jr. (R), Danielle Caprito (R), Taylor James (R), and Alfred Sinegal (R). Thanks to roll-forwards, Carencro property owners will have to pay an additional $28,620 this year.
Meanwhile, the City of Scott and the City of Youngsville council did not raise taxes. Scott Council members Terry Montoucet (R), Lee Domingue (R), and Blaine Roy (R) were all in favor of raising taxes, while Mark Moreau (D) and Doyle Boudreaux (D) opposed the matter. Over in the City of Youngsville, the matter died in a tie vote, with Councilman Lindy Bolgiano abstaining from the vote due to being a firefighter. Councilman Matt Romero (R) and Jamie Creed (R) both were in favor of raising taxes, while Simone Champagne (D) and Shannon Bares (D) were opposed to the measure. Additionally, the unelected Boards of the Teche-Vermilion District and the Bayou Vermilion District did not raise taxes.
WHAT IS THE IMPACT?
We contacted the Lafayette Assessor’s Office in October to seek additional information but were advised that the data had not been finalized. They said we could possibly get some draft numbers by the end of the week, but that didn’t occur. We even asked for copies of the notices provided by the various bodies and were told that the Assessors’ Office had not been provided with the notices. Interestingly, the Assessor’s Office website lists the dates of times for the 2024 roll-forward hearings for the Lafayette Parish School Board, the City of Youngsville, Lafayette Consolidated Government, Lafayette Parish Sheriff’s Office, Lafayette Economic Development Authority, the City of Carencro, Bayou Vermillion District, and the City of Scott, as well as the Assessment District. That information must have just spontaneously self-populated on the website!
Then Assessor Conrad Comeaux was quoted by media sources back in August as saying some property tax bills will go up by 10% and others by 3% depending on where they are located in the parish. On average, the increase is 6.5%. Then, in October, media sources reported that all taxing districts in the parish had finished submitting their millages with Comeaux, indicating that the average homeowner in Lafayette Parish will see up to a $750 increase in their property taxes.
All together now!
In a recent follow-up, the assessor-elect, Justin Centanni, provided the final numbers. All together, your elected rulers and their appointed constituents raised taxes in Lafayette Parish by $17,506,061! If you didn’t get a Christmas card or letter thanking you for your generous contribution, it probably wasn’t in the budget. Or you could always chalk up that missing thank you note to the United States Postal Service. They are always an easy target.
For some, the fiscal impact could be devastating. For others, it is not so much the budgetary impact that stings. It is the fact that many of these people who were elected to public office have claimed to be “fiscal conservatives.” And yet, they consistently vote to raise your taxes, increase wasteful spending, and grow the scope and size of government. If you thought the (R) or (D) following each person’s name above was a representation of their party affiliation, you are wrong. It stands for “Raised Taxes!” or “Didn’t Raise Taxes!”
###
Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.
Churchill’s rallying cry echoes today: “Give us the tools, and we will finish the job.” Here's how you can help hold the line for Louisiana’s conservative values.
One historical figure I frequently look to for inspiration is Winston Churchill. With little more than grit and determination, he rallied his countrymen to overcome overwhelming odds and save the world. He had a plan and a team, but on February 9th, 1941, he needed resources to further stimey the evil forces bearing down on England.
He closed his radio broadcast on that fateful day, saying, "Put your confidence in us. Give us your faith and your blessing, and, under Providence, all will be well. We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire... Give us the tools, and we will finish the job."
Here we are some eighty years later, and evil again bears down upon us. To be sure, Donald Trump will do his part in Washington, DC. However, Louisiana and her local communities are our jobs - yours and mine. It's up to us to hold the line against the Left's encroachment in Louisiana. That's the work Citizens for a New Louisiana has already been doing for nearly eight years. We've shored up our gains in Lafayette, Livingston, and St. Tammany parishes. However, many more parishes are currently undefended! Will you help us to expand more Conservative bulwarks into other parishes?
Churchill knew that success was only possible with additional resources. That remains true today. We can only continue this critical work with support from friends like you. We don't just think Louisiana is worth saving; we're doing our part to accomplish it, one little bit at a time. Are you on board? Here's your chance to prove it. Partner with our movement or chip in monthly so this critical work continues.
If everyone who read this article contributed just $10 a year, we could double our reach. Your support now ensures Louisiana’s conservative future—don’t wait—contribute today!
Contribute $10 NowBecome a Monthly PartnerMake a Tax Deductible Gift
Let’s not forget the other popular method they often use to raise your taxes without your approval; its called a Franchise Fee. They use various utility providers (cable, internet, gas, etc.) to collect a tax from users, without you even realizing it. Half of the tax may show up as a line item on your bill, while the other half is hidden, not identified in the rest of the bill. A city, town, parish, etc. can collect a different tax through each of the utility providers via the “Franchise Fee”, which should really be called what it is, a tax!