Current News Items
The Library gets off SCOTT FREE… AGAIN!
LCAT was right again! The council “discovered” tonight that the Lafayette Public Library has NOT been using it’s fund balance to build or remodel their facilities. The construction bonds were being paid back as property tax millages were being collected. We brought...
The Library’s $18 MILLION Drag Queen Obsession
During the April, 2018, election cycle, our research efforts exposed the library's ever-growing $42.3 MILLION surplus. This is perhaps the single largest contributing factor to their losing one of three dedicated property taxes. That defeated tax breathed its last in...
Fire tax: four things you need to know
Four things you need to know about the fire tax1. How to calculate how much 10 mills means to you. We can make this a whole lot simpler than all the crazy calculations some council members...
Dissecting the sheriff’s 50% tax increase and that $17 million surplus
The 1/2 cent "reduction" increases taxes 50%, from $42 million to $63 million per year.In 2017, the Sheriff's Office reported a $17 million surplus.Proposed change would INCREASE taxes in ALL municipalities by 1/2 cent.Increases money collected inside...
Here they go again, $29 million in NEW taxes on the December Ballot
Now that the high-turnout November election is behind us, they're back at it again with MORE new taxes on the low-turnout December 8th ballot. How low? Well, the approximate turnout in November was right at 50% in Lafayette Parish. Our US Congressional...
Pay raises and mid-year budget cuts
On Thursday, November 1st, the first day of the LCG fiscal year, a special meeting was called to discuss the $770,000 budget shortfall created when the council decided not to sell the Buchanan Garage to itself. It's certainly possible that this entire exercise has...
Where’d the money go?
On November 6th, you'll have to decide on supporting or not supporting the Jail tax. Currently, there are two taxes that support the jail: the courthouse and jail tax and the adult...
There’s money to fix the Buchanan Garage
Despite what you've been told, even if the proposed sale of the Buchanan garage from the parish to the city had gone through, nothing would have changed. The woeful record of maintenance would have fallen to the same Mayor/President and the same Parking Administration...
Debunking myths about the November taxes
In a recent article from the Daily Advertiser, several council members referred to the November tax elections as a solution to ongoing funding problems in Parish Government. Let's have a look. 1. The money the new court tax would generate would bring them back to the...
Will the jail tax help the parish budget?
The proposed new jail tax is $6,694,243 per year. It DOES NOT replace the existing jail tax (worth $4,211,369) Last year, that tax was only $562,299 short of funding everything. If this tax passes, the jail will have an extra $6 million a year. Are they...