Cooper wants maximum to bring in $1 million
By KEVIN CHIRI
Slidell news bureau
MANDEVILLE – The budget problems for the St. Tammany Parish government have been well documented, particularly after the parish lost approximately $22 million a year from four consecutive defeats at the ballot box for a sales tax renewal.
Parish President Mike Cooper has dealt with the financial crunch ever since he took office in 2020, seeking every way possible to cut costs and reduce expenses, and has been using reserve funds to cover the lost $22 million although he acknowledged the parish will be “out of money” by the end of this year.
Last year, after Cooper convened a committee to seek new ways to find revenue, they again landed back on the sales tax proposal, which was then defeated last November in the fourth attempt.
This Thursday night, July 7, the parish president will ask the council to consider rolling forward millage rates as the parish seeks any way they can find to dig up additional revenue. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers and is open to the public.
Cooper announced that he will seek to roll millages forward to bring in a little more than $1 million in property tax money from parish residents as one way to help the parish find more money.
Even though the move will cost property and homeowners more money annually in their tax bills, it will be a very small amount that is estimated to cost $2.70 each year per $100,000 in home or property value for those living in the unincorporated areas of the parish, with an increase in property taxes of $2 annually for every $100,000 for those who live in any cities.
After the parish lost the $22 million at the ballot box, a feud began between Cooper and District Attorney Warren Montgomery, who said the parish was not funding his department at an adequate level, something that is mandated by the state.
Montgomery tried to settle the problem when he asked for yet another sales tax of one-seventh of a cent in a public vote that was held in the spring. But after the tax failed for the fifth time, the D.A.’s Office sued the parish in a lawsuit that is still pending.
The parish can increase the property taxes via the millage without a vote of the public since St. Tammany residents approved a maximum millage rate in past years. Over previous years the parish had rolled the millage back to save residents money on their property tax bills, but now facing the budget problems Cooper will be asking the Parish Council to approve rolling forward to the maximum voter-approved total.
“This is not a new tax and will not exceed the maximum millage rate approved by the voters,” Cooper said.
The parish estimates that the roll forward will bring in $1,041,489 in the next tax year, with the millage increases going to the General Alimony taxes, a public health tax and an animal shelter tax.
The parish explained that the increase in General Alimony property tax is critical to support the Parish General Fund, which is the funding source for state-mandated costs.
The increase in Public Health is necessary for the medical care costs for the St. Tammany Parish Jail, which can only be funded by the Public Health or the General Alimony millage. The increase in Animal Shelter is vital to support the life-saving efforts and to maintain the no-kill status for Animal Services.