[StBernard] Property Tax Bills to Be Mailed in June

[Westley Annis]

Tax base down about 25 percent in St. Bernard
Industry assessments largely unchanged 
Thursday, March 09, 2006
By Karen Turni Bazile
St. Bernard/Plaquemines bureau 

Despite the massive destruction Hurricane Katrina brought, St. Bernard
Parish Assessor Marlene Vinsanau has told the Parish Council that her
post-hurricane reassessments will still net the parish almost three-fourths
of the property taxes it would have collected had Katrina never struck. 

 
"Considering the devastation total in the parish, I am happy with the
taxable assessed value," Vinsanau said. "I would have prayed (that we could
collect) 50 percent." 

Vinsanau said it is important for residents to provide her office with a
valid mailing address because bills probably will be mailed in June. 

Of the 18,000 owner-occupied homes that qualify for homestead exemptions,
about 50 percent paid property taxes for 2004 above the exemption's $75,000
cap. In Vinsanau's post-Katrina assessment, approximately 500 homes still
had values above the homestead exemption. 

Vinsanau said she depreciated the value of the structures of the homes
across the parish at various rates depending on the extent of the
destruction. 

"The land still has value, and we believe that will come back," she said.
Vinsanau said there was $291.6 million on the property tax rolls in 2004.
The rolls now have $215.3 million for 2005 in light of Katrina's
devastation. 

The parish government, School Board, sheriff, council on aging and the Lake
Borgne Basin Levee District, which all collect millages, were largely spared
a total tax revenue meltdown because the parish's major industries were
still in place after the storm and had little damage to affect their large
assessments, Vinsanau said. 

The parish's two largest industrial taxpayers are Chalmette Refining LLC,
which had a $56.5 million assessment and Murphy Oil Corp., which had a $36.2
million assessment. Utilities, including Entergy, BellSouth, Atmos Gas and
Cox Communications, combined for $50 million in assessments. 

Before the hurricane, the council had just approved resolutions levying 105
mills parishwide, but those resolutions need to be revisited because 12
mills were dedicated to paying the debt on bond issues and may need to be
adjusted to raise enough money. Last year, one mill raised about $273,000,
Vinsanau said. A mill will raise about $215,000 for 2005 taxes, she said. 

Based on the 105 mills, all parish agencies combined collected about $28.7
million last year in property taxes. This year's preliminary figures show
the parish may net about $22.6 million. 

Property owners who have questions about their property taxes can call the
assessor's office at (504) 279-6379. Current mailing addresses can be sent
to the assessor's office, Room 105, Chalmette Courthouse, Chalmette, LA
70043. 

. . . . . . . 


Karen Turni Bazile can be reached at kturni at timespicayune.com or
504-352-2539.