[StBernard] St. Bernard 'Will Be Broke' Without Loan

[Westley Annis]

Here's an idea:

Check it out through our state reps and legal eagles and see about adding an
ad valorem tax to each barrel of refined product our local oil refineries
produce/ship.  

It won't break 'em (certainly not Exxon - lol! ) and it might be
compensation for, oh say, taking fire stations and otherwise not honoring
the concept of "green space" from the Federal court decision on the Murphy
oil spill.

Shoot, I bet the Council and Prez wouldn't even have to go into Executive
Session to discuss this one. <wink>

#842





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	St. Bernard 'Will Be Broke' Without Loan
	
	POSTED: 10:37 am CDT April 3, 2008
	
	
	CHALMETTE, La. -- With federal disaster aid starting to dry up, St.
Bernard
	Parish President Craig Taffaro said the parish faces a looming
budget crunch
	that could force several million dollars in spending cuts.
	
	Taffaro said the parish's $39 million operating budget for 2008 is
propped
	up by $8.5 million from a multiyear federal disaster loan that will
be
	depleted by the end of the year.
	
	Taffaro said without the loan, the parish would be broke.
	
	David Peralta, the parish's chief administrative officer, said the
parish
	faces a projected shortfall of about $4.5 million for 2009 that must
be
	offset by spending cuts, barring an unexpected surge in revenue.
	
	He said the biggest budget buster is the sanitation department,
which will
	cost an estimated $10 million to operate next year. That's three
times the
	pre-Katrina figure.
	
	
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