[StBernard] St. Bernard Council OKs $32 monthly fee to prevent Fire Deparment layoffs

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Council OKs $32 monthly fee to prevent Fire Deparment layoffs

Published: Tuesday, August 21, 2012, 9:57 PM     Updated: Tuesday, August
21, 2012, 11:10 PM

 By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, The Times-Picayune 

The St. Bernard Parish Council on Tuesday evening unanimously passed a $32
monthly fee for parish residents, to pay for the Fire Department's operation
from Sept. 1 through the end of the year so the administration would not
have to lay off any fire personnel.

The fee would not be applied to residents' bills for those who are 65 years
old or older and earning $67,601 a year or less.

The amended ordinance, proposed by Council Chairman Guy McInnis,
specifically states that "multiple family dwellings will be billed each
month at the maximum amount of residential units."

"A credit can be taken for the number of units that are not occupied after
proof of vacancy and a signed affidavit is submitted."

Councilman Ray Lauga also amended the ordinance to state that the $32 fee
will be reviewed each month and that if sales tax revenues "are higher than
anticipated than we can reduce that fee down from the $32."

In two meetings last week and in previous discussions, councilmen have
proposed that on the Dec. 8 ballot, parish voters would decide whether they
prefer to replace that $32 monthly fee with a 20-mill property tax, which
would add about $90 - or about $7.50 a month - of the annual tax bill of a
$120,000 home that qualifies for homestead exemption. It would add about
$200 a year, or $16.66 a month, to the tax bill of a $200,000 home.

That ballot language was not discussed on Tuesday and likely instead will be
on the agenda for the 7 p.m. Sept. 4 council meeting.

Parish councilmen previously have said they likely would pass language for a
second ballot proposal that would let residents vote on an additional fee
for non-fire parish services, such as community development, recreation,
public works, mosquito control and road lighting. After the Tuesday meeting,
McInnis said that the parish bond attorney told him that a fee likely could
not be added to the ballot as it would in essence be a "staw poll," having
the state pay for an election on something that the council could do without
an election.

The parish council will continue to look at all options to pay for non-fire
department services including cuts to services, layoffs or a possible
millage on the Dec. 8 ballot. 

Following public criticism on Tuesday and last week, McInnis and Councilman
Richie Lewis, chair of the parish Executive Finance Committee, for the first
time stated that the Parish Council would not include ballot language to
keep the $32 fee if parish residents strike down the millage. Lewis stated
emphatically that the $32 fee would only last until the rest of the year
and, if residents strike down the 20-mill proposal, then no additional fire
fees would be imposed.

"It will be for four months and only for four months," Lewis said.

Lewis and McInnis also mentioned $1.7 million in proposed non-personnel cuts
that they have submitted to the administration and asked the public to be
patient until the council holds its budget hearings in October and November.

"I sit here and guarantee that budget cuts will be made," Lewis said.

During the reading of his bimonthly president's report, Parish President
Dave Peralta said that less than $8 million in sales tax revenue has been
collected thus far in 2012, and that the year's total is expected be $15
million. The 2012 budget passed last year anticipated about $21.1 million in
sales tax revenue, meaning that parish likely will be about $6 million
short.

"I cannot stress the severity of our current financial standing enough,"
Peralta said. "We have already reduced the size of our workforce by nearly
70 employees since the beginning of the year, bringing the total number of
employees on the parish payroll to less than 450."

Peralta emphasized that the parish government only has "direct control over
approximately 380 employees, 108 of which work for the Fire Department."

Peralta said that the remaining 270 employees make an average of about
$34,000 per year, and that 36 of their salaries are paid for by grants.

He said that 30 of the 450 are elected officials including Peralta himself,
the council, justices of the peace, constables and the district attorney.
Then there are about 30 judicial officials on payroll, including court
reporters and a number of assistant district attorneys. There also are eight
employees who are either members of the Board of Zoning Adjustments or work
for the Registrar of Voters.

"St. Bernard Parish Government is not perfect, but we are always striving to
improve the services that we provide," Peralta said. "However, it is clear
that we can no longer afford to maintain or improve services unless we are
able to generate additional revenue."

"Historically, we have all had the luxury of not having to pay the fees that
residents pay in other municipalities for similar services," he continued.
"We are now in the unfortunate position of having to choose between paying
fees and reducing the level of services we have come to expect."

.......

Benjamin Alexander-Bloch can be reached at bbloch at timespicayune.com or
504.826.3321.

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