[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish moves forward after two of three ballot measures passage

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish moves forward after two of three ballot measures passage
 By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 
on December 10, 2012 at 5:37 PM, updated December 10, 2012 at 5:38 PM Print

St. Bernard Parish voters Saturday passed a fire millage by about 300 votes,
struck down a proposed garbage collections and disposal tax rededication by
about 400 votes, and then overwhelmingly approved a residency requirement
for parish employees by more than 1,500 ballots. Parish Fire Chief Tommy
Stone said on Monday, "Well, I am very relieved."

"And I'm excited that the voters had faith in us to pass the millage," Stone
said. "I'm hoping we can in turn lower their insurance ratings back to
pre-Katrina levels so that we can improve their insurance payments, likely
in part by keeping all 10 fire stations open at one time."

"As for the people who didn't support us, I am hoping that we can earn their
trust for a renewal in 10 years by lowering their insurance and by improving
services."

Amid parish budget woes, Parish President Dave Peralta had said he would cut
79 firefighters if the 10-year, 20-mill property tax did not pass. The
millage is expected to provide the fire department with about $6 million a
year. Combined with a current tax of around 8 mills, it will bring the
department about $8.5 million annually.

The tax will add about $90 - or about $7.50 a month - to the annual tax bill
of a $120,000 home that qualifies for a homestead exemption. It will add
about $250 a year, or $20.83 a month, to the tax bill of a $200,000 home.

Peralta said the parish will have to bond out money to the funds necessary
to pay for next year's firefighters. The parish will not receive the millage
itself until the end of next year.

If the tax had not passed, the fire department likely would have become
disqualified from a $3.5 million Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency
Response, or SAFER, grant that the department was awarded to support 35
firefighters over the next two years. Despite having been awarded that
grant, the fire department had to guarantee that it would stay at its
current staffing levels to get the first year's $1.75 million.

The parish administration had said that without that millage's passage, that
even with the SAFER grant the fire department would have had to drop about
45 firefighters.

Now, the parish will get the the first $1.75 million but likely will have to
bond out for the remaining amount needed - likely at least $4.25 million.


In terms of the voters striking down a proposal that would have shifted a
half-cent garbage collection and disposal tax into the general fund, Peralta
said, "I think we will pretty much break even regardless (in terms of
garbage collection and disposal costs)... I am not anticipating that to be a
major issue at all."

If the proposed rededication of the half-cent tax passes - thereby allowing
parish government to use the funds to support other departments - some
residents have questioned whether the council would institute a garbage fee
to free up some of the now-unrestricted, half-cent tax dollars St. Bernard
Parish residents do not pay a monthly fee for garbage pickup on top of the
sales and property taxes..


While Peralta had expressed some concern about the recently-passed residency
requirement for parish employees, on Monday he said he had been so
preoccupied worrying about the fire millage that he hasn't yet looked too
deeply into it.

"I was way more worried about that millage," he said.

He said that while "you always want to keep your jobs in St. Bernard, people
also have to understand that you have to meet certain qualifications for
candidates."

"But, in this case, we still can look outside the parish, it's just that
then those people would have to become residents, which I think is fine."

Neither New Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines nor St. Tammany Parish
governments have across-the-board residency requirements for parish
employees. The city of Kenner requires its department heads to live in the
city; a 2007 Kenner referendum to eliminate that requirement was defeated.

The St. Bernard Parish Sheriff's Office does not have a residency
requirement, but Sheriff Jimmy Pohlmann said St. Bernard residents receive
preference in hiring. Pohlmann said sheriff's employees who live outside the
parish do not receive take-home vehicles.

While the Sheriff's Office is a separate government entity, the fire
department will have to follow the new residency requirement.

Chief Administrative Officer Jerry Graces has said the residency requirement
also would apply to promotions of existing employees.

As of August, 82 percent of St. Bernard Parish government employees resided
in St. Bernard. Stone has said about 30 percent of fire personnel live
outside of the parish compared to about 95 percent before Hurricane Katrina.

Stone has said that 33 of the last 35 hires for his department are St.
Bernard residents.