[StBernard] East bank levee authority plans to seek tax increase for St. Bernard levees in December

[Westley Annis]

Are they out of their f-ing minds?  Hell NO!

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East bank levee authority plans to seek tax increase for St. Bernard levees
in December Print Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By Mark
Schleifstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune Email the author | Follow on
Twitter on August 04, 2014 at 3:38 PM, updated August 04, 2014 at 3:42 PM

The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East will ask St. Bernard
Parish voters to approve a 7.5 mill increase this fall in the taxes that
fund the Lake Borgne Basin Levee District.

The authority has called for a special meeting Thursday to announce plans
for the proposal, which would seek to raise the existing millage rate to
18.5 mills.

The 7.5 mill increase would result in an increase of $18.75 a year for a
homeowner whose house is worth $100,000 and has a homestead exemption. The
increase for a house worth $200,000 would be $93.75.

The increase is necessary to pay higher costs of maintenance and operation
of the levees and gates rebuilt in the parish since Hurricane Katrina and
the parish's drainage system, said authority President Stephen Estopinal.

While the federal government and the state are paying the cost of
construction of the federally-designed levees, the district is responsible
for all operation and maintenance costs for those levees, as well as all
costs for the interior 40 Arpent Levee. And the district must also pay
similar operation and maintenance costs for drainage structures and pump
stations.

The Orleans Levee District and the East Jefferson Levee District millages
are for levees only, and are not affected by this millage proposal. Drainage
in New Orleans is handled by the Sewerage & Water Board, and in Jefferson by
the parish's public works department, which have their own tax bases.

The special board meeting meeting will be held at 9 a.m. Thursday at the
Orleans Levee District Franklin Administrative Complex, 6920 Franklin Ave.,
in New Orleans.

The authority plans to vote on the resolution requesting the election at its
Sept. 18 meeting, which will be at the St. Bernard Parish Council Chambers,
8201 W. Judge Perez Dr., in Chalmette.

Estopinal said he expects the millage election to be scheduled for Dec. 6.

He said the additional revenue is needed because the Lake Borgne district's
expenses outstrip its present tax revenue base, which has forced the
district to use up much of its limited reserve funds.

"I tell you it is the absolute minimum that we're going to need to continue
operation of the Lake Borgne Levee District," Estopinal said.