Special Edition: New Orleans Needs Jobs, Not Lawsuits

Op-Ed by Marc Ehrhardt
GrowLouisianaCoalition.com
Edited By: Leonard Lenny Vasbinder
April 5, 2019

On March 29, the City of New Orleans announced it's filing a lawsuit against oil and natural gas companies over the coastal land loss. Now, more than ever, we need to unite as a community and tell Mayor Cantrell that we want jobs, not lawsuits!

The following is a statement from Marc Ehrhardt, executive director of Grow Louisiana Coalition regarding New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell's decision to sue New Orleans' energy industry:

“Nothing good comes from suing an industry that means so much to New Orleans. Right now, there are more than 1,600 New Orleanians and a couple hundred New Orleans-based businesses working in the energy industry here. These businesses employ citizens from every corner of the city.

The message being sent to thousands of New Orleanians who have made their lives and raised their families in the City of New Orleans is that their work, their years of paying taxes, rebuilding their homes and neighborhoods, and their value to the community means nothing. The city would rather sue them.

Lawsuits do not build relationships. They end them. If this issue was about truly working together on coastal management and building, then the city would recognize that New Orleans’ energy industry is already a dedicated partner in addressing Louisiana’s coast. The industry is also one of the largest partners in dozens of the city’s most recognized community efforts, including groundbreaking partnerships like NORDC, GNO Inc., and ongoing programs with local schools, nonprofit and environmental organizations here.

While the oil and natural gas industry go to work on these programs, lawsuits filed in 2013 were thrown out of federal court four times, including the final decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. Other lawsuits still languish in the court system without any significant movement more than five years after they were first filed. The people and businesses of New Orleans need jobs for everyone, not lawsuits.”

Worried about the future of New Orleans' energy industry? Share this newsletter with your friends and family. https://growlouisianacoalition.com/new-orleans-needs-jobs-not-lawsuits/

Constitutional Amendment Six (6) Affecting Property Taxes is on the upcoming November 6 ballot

Press Release edited by:
Leonard Lenny Vasbinder

October 04, 2018

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 6 PROPERTY TAX AMENDMENT IS ON THE NOVEMBER 6 STATEWIDE BALLOT

FACTS ABOUT CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 6

Amendment 6 will buffer property owners from large property tax increases if there is a steep increase in value.

Actual Text of Proposed Amendment No. 6: Act 718 of the 2018 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature proposing to amend Article VII, Section 18(A) and (F) of the Louisiana Constitution. Do you support an amendment that will require that any reappraisal of the value of residential property by more than 50%, resulting in a corresponding increase in property taxes, be phased-in over the course of four years during which time no additional reappraisal can occur and that the decrease in the total ad valorem tax collected as a result of the phase-in of assessed valuation be absorbed by the taxing authority and not allocated to the other taxpayers?

WHAT DOES CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT (CA) 6 DO?

By law in Louisiana, tax assessors must reassess all properties at least once every four years. When property values rise in your area, you could see big increases in your assessment and, therefore, in your property taxes. Under CA 6, if you have a homestead exemption and your property assessment increases by 50 percent or more during a single assessment, this law phases in the increase in your property tax bill equally over the next four years.

WHY IS IT NECESSARY?

Real estate prices have increased so quickly in many places. In some neighborhoods, rapidly rising values and taxes have priced residents out of their own homes! This law, if approved by voters November 6, would soften the blow of a potentially steep increase in your tax bill. That beats being hit with a large increase all at once.


HOW DOES IT WORK?

Let's say your house is valued at $100,000 one year, but reassessed at $200,000 the next year. Instead of paying taxes on the full $200,000 that first year, it would phase in over four years:

Year 1: held to $125,000 assessment
Year 2: held to $150,000 assessment
Year 3: held to $175,000 assessment
Year 4: $200,000 assessment

For more information, https://ballotpedia.org/Louisiana_Amendment_6,_Phase-In_of_Tax_Increases_from_Property_Reappraisal_Amendment_ (2018)

FACEBOOK OPENS REGISTRATION FOR NEW ORLEANS COMMUNITY BOOST

Press Release —
July 18, 2018
D. Johnson
Edited by Leonard "Lenny" Vasbinder
July 19, 2018

In November of last year, Facebook announced the launch of a new program to invest in small businesses across the country. The program, Community Boost, is designed to help small businesses grow and to give more people the digital skills they need to compete in the new economy. Facebook Community Boost will be visiting 30 cities this year and will be in New Orleans from August 7 to 9.

Today, we are announcing that registration is open for anyone who wants to come to Community Boost which kicks off on August 7 at River City Venues, 1380 Port of New Orleans Pl., New Orleans, LA 70130. You can learn more about the event and register here: www.facebook.com/business/m/community-boost/neworleans

Why Louisiana? When Facebook heard that Louisiana wanted more digital skills training, it became a driving force behind why it was chosen to host Community Boost. A survey by Morning Consult of small businesses in Louisiana found:

Demand for digital skills: When we spoke to the Louisiana small business community about what are important factors when hiring employees, more than 8 in 10 (84%) said an individual's digital skills were important. When asked about where a candidate went to school, 6 in 10 (63%) said that was a factor. We're seeing in city after city that the future of work is changing and we know that companies like us have a role to play.

Value of social media: Louisiana small businesses also see social media as critical to their success. For example, nearly 7 in 10 (67%) small business workers in this state said that Facebook is important to running their business.
Growing with social media: The Louisiana small business community knows Facebook is essential to growing their businesses. More than 5 in 10 (52%) small businesses on Facebook say that it has helped them hire additional employees. More than 7 in 10 (75%) say that Facebook allows them to reach more customers outside their cities, states, and countries.