Vote NO to all new taxes — and especially on May 4, 2019 in Jefferson Parish, LA

Editorial by Leonard Lenny Vasbinder
April 28, 2019

Commentary on the upcoming May 4, 2019 election in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana.

I received a mailing from the Friends of the Jefferson Parish Public School System stating that the voters should vote in favor of the upcoming tax increase (millage). They call it an "investment in our schools" and say that the "cost is minimal" ($8.23 a month for someone with a $200,000 home) but doesn't say how much they are trying to raise on their mail out.

According to the Secretary of State's website voter portal, I was able to find the actual ballot language (see below) and they are increasing taxes by nearly $30 MILLION a year for 10 years — or nearly $300 MILLION!

They claim that the "newly elected School Board" have created this "strategic plan to move the system from a letter grade C to an A."

Only four out of the nine members are "newly elected" in January 2019. The rest have been serving (aka feeding at the public trough) since 2004 or a couple as recent as 2017, so the majority of the board are NOT "newly elected."

The same school board that has led the school system to a "letter Grade C" now wants another $300 MILLION and claim they will do better — now???

I say, VOTE NO to all new taxes. If the various governmental bureaucracies have been doing a crappy job with OUR MONEY for all this time, why reward them with more of OUR MONEY???

And remember, for all the past and existing millages, as property values increase (as almost all real estate does), the amount they get also goes up accordingly so they have been getting more and more of OUR MONEY for decades and only earned a "letter Grade C" for BILLIONS of dollars that taxpayers have paid in.

Friends of Jefferson Parish Public School System mailout

Actual ballot information:

PW School District No. 1 — 7.90 Mills — SB — 10 Yrs. (Select 1)

Shall School District No. 1 of the Parish of Jefferson, State of Louisiana (the "District"), levy a 7.90 mills tax on all property subject to taxation within the District (an estimated $28,785,000 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the tax for an entire year), for a period of ten (10) years, beginning with the year 2019 and ending with the year 2028, for the purpose of giving additional support to the public elementary and secondary schools in the District by providing funds for the payment of salaries and benefits of teachers and other school employees?

Other reading:
https://ballotpedia.org/Jefferson_Parish_Public_School_System,_Louisiana
http://jpschools.org/school-board/board-members/
https://voterportal.sos.la.gov/sampleballot

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)