A proposal to redirect a portion of an existing sales tax to fund the new animal shelter in Jeff Davis Parish may soon return to voters. The local Police Jury, initially set to address this issue on January 22, 2024, has called a special meeting for 17:00 on January 22 to facilitate further discussion about the tax rededication.
Butch Lafargue, the President of the Police Jury, emphasized the importance of gathering input from all members before making a decision. “I would like to put it off till next week’s special meeting where we can all sit down and discuss it,” Lafargue stated. He noted that opinions vary on whether to place the proposal on the ballot in June or to postpone until the fall.
According to Ben Boudreaux, the Parish Administrator, should the intent be to place the item on the June 27 ballot, an official announcement must be made during the regular February meeting to allow for legal preparations. The Police Jury has the flexibility to either advance the proposal to the June ballot or delay it for further deliberation.
The tax rededication proposal, which narrowly failed in November 2023 by a vote of 1,391 to 1,376, aims to reallocate nearly $300,000 from an existing $3.3 million jail maintenance tax. This funding would help offset operational costs for the new $2.1 million, 4,375-square-foot animal shelter currently under construction, with completion anticipated in March 2024.
During the discussions, Steve Eastman, a member of the Police Jury, expressed the necessity of more time to inform the public about the proposal. “Trying to redo tax rededication in June is going to be a time constraint on us, but I think we need to have a little more time to get back out to the public and make sure they understand that this is not a new tax,” Eastman explained. He clarified that this is simply a redirection of an existing tax that residents have already been paying.
Eastman also highlighted that the fund in question has a surplus, which is expected to continue under current operations. This surplus is adequate to support both the jail and the animal shelter without negatively impacting either service or requiring additional taxpayer contributions.
Changes on the Horizon for District 12
In addition to the tax discussions, the special meeting will address the vacancy left by the late Owen Cormier, who served as a member of the Police Jury from 2019 until his passing on January 8, 2024. State law mandates that the Police Jury must fill this vacancy within 20 days; otherwise, the state will appoint a successor.
Jurors are also expected to review a proposal for a rate increase by Dillion Disposal. The company’s president, Jordan Danna, is seeking a $4 monthly increase, which would adjust rates to between $34 and $44, depending on the number of containers each customer has. Danna noted that this would be the first rate adjustment since September 2022, aimed at countering rising operational costs such as insurance, fuel, and labor.
As the Police Jury prepares for the upcoming special meeting, community members will be watching closely to see how these developments unfold and what impact they may have on local services and taxation.
