From the semi-freshly cut Fraser Firs decked in white lights to the candles, oils and sprays filling the air, Business Report Executive Editor JR Ball says he loves the traditions of the Christmas and holiday season. But there’s just one he can do without: the giving of the property tax bill.
“East Baton Rouge Sheriff Sid Gautreaux sends me—and every other property owner in the parish—this gift that keeps on taking every holiday season,” Ball writes in his latest column.
“It’s a real Yuletide buzzkill. But, like fruitcake, it’s a tradition I’ve come to accept.”
If there’s any joy in getting the bill—which Ball refers to a stocking of coal—it’s this: getting a millage-by-millage breakdown of where his tax dollars go.
“This year, for example, my bill jumped by more than $200, largely because a majority of my voting neighbors decided a ‘crime and beautification’ district was a good idea, costing me $150 annually—though crime remains a problem in a neighborhood that doesn’t appear any more aesthetically pleasing,” he writes.
Ball takes delight in knowing that 35% of his bill goes to 10 different property taxes, totaling nearly $1,000, for “mediocre” public schools. He also appreciates knowing that he’s paying as much for a great library system ($232) as he pays for a pseudo-parishwide bus system ($221).
In all, Ball’s taxes are spread 31 ways, including six “gifts” to BREC totaling more than $300.
“Given this perverse fun with numbers, imagine my horror when someone went all Ebenezer Scrooge on this year’s bill, eliminating the millage breakdown. What the hell?” Ball writes. “Now, to figure out where one’s tax dollars are going you have to first consult an obscure page on the website of the East Baton Rouge Tax Assessor and be fluent in the mathematical formula for calculating property taxes.”
Turns out, assessor Brian Wilson decided it was a good idea to upgrade some department software, resulting in a cap on how many lines of millages can be included on the tax bill, Ball explains.
“So, it would seem, the options were to eliminate 24 taxes or group the 31 under seven general headings. Guess which option they went with?” he writes. “The Council on Aging tax, for example, is lumped under ‘parish’ on this year’s bill. To his credit, Wilson acknowledges the mistake and vows to right the wrong he created by next Christmas season.”
Read the full column. Send your comments to editor@businessreport.com.
