Property tax bills will be a little late going out this year, at least in East Baton Rouge and Livingston parishes. While that may not come as much of a surprise, given all the upheaval caused by last month’s devastating flood, it should come as a relief to flooded property owners, who don’t need to worry about paying another bill.
In East Baton Rouge Parish, where an estimated 53,000 homes and 3,800 businesses flooded, assessor Brian Wilson says he’s waiting on data from city officials in Baton Rouge, Baker, Zachary and Central to help him determine which properties flooded and by how much. He has already begun reassessing some flood damaged properties but says it’s going to be a lengthy process.
“We’re trying to work as quickly as possible but we have to go through this whole process with another reassessment so it is just going to push everything back,” Wilson says. “It’s a domino effect, if you will.”
Tax bills usually go out Dec. 1 in East Baton Rouge Parish. Wilson says it’s unlikely they’ll go out before the end of the year.
In Livingston Parish, where an estimated 80% of structures were flooded, Assessor Jeff Taylor is dealing with an even more daunting task. Like Wilson, he’s awaiting some data on the depth of water each structure took in and the estimated cost of repairs. He says he will base his post-flood reassessment off of those figures. He estimates the revised tax rolls and property tax bills will be a couple of months late.
“Bills will be pushed back,” he says. “But it’s important we do this right.”
The reassessment issue is important for the hundreds of municipal districts in local parishes—fire departments, school systems, parks systems—that base their budgets off of property tax revenues. Those revenues will be sharply lower and months late in coming in 2017.
—Stephanie Riegel
