Baton Rouge voters will have another proposed property tax to consider on Dec. 10 now that the Metro Council has agreed to put a roughly 30-year, 5-mill proposition on the ballot that would fund another batch of the city-parish’s Green Light Plan roadway improvement projects.
The council voted 8 to 2 at its meeting Wednesday to send the proposal to voters, who will ultimately decide if the tax goes into effect. Councilmen Scott Wilson and Buddy Amoroso voted against placing the measure on the ballot. Councilwoman Chauna Banks Daniel did not vote despite being present, and Councilman Trae Welch was absent.
The council also agreed to place on the December ballot a companion item—the proposed rededication of an existing half-cent sales tax to be used exclusively for community enhancements such as sidewalks, road repairs, ditches, lights and landscaping.
The December ballot also includes a 10-year, 1.5-mill property tax to finance the city-parish’s proposed mental health facility known as The Bridge. The council OK’d that proposal at its meeting on Sept. 14.
The tax proposals have advanced despite concerns that flood-ravaged residents cannot afford to pay higher property taxes as they rebuild damaged homes and replace lost personal items.
Still, city-parish’s officials and a representative for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber argued in favor of the Green Light Plan II tax at Wednesday’s meeting, saying the projects are crucial to lure new businesses to Baton Rouge and improve the overall quality of life here. The 5-mill property tax would fund up to $450 million worth of projects through 2046. The plan would include 45 projects to widen and build new roads. See the full list of projects.
Also at Wednesday’s meeting, the council agreed to set aside approximately $47 million for expenses related to the August flood that killed 13 people and damaged tens of thousands of businesses and homes in the Capital Region.
The appropriation will support $31 million for debris removal contracts, $5 million for emergency expenses, $10 million for equipment and building repairs, and $899,000 to cover the cost of a contract for CSRS Inc. for disaster grant management and administration.
The council rejected sending a formal request to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality to open a temporary debris site on Brooklawn Drive, and also voted down a measure to waive provisions of zoning laws to allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish temporary mobile home parks for displaced flood victims. There are currently at least 154 people living in FEMA manufactured homes as a result of the flood.
—Alexandria BurrisÂ
