About that road tax that will be on ballot …

Published 6:00 am Friday, May 25, 2018

In the wake of the Iberia Parish Council passing a resolution to bring a road tax to the November ballot, Iberia Parish President wanted to speak about road conditions and financing in this week’s Richard Report. 

“In a recent report I spoke of the conditions of roads in Iberia Parish and how this subject was one of my biggest concerns since taking office,” Richard said. “I cannot begin to tell you how many complaints we receive weekly concerning Iberia Parish roads.”

“Having said that, I want you to know that I am just as frustrated as everyone else regarding this issue, the difference between you and I is that I’m the one that is expected to fix the problem, but don’t possess the resources to accomplish the task.”

Richard started by saying Iberia Parish Government doesn’t have the funding to even begin fixing the problem or provide for even the most basic maintenance. 

The parish president previously reported that an engineering firm was engaged by Iberia Parish Government to assess roads within Iberia Parish, as well as to provide the administration and council with a report that would include a road inventory, a suggested priority list and an estimate on what monetary requirement would be to effectively address a problem that has plagued Iberia Parish for years. 

That report said the financial obligation required to overlay our roads would be in excess of $30 million. The requirement for annual maintenance was listed as $2.4 million dollars.

“At present we only have roughly $350,000 available to purchase material for maintenance,” Richard said. “This is less than 15 percent of what we need just to maintain our roadways.”

“I hear so often from our citizens that we pay taxes for our roads, and they should be fixed,” he said. “Again, it needs to be clear to everyone that we don’t have a dedicated funding source, basically we are not paying taxes in Iberia Parish for roads. There is no tax specifically dedicated to road maintenance or improvement.”

Richard said the parish needs dedicated road funding, which led to him introducing a plan at Wednesday’s Iberia Parish Council meeting for dedicated funds, with the support of most of the council. 

The proposal is a 10-year renewable ¾-cent sales tax, collected only in unincorporated areas of Iberia. The tax is estimated to generate $3.375 million the first year and allow the parish to “pay as we go,” Richard said, in order to not create long standing debt. Richard also emphasized the tax could not be used for anything but roads. 

The parish president also suggested IPG retain some of the money generated and save it, building a reserve that would allow parish officials to address issues as they arise or put them in a better position for years to come. Richard said that would allow for better planning and improvements for the future, “and more importantly, for our children’s future.”

“I, like you, face this issue every day. Like you, I drive on our roads. Like you, I have invested in my home and business. Like you, I know that if we don’t have good infrastructure, my investments are not going to be valued in a way that will be beneficial to my family in the future,” he said. 

“I want you to know that I will be speaking to any group or anyone that wants to discuss this issue and I look forward to speaking to all of you about the importance of infrastructure in Iberia Parish,” Richard said. “Together, we can all make a difference and improve our great parish.”