Mulling over our millages

Published 10:57 pm Friday, January 4, 2019

The first of several scheduled meetings to review Iberia Parish millages took place Thursday night as an ad-hoc millage committee began the process of perhaps finding better avenues where those millages could be redirected. 

The committee began by unanimously voting in Armond Schwing as committee chairman and Natalie Broussard as vice-chairman. Also, a meeting schedule was established, where the meetings will be held on the opposite weeks of Iberia Parish Council meetings, all at the Iberia Parish Courthouse.

The committee started the inaugural meeting with an introduction of its purpose and goals over the course of its next few meetings. Matters to be reviewed include the maximum amount of millages that can be rolled up, and if that was needed for parish government, as well as a possible examination of whether some millages could be put to the voters to be rededicated for other purposes. 

“The library, we’re assessing 3.5 mills but the voters approved up to 6 mills so that can actually go up,” Broussard said. 

“Out of what the voters have approved, we’re not assessing near what has been but the questions are do we go in and change the millages of what was approved for different things or do we just adjust within?”

Even adding new funds could be a possibility as Iberia Parish Government faces a tighter budget. 

“But I think the goal of this committee is to start reassessing and determining do we need to bring back to the voters what we actually have the authority to assess and do we need to add any other funds, should there be a road or a jail millage?” Broussard said.

Finding out the purpose of each millage, how tightly the revenue is spent and whether any additional revenue needs to be funneled in was another purpose discussed.

“We know as council members it’s not always the answer is, ‘Let’s just max out the millages, we’ve got answer to the public.’ If we wanted to add a jail or road millage, what justifies that? And I think this is going to be what this is all about,” committee member Brian Napier said. 

Committee member Paul Landry said the committee also would determine if items like road or jail millages should be created and brought to the public, and whether those would be sent in as a ballot package or individual items. 

Eight of the 14 committee members were at the meeting, including Michael Landry, Joel Dugas, Broussard, Marty Trahan, Lloyd Verret, Paul Landry, Napier and Schwing.