Parish tax could cost everyone

The St. Mary Parish Council is the latest governing board to publicly support the St. Mary Parish Levee District’s efforts to ask voters to pass an upcoming millage election on May 1.

The levee district is asking voters to approve an ad valorem tax that would allow commissioners to levy up to five mills of property taxes, which would generate an annual $2.5 million for levee protection and maintenance, for the next 30 years.

The St. Mary Parish Council joins the Patterson City Council, the Port of West St Mary, and the Wax Lake East Drainage District to support the measure, which has also gained support from the St. Mary Parish Industrial Group.

Members of the St. Mary Parish Council unanimously passed a resolution of support this past Wednesday.

However, Parish Councilman David Hanagriff of Centerville said he was a little disappointed the levee board did not choose to pass a sales tax.

“This would be more a fair tax across the board,” he said.

But Councilman Gary Duhon said the local district is mimicking other levee districts across the state that fund levee protection with property taxes. “This is something the levee board needs because they don’t have any funds,” Duhon said.

Levee District Chairman Bill Hidalgo said revenue from the millage would allow the board to tackle a variety of long-awaited projects targeted for the 126 miles of levee that exist within St. Mary Parish. Additionally, he said general maintenance costs, (grass cutting for the most part) are absorbing most of the board’s budget, roughly an estimated $350,000 annually.

“If we don’t have levees then we can’t prevent flooding,” Hidalgo said.

To further reinforce the need for the millage, the levee district called in St. Mary Parish Sheriff David Naquin, to closely monitor vehicle and recreational vehicle traffic on the levees in St. Mary Parish.

The sheriff said in a couple of incidents, damage has been done to some of the levees and levee bases.

“Persons caught damaging levees will be charged and prosecuted,” he said.

The sheriff also asks that persons, who launch boats at area boat landings, be careful in parking their vehicles and trailers, which could cause damage to the levees.

“I cannot stress enough the seriousness of the situation,” Naquin said. “Our levees have not been tested since the early 1970s.”

Naquin said extra patrols will begin immediately. “Anyone who sees or knows where any levee in St. Mary Parish is damaged should contact the Parish Council, the Sheriff’s Office or the St. Mary Parish Levee Board immediately.”

Hidalgo said if the tax passes, homeowners could look at paying an additional $12.50 annually for homes appraised at $100,000, or the maximum, $175.00, for homes appraised at $500,000.

Business owners would also be taxed the minimum of $37.50, or the maximum of $500.

Hidalgo said the district could not collect the taxes until Jan. 2011.

But he said they could bond $1 million of the millage revenue over 10 years, and at a rate of four percent, generate $8.1 million. He said over 20 years the same money would generate $13 million.

Or, Hidalgo said the district could bond $2 million of the revenue over 10 years, at a rate of four percent, the millage revenue could generate $16 million. Over 20 years, the millage would generate $26 million.

Parish President Paul Naquin thinks the measure is a “much needed vote.”

“In order to maintain the needs of this parish, we need everyone to pass this. Five mills over 30 years will help us reach long awaited projects, and others that are much needed,” Naquin said.

Although there has never been any harsh flooding since the Flood of 1927, the tax proposal would allow St. Mary Parish to mark a first in maintaining all of its levees within its parish boundaries.

Prior to the State legislature creating the St. Mary Parish Levee District, Attorney Gerard Bourgeois said the Atchafalaya Basin Levee District maintained the levees along the Atchafalaya River, with roughly one third of the parish paying for this task.

Elsewhere, Morgan City has kept a watchful eye in protecting its boundaries throughout the years, through the city budget and grants.

Patterson and Berwick however, for the most part, have relied on the parish council for any sort of maintenance and levee protection aide.

Hidalgo said some of the projects being earmarked with funds from the millage include raising the elevation of the Berwick Locks to meet the 18-foot levels required to prevent projected flooding to the area. Currently, he said the locks have an elevation of 12 feet. This would be a projected cost of $1 million.

Others include rehab and upgrades to levees from Siracusaville to Morgan City to the west, and to Amelia to the east.

However, a bigger project waits for the revenue, levee elevation in Morgan City around the Lakeside Subdivisions and behind David Drive near Hwy 70. This has a projected cost beginning at $16 million, Hidalgo said.

FEMA announced in late 2008 that Morgan City’s backwater levee system needs to be at least 10 feet high, meaning the city would have to raise the levees an additional two feet higher in some areas, and five feet higher in other areas, than what they are now.

Morgan City is surrounded by three sets of levees. One set about 15 miles of levee, is about 22-feet high and protects the city from the Atchafalaya River. The second set is around the Lakeside subdivision and Victor II Blvd area, which is about 8-feet high.

But it is the third set of levees that is causing FEMA the most concern, because it is around the city’s only patch of available land, which is behind David Drive near the Veterans Blvd intersection.

Here the levee and flood elevation areas are between 5- and 6-feet high.

FEMA said in 2008 that these levees were insufficient for flood protection.

But Mayor Tim Matte has argued that FEMA’s flood projections and estimates were inaccurate.

“We’ve never had the kind of scenarios FEMA is painting with these maps. The water never gets here,” Matte said. “I really believe two storms would have to happen at the same time in order for their project flooding scenario to occur.”