Council refuses property tax hike

Property taxes are staying the same in Thibodaux.

But Mayor Tommy Eschete said something needs to be done in the future to keep the city on firm fiscal footing.

The City Council shot down the property tax increase at last Tuesday’s regularly scheduled meeting – falling one vote shy of the two-thirds majority needed for its passage.

Councilmen Eddie Hebert, Gene Richard and Chad Mire voted in favor of the increase.

Councilmen Chip Badeaux and Constance Johnson voted to keep the tax the same.

By turning down the millage, Thibodaux natives will continue to pay 14 mills into the future.

The increase would have lifted the property tax by approximately 0.15 mills.

Eschete said the increase would have brought about $15,000 annually into Thibodaux’s budget and would have cost the average citizen less than $2 per year.

“It’s not going to make or break us,” Eschete said. “The amount of revenue doesn’t really concern me that much. … But to me, (the increase) was not much. I guess the two councilmen who voted against it felt like they didn’t want to add anything to the taxes here. It is what it is. We have to live with it, and we’ll be OK.”

Eschete said he was disappointed to see the millage fail because half of the money generated would have gone to the city’s volunteer fire department.

“I’m in favor of them getting every penny that they can get,” the mayor said. “I really believe that the city can use the revenue. I understand that they have their reasons. I’m not going to question that. I just am a little disappointed that the fire department lost out on that revenue.”

The two members of the council to vote against the millage hike said that they did so because they were anti-tax.

Badeaux pointed to other millages that people in the city pay and said that enough is enough.

“It’s not right,” he said.

Thibodaux’s taxes have not been rolled over in close to a decade.

The last increase was in 2004.

“Just this one issue is not that critical but from the city standpoint, when you have a volunteer fire department like we do, they count on the revenue through their millage and through their fundraiser to operate,” Eschete said. “Their ability to do that is a big burden off the City of Thibodaux in that we don’t have to support a paid department. So with this particular issue, it’s a bit disappointing because I like to see them get as much as they can.”

Mayor taking proactive approach going forward

Eschete said numerous times when interviewed that the millage staying the same will not greatly impact the city.

But the mayor does firmly have his eyes on the future when it comes to Thibodaux’s finances.

A 2012 audit of the city’s finances showed that Thibodaux’s income has decreased by more than $6 million in recent years.

Eschete said he is aware of the numbers and is going to be proactive going forward.

He said sales tax numbers in Thibodaux are up, but those increases are drowned by an increase in personnel costs and technology costs within the city.

“The cost of personnel and technology and really everything is going up,” Eschete said. “Our sales tax revenue is our lifeblood. And even though they continue to go up, they just don’t keep up with the rate of inflation.”

Eschete said the city is currently on firm financial footing and has money in the bank.

But he added that action will be taken in the future to trim some of Thibodaux’s expenses.

“We have money in the reserves, but we don’t want to get to a point to where someday it’s all gone and then it’s time to act and we’re forcing people to make decisions about cutting services and everything like that,” Eschete said. “You see what’s happening in Detroit and all over nowadays. But that’s not going to happen in Thibodaux.”