North Terrebonne Recreation District votes to propose property tax in November special election

On Monday, the North Terrebonne Recreation District Board voted to propose a property tax in a November 13 special election, which could restructure parish recreation after the polls close. 

Residents of the existing Recreation Districts 1, 2/3, 8 and 9, which fall within the “super district” of North Terrebonne, will decide on the new tax. The territory encompasses Bayou Cane, Bayou Blue, Gray, Schriever, Gibson, Lis Park and the Highway 311 corridor, among other areas. 

The current recreation system is divided into 11 districts — each run by its own board. Every ward has an individual millage rate. If each of the four aforementioned districts passes the proposed tax, those constituents would have a millage rate of 6.5 mills for recreation, and the new North Terrebonne Recreation District would be officially formed. (One mill equals $1 for every $1,000 of assessed property value.) Currently, residents pay 7 mills in Rec 1, 9 mills in Rec 8, and approximately 15 mills in Rec 9. Only taxpayers in Rec 2-3 would see their recreation property tax increase as they now pay 5 mills. 

The parish will not impose North Terrebonne constituents’ current recreation district property taxes if the proposition is accepted. “If this tax passes for the North Terrebonne Board…it will not be a duplicate tax. Nobody will be charged duplicate taxes with the current districts in the consolidated district,” said Councilman Gerald Michel, chairman of the recently formed board, during a July meeting. 

If the property tax fails in at least one of the districts, the council will abolish the new super district. 

In June, the Terrebonne Parish Council created the new district and formed the interim North Terrebonne Recreation District Board, consisting of council members acting as a recreation board to place the property tax on the November ballot. 

The proposition reads: “Shall the North Terrebonne Parish Recreation District (the “District”), State of Louisiana, be authorized to levy a special tax of six and one half (6.5) mills (the “Tax”) on all property subject to taxation within the boundaries of the District if said Tax is approved by a majority of the voters in each of the existing recreation districts, Parish of Terrebonne Recreation District 1, 2-3, 8 and 9 (the “Existing Districts”), for the purpose of constructing, improving, maintaining and operating recreational facilities, and the consideration of incorporating the Existing Districts into the newly created North Terrebonne Parish Recreation District ($3,770,840) expected to be collected from the levy of the Tax for an entire year), for a period of ten (10) years, beginning with the year 2022 and ending with the year 2031, and only to be imposed if none of the Existing Districts impose ad valorem taxes within the District?”

The November 13 special election call is subject to the approval of the Louisiana State Bond Commission.