OPINIONS

Lafourche Parish to roll forward Fire District No. 1, drainage millages

By SOPHIA RUFFIN

I am not for raising taxes, but the fire district is strapped for cash.”

– Councilman

Joe Fertitta

Lafourche Parish taxpayers can rest easy; of the four proposed roll-forward millages, only two mustered up a two-thirds vote to be sanctioned.

The Lafourche Parish Council voted last Tuesday to roll forward the Fire District No. 1 and the drainage millages to generate more funds for the parish to do much needed work and upgrades. The roll forward adds $35,000 to the fire district’s budget and $162,000 to the drainage budget.

“I am not for raising taxes, but the fire district is strapped for cash,” said Councilman Joe Fertitta in support of the Fire District No. 1 roll forward. “I don’t think people whose houses are on fire will have a problem paying a little more.”

Drainage advocate Councilman L. Philip Gouaux said, “We need this increase because the biggest problem in the parish is drainage.”

The councilman believes that the parish does not collect enough money to provide what needs to be done with the drainage.

“Drainage needs all the money it can get, because it’s a must-have in the parish,” Fertitta agreed.

The 14 other millages – General Alimony and Criminal Tax; Fire District No. 1 (Sinking Fund); Fire District No. 4; Fire District No. 7; Fire Protection District No. 9; Veterans Memorial District; Council on Aging; Drainage, Health and Library; Road District No. 1; Library; Special District No. 1; Recreational; and Public Buildings and Health Unit – will remain the same.

Prior to voting, Parish President Charlotte Randolph urged the councilmen not to roll forward the millages.

“With the way the economy is shaping, Mrs. Randolph felt it was necessary for us to keep the millages the same and look at them again next year,” said Finance Director Joel Doty.

Randolph told councilmen that a lot of things had changed since the Finance Department looked at the parish taxes in the beginning of 2009.

Some of those “changing” factors include the council passing a resolution to not increase the oil and gas tax, the parish getting more outside funding and the rollover of the 2008 royalty monies.

On the offset, Councilman Daniel Lorraine said either the council votes for all roll forwards or none.

“Is the fire district more important than the others?” he asked. “If you are not going to do it for all then don’t do it for any.”

“It’s hard to vote for one without voting yes to the others,” Randolph responded. “It’s a benefit for the fire district to roll their millage forward.”

Volunteer fireman Capt. Danny Mayet, representing Fire District No. 1, was present at the meeting to ask the council to support the roll forward so that the district could use the extra funds to buy new equipment.

“Fire equipment is expensive,” said the 41-year vet, who runs the fire station No. 2 in Mathews.

Fire District No. 1 has nearly 80 volunteer firemen that cover from Lafourche Crossing to Ochsner St. Anne hospital on La. Highway 1, and from Des Allemand to Bayou Blue on La. Highway 90.

As for drainage, Randolph said the extra $162,000 would not make a big difference in the drainage budget. However, the fact that the parish is looking to generate tons of money from outside sources by year’s end will make the difference.

“We have other resources coming into the parish, so there is no need to raise taxes at this time,” she said. “But if and when the royalty monies fail to supplement the drainage budget then we will have a problem.”

Randolph also said that the monies from the Jesse Dufrene Pump Station Project and the Morvant Drive Drainage project could be funneled into the parish drainage budget, since both are being paid by outside sources.

Other outside funds include the $2.4 million in stimulus money allocated by President Barack Obama for roads and streets, $3 million in hazard mitigation dollars with the possibility of adding $4 million more, and Community Development Block Grant funds in the amount of $3.3 million with an additional $33 million looming.

Randolph has cautioned that 2010 might be a difficult year for the parish, but it has enough money coming in now to function.

“We might not be able to have as many capital projects in the next years, coupled with low royalty money coming in. It would be good to have an increase in funds, but now is not the time.”

Life’s stress doesn’t have to get the best of you

By The Rev. Wilmer L. Todd

Last week, I offered practical advice for dealing with today’s stressful situations. I would like to continue this theme using the wisdom of various prominent people.

When life is not going the way we had hoped, we can always turn a bad situation into something positive. Eleanor Roosevelt reminds us, “We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face. … We must do that which we think we cannot.”

Mary Anne Radmacher-Hershey adds, “Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, ‘I’ll try again tomorrow.'” And Sir Winston Churchill is emphatic when he says, “Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never. Never – in anything great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.”

Sometimes we have to change direction in life. Catherine Marshall tells us, “Often God has to shut a door in our face so that God can subsequently open the door through which he wants us to go.” Dr. Michael McGriffy adds, “Blessed a flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.” And Dr. Deepak Chopra reminds us to seek inner peace, “In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside you.”

President Calvin Coolidge emphasized the importance of persistence. “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not – nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not – unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not – the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan, ‘Press on’ has solved and will always solve the problems of the human race.”

Carlton Young encourages us when we fail, “Our society is so caught up in winning, we forget that most of the great men and women in history have, at one time or another, failed at something – often repeatedly, and discouragingly. But each failure is nothing more than a brick in the wall that forms the foundation of our success. We can’t forget that.” Maya Angelou adds, “You will face many defeats in your life, but never let yourself be defeated.”

In the midst of discouraging news, we have to be positive. A few greedy people brought on our present financial crisis. In the midst of her suffering in a concentration camp, Anne Frank could say, “I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”

Popular writer Zig Ziglar echoes those sentiments, “Life is too short to spend your precious time trying to convince a person who wants to live in gloom and doom otherwise. Give lifting that person your best show, but don’t hang around long enough for his or her bad attitude to pull you down. Instead, surround yourself with optimistic people.”

We must also be a positive influence on others. Richard De Vos advises us, “Few things in the world are more powerful than a positive push – a smile, a word of optimism and hope, a ‘you can do it’ – when things are tough.”

Brian Tracy reminds us, “Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you, knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better than your current situation.”

Anne Lamott tells how God fits into the changes we have to make in life. She says, “I do not understand the mystery of grace – only that it meets us where we are, but does not leave us where it found us.” We live in a difficult time. However, God’s grace can pull us through anything.