Property tax hike OK’d in T’bonne

Over the past month, Terrebonne’s School Board headquarters just off Stadium Drive in Houma has turned into a debate hall. Officials, lately, have been forced to make some of the toughest decisions they have ever made in order to keep the cash-strapped district from sinking. Those decisions, often contentious, have helped highlight some of the vast differences between board members and their fellow public servants.

Last Tuesday, trying to shed pounds of financial deadweight, the group approved a recommendation by a vote of 7-2 that will increase property taxes for locals. Board members Rickie Pitre and Clark Bonvillain voted against the measure, although residents approved the rates, which are levied annually.

“We’ve given taxpayers a break as long as we could,” said Board Member Roger Dehart.

Both Bonvillain and Pitre have been noted for their opposition to the board’s new budget, which calls for deep cuts in school employment, more than 200 positions, by August.

Even in Terrebonne Parish, it seems that politics, or at least factions, are hard at play. And according to experts, that is not likely to change anytime soon.

James Madison, the father of the Constitution, wrote in the Federalist Papers, “…[factions] are thus sown in the nature of man.” Their cause, he explained, can never be completely removed. In most cases, they will continue to be an inherit part of the deliberative process.

“It’s something, that’s really, a natural part of government. They’re not going to go away,” said Robert Hogan, department chair of the LSU Department of Political Science.

In small, deliberative bodies, “…a lot of the coalitions, sometimes, get very personal. It’s about personal friendships,” he explained. However, issues of income, taxation and personal values can also play a major role in how decisions are made. The needs of each member’s constituency are different, depending on its demography and geographic location.

The tussle often seen between members of groups like the Terrebonne Parish School Board is sometimes even generated by a sharp community voice – people who are essentially lobbying for what they want and are not afraid to be vocal about it. As many would call it, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease,” noted Hogan.

Elected officials, in fact, are the link between residents and the policymaking process. Hogan explained it is their responsibility to represent their constituency on whatever issues may develop.

This go around, however, some believe the differences in opinion are merely bouts of showmanship. A source that spoke on the condition of anonymity said the board’s divided tendencies are long instilled in the organization’s makeup. Bonvillain and Pitre’s latest objections, they said, carry “no validity.” The source has worked closely with all board members on a professional level.

The decision to build a new school in Grand Caillou brought opposition from both members in February, alongside Roosevelt Thomas, who voted against planning the structure. In April, Bonvillain and Pitre also opposed using the reduction in force policy to balance next year’s budget.

Bonvillain serves as chairman of the Finance, Insurance and Section 16 Lands Committee. Pitre is vice-chairman of that committee.

While many view factions as negative, “…conflict is good, in the sense of what comes out of it is compromise,” said Hogan. Debate and acrimony also have the potential to draw interest from the public who ordinarily would not be involved in the decision-making process, he noted. If one group constantly has the upper hand, that process can erode rather quickly, though.

So far, that has not happened.

Tax increases approved at last Tuesday’s meeting are expected to bring in more than $300,000 in additional revenue. The measure, thanks to an amendment proposed by Thomas last month, will also reinstate four counselor positions.

Pitre said taxes would likely be raised in 2011 when the parish reassesses property values. Bonvillain called for other board members to look more closely at the district’s spending habits. Both opted to keep millages at their current levels, something the board was able to do last year.

Bonvillain and Pitre did not return calls Monday.

Fiscal issues have lately turned the Terrebonne Parish School Board into a debate hall. Experts say the differences in opinion, sometimes argumentative, are an ordinary part of the decision making process. * Photo by MICHAEL DAVIS