St. Mary bids off property

St. Mary Parish will team up with Archon Information Systems LLC of New Orleans to sell 132 parcels of adjudicated property with an assessed value of $204,478.

Parish Assessor Jarrod Longman confirmed the totals following the parish council’s approval of the idea.

Parish Chief Administrative Officer Henry “Bo” LaGrange said the move will benefit the parish in two ways. “We’re going to make money as we sell each piece of property, then we’re going to make more money on an annual basis, as we assess property taxes on each parcel,” he said.

Longman said adjudicated property is land that legally belongs to the parish after the owner failed to pay property taxes over an extended period of time. “It’s a long process that enters the court system, where a judge eventually turns over the title to us,” he explained.

LaGrange said Archon will actually build a Web site, posting each piece of property. It will be auctioned to the highest bidder. According to LaGrange, the company will work on a commission basis; the parish will not pay the company additional fees.

In other fiscal business, LaGrange said the state Department of Transportation determined the parish is eligible for $1.4 million in federal funds to repair or replace one of four local bridges. They are along Cypremort Road over the Vacherie Canal, Martin Luther King Boulevard over Choupique Bayou; Willow Street over Grand Coulee; and Cotton Road over the Borrow Canal. “These bridges will be prioritized based on the amount of traffic, the estimated cost and current condition of each,” LaGrange said.

The council also passed a resolution approving a special tax election on May 1 by the Mosquito Control District at Cypremort Point to renew a 7.19-mill operating and maintenance tax.

And Mike Accardo, Clyde Crappell and James Vidos were recommended to the Governor’s Office to fill a vacant seat on the St. Mary Parish Levee District board. Ernie L. Lowery and Christine Lockhart were tapped for Sewer District 11 board.