T’bonne council OKs continuation of present millages

When home and business owners receive their Terrebonne Parish property tax statements beginning the final week of November, any increase from last year is due to an average 10 percent boost in assessed property values, not an increase in the taxes themselves.

That was a concern to Dist. 4 Councilwoman Beryl Amedee as she became the single opposing vote on each of the 23 millage renewal and roll-up packages passed by the Terrebonne Parish Council last Tuesday.

“Every [listed millage] supported increases,” Amedee said after the panel of nine elected officials said “yes” to the continuation of a total 59.43 mills that support operations from infrastructure to social services.

“It appears to me that more money will come out of the taxpayer’s pocket,” Amedee said. “I’m not in favor of increasing taxes. I want to see different parts of the government live within their means without always having to increase. I’m generally not in favor of any increase.”

Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet disagreed with Amedee’s interpretation and said no existing taxes have been increased for the 2012 property tax bills.

“There were no increases in the amount of the millages,” Claudet said. “It just left them where they were previously.

“The majority potential increased revenue will come from businesses and people who are not homestead exempt,” he explained. “We think in this day of increasing costs it is critical that we continue to maintain our level of services, particularly with the decreasing levels of funding from state and federal agencies.”

The confusion arrives as the council is required to adopt existing millages prior to accepting the mills based on property assessment increases. They then adopted the same millages, based on property value assessments.

Among the approved millage packages is 7.5 mills that finance operations for the Terrebonne Council on Aging.

“We’ve been cut back by the state and federal government,” Terrebonne Council on Aging Executive Director Diana Edmonson said. “We have not had any [public funding] increases in 15 years.

“Had it not been for the millages we would not be able to do the meals we do for Terrebonne Parish. This helps us keep our waiting list short and certainly helps people with greater needs,” she said.

Edmonson said that while local funding remains the same, her agency has outgrown its existing kitchen and is investigating grants and other funding operations to expand what they need to meet public demand. “We are doing more than 800 hot meals a day and our pots are running over,” she said. We can’t keep up. I’ve had to go to bag lunches once a week at the [senior] centers.”

Another social service that saw millages renewed while state funds were cut is Terrebonne ARC, which receives a total 5.33 mills from Terrebonne Parish taxpayers. Funding goes to train and make job-ready young adults with developmental illnesses. TARC operates businesses that service area companies on its campus in east Houma.

The Terrebonne Parish Health Unit will continue to be supported by 1.66 mills, while mental health funding is backed with millages 0.42.

“This is really good that we were able to keep funding for mental health,” disabilities advocate Mickey Fonseca said. “A lot of people don’t realize the services we are able to provide and how it would hurt people if it wasn’t there.” Fonseca was the only member of the public to address the council when that option was offered to make a millage protection appeal.

Other renewed millages include drainage in Terrebonne Parish, which will to be paid with 7.31 mills of taxpayer money.

Waste collection and disposal is supported with 11.21 mills and Road Dist. 6 is funded with 0.82 mills.

Funding for the Terrebonne Parish Juvenile Detention Center comes through two packages at 0.96 mills and 0.98 mills.

Recreation taxes are covered by a total 2.06 mills.

A total 1.94 mills finance the Terrebonne Juvenile Detention Center.

Parish Alimony Taxes outside the city limits of Houma carry a rate of 3.09 mills, while inside the city limits the level is 1.55 mills.

The Houma city ad valorem tax is 6.38 mills. With 5.08 mills for the Houma fire Department and 5.08 mills for the Houma Police Department.