Former Houma mayor’s wife fondly remembered
August 21, 2014Ready for some football?
August 26, 2014The Lafourche Parish Council has rolled forward a two mill property tax which provides funding for the Council on Aging.
The measure passed with seven affirmative votes and two absences. Councilman Joseph Fertitta missed the meeting last Tuesday because he was out of state, and councilman John Arnold left the meeting due to a worksite emergency.
The agency will receive an estimated $17,000 over the course of the next year, according to Council on Aging Executive Director Charlene Rodriguez.
The two mill property tax was originally approved in 2008.
As property values increase, government entities roll back millage tax percentages so the revenue received remains the same. However, government entities have the right to roll forward millage taxes to their original level so revenue increases along with property values.
“I don’t like to roll forward millages, but the Council on Aging, the elderly people, they’ve worked all their lives to help us so I don’t think $17,000 is going to break anybody in the parish,” said Lafourche Parish Council Chairman Daniel Lorraine.
The added revenue will allow the Council on Aging to be better suited to provide care for the parish’s elderly residents by providing additional funds for nurses, meals, transportation and utility assistance, according to Rodriguez.
The millage was about $1.73 million and supported an operating budget of about $1.35 million creating a surplus of about $378,000 in the last fiscal year.
“I remember not long ago we were coming after library money we said the Council on Aging had too much money and I know the elderly people need it, but they have a [$378,000] surplus,” said Lafourche Parish Council Co-chairman Jerry LaFont during last Tuesday’s public hearing prior to the vote. “Maybe budgeting wise I’m sure there are some ways [the Council on Aging] could help out some elderly people cause I know right now with the energy bills this last month it was a big increase. So I’m gonna vote for it, but I’m not a tax person.”
Parish President Charlotte Randolph said in her experience with the parish $300,000 is not an excessive reserve.
“If she needs a couple new vans, if something like that happens it becomes a major problem so it’s heartening to know that an agency as important as this one is doing so well and certainly is making sure that including my mom, [the elderly] are being taken care of very well,” said Randolph.
Residents can receive services from the Council on Aging after reaching age 60.
