Voters Say “No” Again
BOBBY ARDOIN
St. Now.com Editor
For the second time in four years, St. Landry Parish voters have rejected proposed parishwide millages that sought to improve salaries for public school employees and address maintenance needs and new facilities construction.
According to complete but unofficial results the latest Board-approved property tax proposition on Saturday asked voters to approve an overall 9.9 mill increase in property taxes.
School Board members will convene in a series of May 19 committee meetings where the election results and ramifications will potentially be discussed.
What Voters Said
One Saturday ballot proposal asking for 7.7 mills to improve the salaries of all employees over 10 years, narrowly failed by fewer than 100 votes.
However the other proposition for athletic facilities, maintenance and school safety, was overwhelmingly defeated by more than a two-to-one margin.
Both propositions were required to pass in order for either to become effective.
In March, 2022, parish voters defeated three different ballot proposals that included millage increases for salaries, facilities and new schools.
Each of those proposals four years ago each met voter disapproval by as much as 75 percent.
The Saturday Millages
Election totals provided by the Louisiana Secretary of State show that 2,096 ballots were cast in favor of the $2,500 10-year annual salary increase proposition at an annual projected cost of $6.4 million for employees, while 2,168 voted “no.”
It was a different matter for the facilities, which included a chance for high schools in the district to obtain turfed athletic fields and new outdoor tracks.
Voting results for maintenance and facilities proposition which would have allowed the District to bond money for 20 years, received 8,727 “no votes” or 65.4 percent, while 4,611 (34.8 percent) voted in favor of using 2.2 mills for the new constructions.
