Fire District Asks For Renewal

BOBBY ARDOIN

Editor/Consulting Writer

Fire Protection District 3, which covers major portions of St. Landry Parish, is asking voters to renew a 10.36 mill property tax beginning Saturday when early voting commences for a March 29 election.

District Fire Chief Matthew Rabalais said if renewed, the tax – one of two annual millages collected by the District – is expected to generate about $2.422 million annually over the next 10 years beginning in 2026, for maintenance, firefighters’ salaries, equipment and sustaining aspects of the yearly operational budget.

Rabalais estimates that it costs the district about $4.5 million annually to operate the main fire station located adjacent to the airport north of Opelousas and several auxiliary stations which are located throughout a majority of St. Landry.

“We have 33 full time firefighters at the nine stations within the area that we cover. This renewal is very important for us, since we have such a large area that requires us to have quite a number of stations,” Rabalais said.

Fire District 3, according to Rabalais, extends north of Sunset to the Avoyelles Parish line, while

The District also provides fire protection from the Swords area up to Port Barre, said Rabalais.