Aldermen OK property tax adjustment

Eunice aldermen set the city’s millage rate at 6.59 for general alimony and 4.87 for street maintenance at a board meeting Tuesday at the Municipal Complex.
A public hearing on the property taxes was held before the meeting, but the only comment came during the meeting from Jack Burson, alderman at-large.
Burson pointed out that property is reassessed every four years. The city started off with 7 mills general alimony and 5 mills for street maintenance.
In 2017, the city will be able to roll its property taxes forward to 6.77 million general alimony and 5 mills street maintenance, he said.
“When you get the reappraisal your millage is rolled back because you had an increase in the value of property,” Burson said. “I never understood that because, of course, you have an increase in value in everything you’ve got to buy to maintain city streets and all your responsibilities.”
Eunice’s property valuation rose from $62,205,050 in 2015 to $63,886,070 in 2016 — a 2.7 percent increase.
“... every town around us including my old hometown of Basile, Ville Platte, Jennings, Crowley all have over 30 mills on the tax,” Burson said. “I think if we ever want to get our city infrastructure in the shape we all want it to be in we are going to have to take a serious look at this. If we ever want to provide our new recruits for the city police, city fire department, all the city departments a wage equivalent to what other people around us are paying we are going to have to come up with the revenue do it.”
Burson said, “We will see in the future some proposals to rectify that.”
The city cannot look to the federal and state governments for assistance, he said.
“The point is Santa Claus is dead as far as expecting big gifts of money from the Feds or state,” Burson said. “If we want to keep our city in shape .. provide police protection and fire protection that we all know are all fundamental government services, we are going to have to look long and hard at our revenue set up.”
In other business, aldermen:
— Reappointed John Guillory and Germaine West to the Eunice Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board as recommended by Mayor Scott Fontenot. LSUE Chancellor Kimberly Russell also recommended Donald Smith and Brent Fruge for appointment to the board, but there were only two positions to be filled.
— Approved a liquor license for Ramsan Ali doing business as Eunice Corner Express, 801 West Laurel Ave.