Millage rates in parish may go down this year

By Renee Allemand

MILLAGE RATES. St. Charles Parish administration is gearing up to offer its proposal on property tax millage rates at the Aug. 18 council meeting. Council members will vote to approve or change the plan.

Based on early estimates of total assessed property value in the parish, Parish President V.J. St. Pierre Jr. expects to roll millages back this year.

Parish government controls only 16 percent of the total millages charged on property owned by residents and industry alike. That money is dedicated to certain parish agencies and departments, including the Council on Aging, 911, recreation department, health unit and fire departments.
Other taxing bodies include the St. Charles Parish School Board, which receives 51 percent of parish property taxes, and the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Department.

Government Access Channel 6 will premiere a new segment explaining millage rates and their usage Aug. 13.
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Infrastructure update.

A new culvert installed July 16 will help alleviate drainage concerns near Charlestowne and River Road in St. Rose.
The work will increase the capacity of the subsurface drainage system near the St. Rose Branch Library.

A water line running along River Road had to be moved to make way for the new culverts, so the job required intensive cooperation between Wastewater and Public Works crews, officials said.

The fix will keep water off the road during rain events and will provide protection for business and homes in the area along Charlestowne, Riverview Drive and Almedia Road. Runoff will be redirected through the parish’s drainage ditches behind Charlestowne.

For more information about infrastructure projects across St. Charles Parish, tune in to the St. Charles Parish Government Access Channel (Cox Cable Channel 6) or visit www.stcharlesgov.net.
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Parish vehicle policy update

St. Pierre has implemented a new policy dictating employee use of parish-owned and personal vehicles while conducting parish business.

The policy went into effect May 1 and has been phased-in over the last two months, Chief Operating Officer Rusty Walker said.

While the rules address all on-the-job transportation, they also spell out criteria for the use of take-home vehicles in all government departments. Previously, individual departments determined which workers were assigned a parish-owned vehicle to take to and from work.

According to the policy, vehicles are assigned on the basis of functional requirements of the employee’s position. Take-home vehicles are assigned to employees whose responsibilities require routine and regular conduct of parish business before or after normal working hours, emergency use on a routine or regular basis or if it is to the convenience of the parish to assign a vehicle.

Employees assigned take-home vehicles are taxed each pay check for their use.

All other employees have access to parish vehicle pools or can be reimbursed for mileage in their personal vehicles. The current reimbursement rate is 58 cents per mile.
The new criteria have eliminated approximately 15 take-home vehicles in the Department of Planning and Zoning, four in Workforce Investment and two in the Department of Parks and Recreation. The parish previously authorized 80 take-home vehicles.
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Make water bill payments online

St. Charles Parish residents can now enjoy the convenience of paying their water bills online or by phone via credit card.

To pay a water bill online, visit www.stcharlesgov.net and click the payment link on the homepage. Payments are processed by Official Payments Corp., which charges a $3 fee per transaction. Transactions are limited to $200, not including the convenience fee.

Phone payments are being accepted through Official Payments Corp. at 1-877-309-4919.

Online payments can be processed much more quickly than cash or check payments made at the Waterworks Department, located at 301 Third St. in Luling, said Robert Brou, the parish’s Department of Waterworks director. This can help customers avoid late fees.

Customers must have their 13-digit customer number to make payments. The number can be found on any previous water bills.
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St. Charles Parish Public Information Officer Renee C. Allemand can be reached at (985) 783-5000 or rallemand@stcharlesgov.net.

 

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