Council wants ARC tax dollars spent in parish

Voters ask for accountability on .7-mill levy

What started as yearly legal housekeeping on collecting property taxes for the St. Charles Parish Council became a discussion about ensuring the newly approved .7-mill tax for ARC of St. Charles is spent entirely in the parish.

The approved ordinance routinely authorizes the parish’s tax assessor to collect property taxes, which this year includes the newly approved 4-mill tax for flood protection, a reduction in the lighting tax and a renewed a 2.2-mill tax for sewer maintenance and upgrades, as well as ARC’s new .7-mill levy for the agency that assists people with developmental and intellectual disabilities.

There was no public comment at the public hearing on the ordinance at Monday’s council meeting, although council members said they had gotten calls about the ARC’s new tax.

Chief Administrative Officer Buddy Boe said tax revenue collected on behalf of the agency would be held until they finalize an ARC-parish cooperative endeavor agreement or contract outlining services and terms to be provided in return for the tax revenue.

Boe projected the agreement, which is being drafted, could be ironed out within three months.

Tax collections begin next year.

At minimum, Boe said ARC would be required to report to the council and be present at budget hearings.

Councilwoman Traci Fletcher was assured that all tax dollars collected in the parish for ARC are spent in the parish even though it is a multi-parish entity.

Councilman Jarvis Lewis asked if ARC would have to report to the parish even though it already reports to the state Legislative Auditor. Boe confirmed it will have to report to the parish government.

Councilman Terrell Wilson said he’s also gotten calls from constituents about ARC, asking for specifics on how the parish will account for the agency getting public funds. Wilson asked if the parish can appoint members to the ARC board.

Boe said council could require it and decide how many seats it wants on the board as part of the council’s agreement with ARC.

In March, ARC Executive Director Victoria Bryant appealed to the council for financial assistance, saying it was hit by “the double whammy” – declining revenue and rising expenses that could mean shutting down programs within three years without help.

With savings eroded by the deficits, Bryant said they looked for options and observed the Arc of St. John the Baptist and St. Tammany ARC were getting financial assistance through property taxes. This is when Bryant presented Arc’s audit and a request for a .7-mill tax to the St. Charles Parish Council, which is approved to be placed on the May 2 special election ballot.

Voters agreed that ARC needed help at the polls.

“The ARC is pleased to now have an official affiliation with St. Charles Parish created by the passage of the millage on May 2,” said Bryant shortly after they passed the tax referendum.

They approved a 10-year tax to provide $843,000 a year from 2015 through 2024. Based on the income, projected budget numbers indicate the ARC will show a $21,030 surplus by next year, a figure that would grow to $58,480 by 2019.