The parish council unanimously approved a lower 2025 millage rate for public services at its council meeting Monday, Aug. 18. This is the third consecutive year the parish has cut millage rates.
In the meeting, Councilman Bob Fisher noted that the reduction could save taxpayers close to a million dollars. The lower rate is expected to decrease total revenue for public services by $800,000 from last year.
“This is the third year in a row that we’re able to [lower rates] and I think it shows good fiscal management,” Fisher said. “Kudos to the administration for being able to do this. I know the taxpayers are glad. I would like to continue to see this, and I still want to offer all the same services. [The parish] is like a business – we have to have money to run. And I appreciate the effort that goes into this.”
Parish President Matthew Jewell said that lower millage rates for the sheriff’s office and the school system, in addition to the lower rates for public services, could cut about $4 million total from the tax rolls this year. He also noted that the total amount cut in recent years is close to about $50 million.
“It’s a really good story to tell and we’ve been able to maintain the great services that we provide, and we will continue to grow in the future,” he said in the meeting.
But Councilman Walter Pilié cautioned that, while the lower rate is very good, the parish does not have a dedicated millage for drainage.
“I would hope that, at some point by rolling things back, we might find ourselves able to submit that to the electorate to try to get some money there,” he said. “We live off of sales tax and grants.”
Pilié noted that if there was a serious recession the sales tax could dwindle down.
“We need a more stable source of income for these drainage projects, which I consider the most important thing we have in this parish,” he said.
The ordinance, which proposed a rollback of .51 from the 2024 rate of 26.88 mills, passed with a minor amendment. That amendment lowered the rate for the second millage for the Council on Aging from .66 to .65.
The council also unanimously approved an ordinance that will pave the way for drainage improvements on King and Hahn Streets in Hahnville.
Dianna Burrell of Hahnville shared her concerns with the project during the public comment period.
“We would not like a canal placed directly behind our home,” Burrell said. “After reviewing the details, we have several significant concerns – property rights and legal concerns. The proposal to dig a canal near our property has not been authorized by us.”
Burrell raised concerns of the risks of drowning accidents with a large, open ditch where children play, and she said the presence of standing water could create breeding grounds for mosquitos, snakes or rats. She also noted that construction and maintenance of the project could cause distribution to daily life with blocked roads and increased noise.
In response to Burrell’s comments, Jewell defended the project. He said the project was born out of the May 2020 floods.
“Across the parish we had nearly 400 homes flood,” Jewell said. “One of the worst hotspots in Hahnville was King and Hahn Street. In an effort to try to prevent flooding for these residents, we embarked on a mission to provide the much needed conveyance in the area to get the water away from homes and flow it south toward the lake.”
Jewell said the project is not on private property. The parish spent years acquiring property to place the project, he said.
“We have worked very hard to get to a point now where we can get that property and make the much needed drainage improvements so the folks on King and Hahn Street don’t flood anymore,” he said.
He asked the council to keep the project moving forward. The council approved the ordinance.
