St. Charles Parish voters will decide the future of two dedicated property taxes on Nov. 3, with propositions on the ballot to continue funding for the parish’s Parks and Recreation Department and Council on Aging.
If approved by voters, the Parks and Recreation proposition would authorize a 2.68-mill property tax through 2037, while the Council on Aging proposition would consolidate two existing millages totaling 1.8 mills into a single 1.25-mill tax.
Gabrielle Rankin, a spokesperson for the parish, said the current Parks and Recreation millage was originally adopted at 3.02 mills in 2016 and has since been rolled back to 2.68 mills.
“For an average St. Charles Parish home valued at $253,000 with a $75,000 homestead exemption, the proposed Parks and Recreation millage would cost approximately $47.40 per year, while the proposed Council on Aging millage would cost approximately $22.25 per year,” Rankin said.
Revenue from the Parks and Recreation millage is used for the construction, improvement, maintenance and operation of recreation facilities and programs for children, adults and seniors in St. Charles Parish, Rankin said.
“The parish’s recreation system currently includes 48 parks, 53 baseball fields, 16 soccer fields, 16 multipurpose fields, two spray parks, five boat launch locations and more than 19 miles of maintained trails and levee paths,” Rankin said.
She said program registrations have increased 44 percent since 2016.
Voters will also consider a change to the way dedicated property tax revenue for the parish’s Council on Aging is structured.
The Council on Aging is currently supported by two separate millages totaling 1.8 mills. The proposition would replace those taxes with one dedicated 1.25-mill property tax through 2037.
The revenue would fund the construction, improvement, maintenance and operation of facilities and programs serving residents age 60 and older.
Rankin said more than 1,500 local seniors currently use Council on Aging resources. The organization provides approximately 82,000 home-delivered meals and nearly 15,000 transportation trips annually, in addition to daily recreation opportunities at its East Bank and West Bank facilities.
The parish will hold two informational meetings about the millage propositions before the election. The first will be held Oct. 7, at 6 p.m. at the Edward A. Dufresne Community Center. A second meeting will be held Oct. 14, at 6 p.m. at the St. Charles Parish East Regional Library.
Election Day is Nov. 3, with polls open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Early voting will take place Oct. 20-27, excluding Sunday, Oct. 25, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. St. Charles Parish voters may vote early at the St. Charles Parish Courthouse in Hahnville or the Alan Arterbury Building in New Sarpy.
Residents can review their sample ballots through the Louisiana Voter Portal or the free GeauxVote mobile app.
