Page 1
Page 1
Started By
Message
locked post

EBR voters will get another chance to vote down a new tax

Posted on 12/4/14 at 5:03 pm
Posted by LSURussian
Member since Feb 2005
126861 posts
Posted on 12/4/14 at 5:03 pm
LINK
quote:

Mayor-President Kip Holden is pursuing another capital improvements tax and bond election, marking his fourth attempt to ask residents to increase their taxes to pay for expensive infrastructure improvements in East Baton Rouge Parish.

No details were immediately available about what exactly would be included in the tax election, how much it would cost and how much taxes would be increased.

But an item was added to the Metro Council’s agenda on Thursday informing council members they’d be asked to consider calling the tax election on May 2, 2015.

Sources said the tax election would be geared toward public safety infrastructure and include funding for a new prison, a new building for the District Attorney, additional funds to renovate the public safety headquarters located at the old Woman’s Hospital, and funds for improvements to the Juvenile Services Facility.

The cost of the program is estimated at $350 million.
Posted by SpidermanTUba
my house
Member since May 2004
36128 posts
Posted on 12/4/14 at 9:42 pm to
New prison huh. You plan to fill it up kip?
Posted by TROLA
BATON ROUGE
Member since Apr 2004
12289 posts
Posted on 12/4/14 at 10:04 pm to
Posted by maine82
Member since Aug 2011
3320 posts
Posted on 12/4/14 at 11:52 pm to
I'll vote for it, if we get to repeal the CATS tax at the same time
Posted by Overbrook
Member since May 2013
6069 posts
Posted on 12/5/14 at 12:26 am to
They can pridefully say they vote down the tax; meanwhile the infrastructure in B.R. and adjacent Ascension, which also proudly refuses to tax itself, is the absolute pits.
Posted by magildachunks
Member since Oct 2006
32478 posts
Posted on 12/5/14 at 2:56 am to
quote:

vote for it, if we get to repeal the CATS tax at the same time







Every major metropolitan area has some form of public transportation.

Only BR hates the idea of one.
Posted by LSURussian
Member since Feb 2005
126861 posts
Posted on 12/5/14 at 4:17 am to
I resent how the tax election was gerrymandered to get it passed. BR had a bus system before the CATS tax passed.
Posted by doubleb
Baton Rouge
Member since Aug 2006
35826 posts
Posted on 12/5/14 at 8:44 am to
Maybe the same taxing district could vote on the new prison, the new DA's office, and the other stuff Kip says we need? Meanwhile subdivisions vote to tax themselves so they can hire police to provide themselves with "extra" protection.

Seriously 9% sales tax is a lot to pay, we don't need more sales tax. City folk just had a hefty property tax increase too. Property taxes are high enough even though some subdivisions are voting to raise taxes on themselves to buy extra police protection.

I don't know where Kip plans to get this money, but you have brought this up before; BREC, the Library System, and other self sufficient groups seem to have more money than they need yet no one cares about these entities and their budgets.
Posted by sec13rowBBseat28
St George, LA
Member since Aug 2006
15347 posts
Posted on 12/5/14 at 9:44 am to
Maybe we should let BREC run the prison system, they seem to have plenty of money.
Posted by doubleb
Baton Rouge
Member since Aug 2006
35826 posts
Posted on 12/5/14 at 9:53 am to
quote:

Maybe we should let BREC run the prison system, they seem to have plenty of money.


Yes they do.
Posted by Bard
Definitely NOT an admin
Member since Oct 2008
51416 posts
Posted on 12/5/14 at 11:38 am to
Will this tax go to fund a loop in some way? No? Then it's not getting my vote.
Posted by BigJim
Baton Rouge
Member since Jan 2010
14472 posts
Posted on 12/5/14 at 11:53 am to
quote:

Every major metropolitan area has some form of public transportation.

Only BR hates the idea of one.


Did every major metropolitan area triple it's public transportation tax by holding an gerrymandered election?

I was actually ok with a small increase to provide additional services (even though I would probably never use them)- but this was a mugging.
Posted by Sprocket46
Member since Apr 2014
732 posts
Posted on 12/5/14 at 1:30 pm to
Ryan Heck countered this nonsense perfectly.
LINK /
Posted by LSUFanHouston
NOLA
Member since Jul 2009
36940 posts
Posted on 12/5/14 at 2:26 pm to
So the question is... does the city need a new jail, a new DA building, more money for the public safety headquarters, and improvements at the Juvenile Services Facility?

If those things are needed, then vote for the tax.

If those things are not needed, then vote down the tax.
Posted by LSURussian
Member since Feb 2005
126861 posts
Posted on 12/5/14 at 2:36 pm to
quote:

So the question is... does the city need a new jail, a new DA building, more money for the public safety headquarters, and improvements at the Juvenile Services Facility?

No, that's not the question.

The question is does the local government currently collect enough taxes to build all those things without increasing taxes?

That answer is yes.
Posted by doubleb
Baton Rouge
Member since Aug 2006
35826 posts
Posted on 12/5/14 at 2:50 pm to
quote:

So the question is... does the city need a new jail, a new DA building, more money for the public safety headquarters, and improvements at the Juvenile Services Facility? If those things are needed, then vote for the tax. If those things are not needed, then vote down the tax.


No, that's not how it should work; but that's exactly how govt. wants you to think.

They take something that everyone wants(say crooks in jail), or something everyone thinks is good (say a good park system)and paint the debate as either or.

They never tell you there are other options, and no one ever tells you when enough is enough.

For instance, EBR isn't going to tell you about the millions they may be wasting every day with the sewer program. Nobody likes sewer, and nobody really knows if the sewer program is lean and mean. All they know is they are laying pipe all over town, adding onto the south sewer plant and closing another sewer plan to help developers.

And BREC isn't going to tell you they don't need more money for capital improvements. They keep coming back for more even if they have million left over. They would have you believe that if you don't renew all the BREC taxes the entire system will crumble when in reality the entire system may be large enough for our parish, but they keep making it bigger and having it include more and more.

And then there are other programs in the general budget that most would consider to be superfluous or extravagant, or bloated; but the option is never that versus a prison. The options are a prison or letting the crooks run free.

There are other options. Its Kips job to find those without raising taxes every time we turn around.
first pageprev pagePage 1 of 1Next pagelast page
refresh

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

FacebookTwitterInstagram