School Board Votes To Roll Forward Millage Rates For Upcoming Tax Year

By David Reynaud

For the first time since 2009, the St. James Parish School Board has rolled forward millage rates to allow the School District to collect the maximum amount of property taxes allowed by the voters and by law.

During a public hearing held prior to Tuesday’s Board meeting, Finance Director Jim Mitchell told the Board that since 2009, the Board has either rolled back or left millage rates alone, never rolling forward in that time period, which resulted in the Board not collecting $5,747,925 in property taxes that could have been collected by law.

So why roll forward? Due to a variety of reasons, mainly decreasing oil prices, the total assessed value of St. James Parish as a whole has declined since 2015 and therefore less taxes have been collected. In 2015, the Parish’s total assessment was $577 million and in 2016 that number fell to $516 million.

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