By T. Scott Boatright
Future finances were matters of business Monday night as Ruston’s City Council adopted a budget for the 2025 fiscal year and also adopted property tax millage rates for 2024 during its September meeting held in the courtroom at City Hall.
City Chief Financial Officer Julie Keen explained the proposed millage rates before they were unanimously adopted by the City Council.
“Currently our millage and related revenue are general alimony at 5.19 mils, which is about $1.3 million in revenue; RPAR at w.89 mils, which is about $700,000 in revenue,” Keen said. “We are asking this year that the city adopt the 2024 adjusted maximum millage after the reassessment, which would assign our rates for the general alimony are 4.63 mils, again generating about $1.3 (million) in revenue; and RPAR at 2.58, which would keep our revenue at $700,000. We do expect some modest growth with some new properties coming onto the roll.”
So basically, the Council dropped millage rates but expects to generate the same amount of property tax revenue.
The 2025 budget unanimously adopted by the Council has the city spending approximately $77 million and taking in around $112 million.
Keen said operating expenses are up compared to 2024 while revenue is down by about $3 million.
The budget also shows just over $60 million in capital expenditures for 2025, much of which is funded by state and federal grants.
Ruston’s Board of Alderman also unanimously passed a resolution approving applications of Echo Development Ruston, LLC, for participation in the Louisiana Tax Abatement Program.
“The Restoration Tax Abatement Program provides an abatement of ad valorem property taxes on renovations and improvements on commercial structures and unoccupied residences and qualified locations,” Keen said. “The program is administered by Louisiana Economic Development and is a 10-year program consisting of five two-year periods that renew after the first five.
“Four applications for abatement were submitted by Echo Development of Ruston, LLC, which is the property that is encompassing the Economic Power and Water District on East Mississippi (Street)/ The improvements are expected to cost approximately $8.2 million. Of course, the abatement will only apply to the value of those improvements. We have as required notified the other taxing authorities of receipt of the applications and we have made those available to them as well.”
As far as the Cooktown Road overpass, the City Council unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the city to enter into a contract with the Riley Company of Louisiana to do engineering services related to eventually moving utilities so that a new bridge can be built.
“(The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development does) have a project designed and as part of that project they reached out to the existing utilities in the area to develop a relocation plan for those utilities that may be in conflict with that project,” said Public Works Director John Freeman. “We believe some of the costs should be borne by the department. We just need a plan developed to show them that has to be relocated and what compensable interest might look like, and for them to be able to evaluate that they need to see our contract with our engineering group. That is this step and we’ll get those plans to the (DOTD).”
Mayor Ronny Walker said the project was entirely funded during the state legislative session held earlier this year.
“The money is there,” Walker said. “It is on the bid sheet for 2026, but DOTD in Monroe, our district office, is working really hard to move that to 2025 and we’re all working really hard also. We hope to get that bumped up to 2025.”
Ruston’s Board of Aldermen also passed a trio of resolutions authorizing the city accepting low bids from the Mabry Company related to three Cross Drain Replacement Projects.
The first one was for the Edgewood Street Cross Drain Replacement and Interchange Improvements Project at a cost of $37,250; the East Mississippi Cross Drain Replacement Project at a cost of $58,100 and the Stain Street Cross Drain Replacement Project at a cost of $38,200.
Also passed by the City Council were resolutions to revise and adopt a Citizen Participation Plan related to the Louisiana Community Development Block Grant Program; to accept and support grant offers and approve grant agreements for improvements at the Ruston Regional Airport; to authorize the city to enter into contract related to hourly and storm rates for vegetation maintenance; and to authorize the city of enter into contract related to vegetation mileage rates.
With Lincoln Parish expected to be at least somewhat affected by Hurricane Francine or its remnants later this week, Councilman Bruce Siegmund asked Public Works Utilities Manager Andrew Halbrook if those rates would be used in the event of needed storm cleanup.
“We’ll still be under our current contract for any weather between now and Oct. 1,” Halbrook said.
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