By T. Scott Boatright
Correcting a legal issue regarding a property tax assessment hearing date and time and authorizing an intergovernmental agreement to construct a connector road for buses at Ruston Junior High School were primary measures passed as the Lincoln Parish Police Jury held its September meeting Tuesday night.
The property assessment hearing date problem came after Lincoln Parish Tax Assessor Billy McBride failed to follow legal requirements to notify the public of a property assessment hearing date originally scheduled for Tuesday.
During Tuesday’s meeting the LPPJ passed a motion to reschedule the property assessment hearing for 5 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Lincoln Parish Courthouse,
Earlier this summer the Tax Assessor’s office reassessed all taxable property as it is supposed to be done every four years. After those reassessments were done a number of property owners voiced a desire to appeal those reassessments after some of those fees significantly rose, some reportedly as much as 80%.
The Tax Assessor’s office sent out letters to property owners facing reassessment increases of 15% or more, with some of those receiving those letters indicating they wanted to appeal the findings of those reassessments.
During last month’s LPPJ meeting, Jurors set a public hearing date for Tuesday night to listen to appeals acting as the local Board of Review and then voting as that Board on certifying or rejecting that assessment list. Both the appealing property owners and the Tax Assessor’s Office can appeal whatever decision the Board of Review to the tax commission if they so choose.
The problem came when regulations set by the Louisiana Tax Commission stating that the tax assessor must publish notices of the appeal hearing time and date at least twice in the LPPJ’s journal of record at least seven days in advance of the scheduled property assessment hearing date were not followed.
Those notices about the scheduled property assessment hearing date were not published with the required seven days of advance notice before such a hearing be held.
By the time the notices were published, they instructed readers to turn in their appeals to the Board of Review by Sept. 5, which was three days before the notices were actually published.
“I’d like to apologize for the miscommunication,” McBride told Jurors after the LPPJ passed a motion resetting the property assessment hearing date. “I made a (mistake).”
The LPPJ also passed a motion authorizing an intergovernmental agreement between the Police Jury and the Lincoln Parish School Board to construct a one-lane, rock gravel connector road at Ruston Junior High School for use by school buses, citing safety concerns as the reason for that vote.
“We met with (Lincoln Parish School Board Superintendent Ricky Durrett) and some of his associates at their request,” Parish Administrator Courtney Hall told the Jurors. “What their concern is buses having to cut through a car line on the service road for parents dropping off students at the school. It causes a lot of problems a lot of times.
“So, what they are asking us to do is to construct a road that goes from the north end of the Bus Barn to the west parking lot of Ruston Junior High School. It is not a real big project for us and certainly within our wheelhouse. The School Board is going to pay for all the material, and we will be responsible for the labor.
Also approved as a motion establishing a planning team for a long-range transportation planning process for the parish.
The LPPJ voted unanimously for Mike Causey from Hunt, Guillot and Associates (HGA)to serve as project manager for a planning team that will also include Hall as the LPPJ’s representative, Ernie Broussard from HGA, Chamber of Commerce Director Will Dearmon representing parish businesses, Louisiana Tech Vice President for External Affairs Cami Geisman, Grambling State Dean of the College of Business Derrick Warren, and City of Ruston Public Works Manager Andrew Halbrook.
Hall said that the team will be advisory in nature and will report to the LPPJ.
“Without a plan in place, there is no money to be gotten from the state or anyone else,” said LPPJ President Glenn Scriber.
In other business, the LPPJ also authorized the reappointment of Bill Sanderson to a four-term on the Lincoln Parish Communications District, again rolled back the millage rate it set for the Lincoln Parish Library from the previous 4.28 mils to 3.8 as a “housekeeping” request from the state Legislative Auditor’s Office, and scheduled a public hearing for the Section 8 Housing Assistance Program for 10 a.m. Oct. 22 at the Housing Program Office located at 829 E. Georgia Ave., Suite 7 in Ruston for the purpose of discussing the program’s mission, goals and objectives.
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