With no votes to spare, the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board on Thursday kept property tax rates at current levels, ensuring that the school system continues receiving as planned an estimated $13 million in increased revenue thanks to a recent parishwide reassessment. Every four years in Louisiana, including this year, local assessors reassess the value of residential and other property in their parishes. Once that reassessment is complete, local governments decide whether to lower property tax rates (roll back) or keep the rates at their current levels (roll forward) and thereby reap the benefits of higher property values.
Property tax rates are known as millages. To roll forward the millages, the board needed a two-thirds majority, with at least six board members voting yes. It barely got there.
The vote was 6-1, with board member Nathan Rust voting "no." Board members Dadrius Lanus and Emily Soulé were absent. The result was in doubt until board member Shashonnie Steward, a "yes" vote, showed up after the meeting started.
Board Vice President Patrick Martin supported a roll forward, saying it preserves the status quo. “If we didn’t roll forward we would have to make cuts in the budget that we approved two months ago,” Martin said. Board member Mike Gaudet made a similar point.
“By rolling forward, we are keeping the original rate intact,” Gaudet said. “This is not a new tax.” Rust, however, argued that the $13 million in added property tax revenue does .