The Calcasieu Parish Police Jury will consider rolling forward two millages to help pay for $60 million in capital projects that officials said are needed in advance of the parish’s expected growth.

The meeting, set for 5:30 p.m. today in the Parish Government Building, 1015 Pithon St., will include a public hearing on whether the panel should roll forward the general purpose millage from 4.27 mills to 4.41 mills for unincorporated areas, and from 2.13 mills to 2.20 mills for incorporated areas, except Iowa. The parish courthouse complex and jail maintenance millage would go from 3.15 mills to 3.27 mills.

A roll forward can only be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Police Jury. If approved, the millages would be at the maximum authorized amounts, according to a 2012 reassessment by the parish tax assessor.

Some of the improvements include the Family and Juvenile Court, Animal Services, the Office of Juvenile Justice, the Coroner’s Office, Workforce Center and Burton Coliseum. The funding would also pay for a parking garage at the parish courthouse complex.

Most of the capital improvements would be funded by the parish borrowing money and paying it back with existing funding, including $42 million in gambling funds paid over seven years. An additional $650,000 would come out of the juvenile justice tax annually over 15 years.

Another $610,000 would come from the parish’s general fund annually over 15 years. Of that total, the increased millages would produce $429,176 in 2016. With its expected 2 percent annual growth rate, that amount is expected to reach $566,289 by 2030.

Parish Administrator Bryan Beam said that rolling the millages forward would result in a resident living in an unincorporated area with a home valued at $150,000 paying an additional $1.95 per year. For homes valued at $200,000, the annual increase would be $3.25.

(American Press Archives)