Calcasieu Parish police jurors on Thursday heard about a program being offered by Sasol that lets residents in Mossville and Brentwood sell their homes for more than fair market value.

Mike Hayes, a Sasol representative, and Brigid Walls, vice president of Community Interaction Consulting Inc., discussed the Voluntary Property Purchase Program. The petrochemical company hired the Atlanta-based CIC to run the program, which was introduced last month.

Hayes said Sasol’s expansion, including a gas-to-liquids plant, will be “much closer to those neighborhoods than we were before.” The company held a meeting Aug. 16 to inform residents about the program.

“A number of (residents) do not want to live any closer to the industrial facilities than they were,” he said. “We feel like we’re offering a fairly generous program, but that’s up to each individual to decide.”

Program details

The average appraised price for an owner-occupant is calculated by taking the average of two appraisals, as long as they are within 10 percent of each other, Walls said. If the difference is more than 10 percent, a third appraisal is done, and the average is based on the two highest appraisals.

Walls said an owner-occupant can also have 60 percent of the average appraised price added to the value. For example, a home with a $100,000 average appraised price would have $60,000 added to that average.

The minimum appraised price for owner-occupied homes is $100,000. A tenant or rental property has a minimum appraised value of $75,000, she said.

Walls said a home that is on piers could be moved to another location.

“In some cases, you could essentially sell the house, sell your property, not even have to pack (and) take your home to another location,” she said.

One misconception about the program is that a resident has to sell if he or she signs up for the program, Walls said.

“All you’re committing is to go through the process and let your property be appraised and be presented with the final dollars to consider selling,” she said.

Deadlines

Residents who sign up before Oct. 4 can receive a $1,000 bonus. Residents have until Dec. 4 to register.

Walls said it could take a couple of years to get all of the residents who want to sell through the process.

“I think it’s a win-win situation for those who would like the opportunity to relocate,” she said.

CIC has an information center in the former Mossville Elementary School, 3301 Old Spanish Trail. To schedule an appointment or ask questions, call 310-8200.

Online: www.sasolvppp.com.

(Special to the American Press)