Council approves property tax hike
Last Modified: Friday, July 20, 2012 3:11 PM
By Eric Cormier / American Press
Lake Charles property owners are facing an increase in taxes this year. Those increases will be reflected in annual tax bills.
The City Council voted 6-0 in favor of rolling forward with the millage.
Mayor Randy Roach’s administration calculated that the roll forward to 15.35 mills will generate about $8 million.
Property was reassessed this year.
In 2011, the assessed value of property in Lake Charles was $491,731,370. Values increased to $524,831,500 in 2012.
Roach said the new assessment value led to taxes being rolled back to 14.64 percent which would keep property tax revenues at a level to which the city is more accustomed.
But he said rolling forward “or staying still” would make up a difference of $377,632.
“So we are maintaining,” he said. “The last time we faced this issue we rolled back one-half.”
The extra money will help pay for the city’s increased retirement benefit contributions for police officers and firemen.
City Councilman Dana Jackson said the administration has done well in controlling costs, therefore he supports the tax increase.
“We are facing problems other entities are not. Essentially we are not raising taxes, we are keeping them the same,” he said. “I will support this and hope everybody else rolls back if they don’t need the money.”
City Councilman Rodney Geyen explained his support of the tax.
“We are penned down with increased overtime. We are doing what we can to keep that from inflating. I support this due to the need for overtime and retirement,” he said.
Roach reminded the City Council that Lake Charles ranks well below other municipalities in state in tax burden.
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