By Chris Tregre / L’Observateur / September 30, 1998

DEAR EDITOR: On Saturday, Oct. 3, we in St. Charles Parish have an opportunity thatdoesn’t come along very often – we can bring $250,000 a year back to St.

Charles Parish from Baton Rouge. It’s an opportunity to get money forlocal services without costing our citizens one penny.

You are probably asking yourself how this is possible. The answer issimple. Our Parish is one of 45 parishes in Louisiana that has oil and gasproduction, and one of only 27 parishes with enough production to take advantage of Constitutional Amendment No. 2. If passed by the voters ofour State, it will raise the cap on how much money our Parish government can receive from the severance tax which is collected on natural resources by the State. Our local revenue from this fund will increasefrom $500,000 per year to $750,000 per year.

Since 1974, the state government has collected billions of dollars in severance taxes without changing the amount local government receives.

That’s 24 years of local services with no adjustment for escalating costs or inflation. The Legislature noted this glaring inequity with near-unanimous passage of this proposal.

It won’t cost the industry a penny more; it won’t cost the taxpayers a penny more. It simply allows for a redistribution of a portion of thesewerage taxes from the State to the parishes. In short, ConstitutionalAmendment No. 2 is a “win-win” situation for the people of our Parish. Iurge you to not only go to the polls and vote “Yes” for No. 2, but tell yourfriends about it. This is an opportunity we can’t afford to pass up.Let’s get the word out that No. 2 is important to us and bring it home toSt. Charles Parish.

Chris TregreParish PresidentSt. Charles Parish

Copyright © 1998, Wick Communications, Inc.

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