By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – The St. John the Baptist Parish Council will hold a public hearing Tuesday to decide on an ordinance to keep parish millage rates at their 2009 levels.

Marie Brown-Mercadel, St. John Parish chief administrative officer, said the ordinance is the result of a 2010 property value assessment that showed a slight decrease parishwide.

“With the reassessment, the millage rate decreased to 0.3876,” Mercadel said. “We want to keep the rate at the 2009 level, which is 0.3889.”

Mercadel said if millage rates were to decrease to the 2010 assessment level, the parish stands to lose about $257,000 in revenue from property taxes.

“We are just trying to avoid that potential loss of revenue for the parish,” Mercadel said. “The rates are not to exceed 2009 levels.”

Revenue collected from the millages goes toward various public services, including courthouse and jail maintenance, mosquito abatement, road lighting, libraries, the parish public health unit and public buildings. The revenue also goes toward repayment on any outstanding bonds.

The council will also vote on a resolution to hold a special election to authorize use of a 1 percent sales tax for the parish’s water department. The measure would appear on the Nov. 2 ballot if Oked.

Mercadel said the tax was originally approved in 1985 to pay for sewer system expansions. She said in 2002, voters agreed to allow the parish to use the money in the public works department. The tax would generate about $8.65 million in 2011, according to parish records.

Last year, the parish used the tax revenue for ditch digging projects, sewer system improvements and other debts in the parish, Mercadel said. She added that the money would be put toward helping the parish operate the reverse osmosis water treatment system, which is providing better quality water to parts of the east bank.

“The new system requires more electricity and is more expensive to run than the old system.” Mercadel said. “If the tax is put toward public utilities it will allow us more flexibility.”

The council will meet Tuesday in the Percy Hebert Building, 1801 W. Airline Highway, LaPlace, starting at 6:30 p.m. The meeting follows a 6:15 p.m.finance committee meeting.