LAPLACE — St. John the Baptist Parish voters are going to decide April 29 if they want to help fund greater flood protection through the passage of a 7-mill property tax.

Parish Council members approved the special election during a Tuesday night meeting by unanimous approval.

Division B Councilwoman at Large Jaclyn Hotard was absent.

If approved by voters, money generated by the tax would be used to fund the massive West Shore Levee Project, which would significantly increase levee protection in a parish that has seen its share of flooding.

Parish officials said, if approved, the tax would generate approximately $3 million in its first year and would be in place for 30 years.

The project is eligible for significant funding since it was included in the Water Infrastructure for the National Act in December. The act, which the U.S. Senate approved by a 78-21 margin, authorized nearly $10 billion of federal investment in a variety of storm water management projects.

According to parish officials, the ambitious West Shore Levee Project comes with a hefty price tag of nearly three quarters of a billion dollars, of which the federal government could potentially chip in with up to 65 percent of the total cost of $718 million. The parish is responsible for $50 million in the cost of construction and an estimated $5 annually for operation, maintenance, replacement and rehabilitation of the levee.

Parish President Natalie Robottom previously said the parish must first secure federal dollars, adding her office is working with the Congressional delegation.