Anytime there is a tax election, there will be a lot of information put out either in favor of or in opposition to the tax measure. Some information may be correct and some is generally way off base. We hope that the following Q&A will better inform the voters about the road tax election:
Q1: How large is the Parish road system?
A1: The Parish has approximately 1000 roads in its maintenance inventory, plus approximately 100 church and cemetery roads. The public roads consist of about 500 miles of gravel roads and 300 miles of paved roads.
Q2: Why does the Parish need more money to fund road repairs?
A2: The 2019 highway budget includes the following major sources of funds:
Parish property tax for roads: $1,146,000
Parish sales tax for solid waste & roads: 500,000
State transportation fund: 525,000
Kisatchie road fund (federal): 192,000
Other sources: 28,000
Total: $2,391,000
The cost of materials, equipment and personnel to repair our roads is exceeding our funds available and we are getting dangerously close to having to cut back our repair efforts. Without additional funds, this could occur before the end of 2019.
Q3: Why are the roads in such bad condition?
A3: There has not been a comprehensive road maintenance plan for many years, dating back to the former police jury. Also, we have experienced several major rain and flood events over the past few years, causing significant damage to our roads.
Q4: How do the voters know that the new tax dollars will be spent on roads and will not simply allow the Parish to move existing road funds to other uses?
A4: The existing road funds are dedicated to road and bridge repairs and improvements. They cannot legally be spent on any other purpose. In addition, the Parish General Fund does not have any funds going to the highway department that could be withdrawn if the new road tax passes. The bottom line is that the existing funds in the highway department will stay in the department if the tax is passed by the voters. The new tax dollars will add to those funds and dramatically improve our ability to make road repairs.
Q5: Will the voters be able to see where the road tax dollars are spent?
A5: Yes. The Parish will post the actual accounting of tax revenues and expenditures online so that the public can see where the money is being spent. In addition, the annual independent audit of Parish finances includes a review of the highway department and its financial operations.
Q6: Will any of the new Parish road funds be spent inside of the City of Natchitoches or the Town of Campti?
A6: No. The City has its own sources of funds for City streets. Campti will receive road repair assistance from the Road District 40 fund which is a property tax that is collected in the Parish, including Campti. None of the new tax funds could be spent in Campti since none of the new tax funds would be collected in Campti.
If there are any other questions concerning the proposed road tax, please contact the Parish at 318-352-2714.
Rick Nowlin
DeSoto Street in Provencal by the ballfield is in horrible shape especially before 2361 DeSoto where my family resides!!! It’s a public parish road to Shiloh Cemetary and sees NO attention and slowly turning into a dirt road by errosion and no maintenance. Its a shame that Desoto Street around the Provencal Elementary School will knock your vehicle completely out of alignment its so bad. I do see the bridges between Provencal and Flora are being rebuilt
No taxes….Posey Road is a mess since they supposedly did improvements couple of years back..they
scarfed what little concrete we had on the west end part of Posey and now when it rains its a muddy mess and getting worse every time its graded.. pot holes are unbearable!
And still waiting for road to be repaired after logging trucks came through and tore up what little
asphalt we had in front of our property..taxes paid by the logging trucks are to repair any damage they cause..we all know taxes are collected but somehow the roads don’t get repaired.
Alan, I think you lived in Houston for awhile. Harris county have over a million people and only three people are elected to run the county! A county judge and two county commissioners! Why do we need seven or eleven for Natchitoches parish that have less than fifty thousands people?
Too much power in too few people is a recipe for bad government, Randy.
Just like in statistics, larger sample produces a more valid result.
We need to avoid Troikas and Cabals in our governing bodies.
It was eleven jurors that got us in the trouble we are in! With your logic every body should be there own representative than we would have a pure democracy! How would that work Alan! 😃
The numbers don’t matter when you have ignorant people winning popularity contest (elections)! The current council proves that! Remember the Three. Stooges headline in The Real Views dealing with three current parish council members!
Randy you are right on point!! At least 2 of them are going away because the term limits are up. That’s why they want the old police jury to come back,thay would start them over. Hate to see Russell go. But most of stooges BYE!
Your problem is an obstructionist majority on the council. It was doomed when the select committee settled on five as the number of council members. If that does not change there will be no improvement.
The council should be seven to eleven members with two elected at large.
I meant seven or eleven members rather than seven to eleven.
they don’t know what they are doing,just create fake new job positions and try raise our taxes for what ? loose gravel in a big pot hole that will wash away.
I think we start sending them our repair bills to all the damage done to our
vehicles caused by the Parish neglect.
Heck you can go to other Parishes roads are better cross state lines going west and north much better,our state and local politicians careless and never will.
I ain’t buyin’ it.
” Blessed is he who having nothing to say, abstain from giving wordy evidence of the fact!”
No taxes, no infrastructure, no economic development, no new jobs, no new taxes, no progress, status quo!
Natchitoches haven’t changed that much since St. Denis showed up!
The things I see that are wrong with this is:
Mr. Nowlin was put there to come up with a comprehensive road maintenance plan. What has Mr. Nowlin and his high priced engineers been doing this whole time they have been in this office?
You say “they cannot legally be spent on any other purpose” but we know politicians have been doing illegal things since the word politician was invented. I’m sure y’all will find or create a loop hole to funnel the new money!
I can’t see where $1 million dollars is being spent much less $2.3 million. And to say “we might have to cut back on repair efforts”, is laughable. There is nearly no repair or maintenance efforts now. The bottom line is that there is not sufficient management efforts to use the current funds appropriately. Management change is needed. NPJ will probably filter this message out too, they are biased.
That’s because it’s all going to pay raises for himself y’all got EXACLTY
What y’all voted for just sayin