Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish Opposes CATS Tax

March 28, 2012 0 Comments

BATON ROUGE — At its organizational meeting Tuesday night, the East Baton Rouge Republican Parish Executive Committee voted unanimously to oppose the $184 million property tax increase, which is on the April 21 ballot in the City of Baton Rouge, City of Baker, and City of Central. The committee said it will conduct a campaign to urge voters to oppose the tax. Here is a copy of the resolution:

EAST BATON ROUGE REPUBLICAN

PARISH EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Resolutions

Organizational Meeting

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

RESOLUTION No. 1 — Oppose CATS Tax

WHEREAS the Capital Area Transit System (CATS) has proposed a 10.6 mill property tax, which will be voted on in the City of Baton Rouge, City of Baker, and City of Zachary on April 21, 2012; and

WHEREAS the tax would require property owners to pay more than $184 million over a 10-year period, when taxpayers are already overtaxed; and

WHEREAS the CATS Board purports to have the authority to waive the homestead exemption and require that the 10.6 mill tax be imposed without deducting the homestead exemption; and

WHEREAS CATS is a body politic of the State of Louisiana created by an act of the Louisiana Legislature in 2005 and is not municipality or a municipal district; and

WHEREAS the Louisiana Constitution provides that only municipal property taxes shall not be subject to the homestead exemption; and

WHEREAS the wording of the CATS tax proposition is ambiguous and appears to levy 10.6 mills for operational expenses and 10.6 mills for capital construction, thereby creating the possibility of a 21.2 mill tax being imposed; and

WHEREAS ridership of CATS buses is very low and only two percent or less of the residents of the parish ride the bus; and

WHEREAS this tax would increase the annual budget of CATS from $12 million a year to $30 million a year, an excessive and completely unjustifiable increase; and

WHEREAS legislation is now pending in the regular session of the Louisiana Legislature, which would reduce the control over CATS by the elected members of the Metro Council.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish that the party strongly opposes the proposed tax and urges all voters to oppose it on April 21, 2012, and further that the party shall conduct a campaign against the passage of said tax.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish opposes the CATS legislation now pending in the Louisiana Legislature and urges members of the House and Senate to oppose this legislation.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish reserves the right to take legal action to prevent the imposition of the CATS tax, insofar as it purports to waive the homestead exemption or levy more than 10.6 mills.

Unanimously approved this 27th day of March, 2012