Bunkie voters approve sewer system improvement tax

By GARLAND FORMAN   By a surprisingly wide margin, Bunkie voters approved a 25-mill, $6 million bond proposal to repair and renovate the Bunkie sewer plant.In last Saturday’s voting, the proposition passed with 86 percent in favor -- 347 to 58. Bunkie Mayor Mike Robertson thanked everyone who helped pass the tax by voting and spreading the pro-tax message through “flyers, social media and word of mouth.”“Thank you to the citizens of Bunkie for placing your faith and trust in the current administration of our city,” an excited Robertson said. “I also want to thank the aldermen, department heads and city employees for their support of the bond and helping to get the vote out.”The tax will provide revenue to finance $6 million of the planned $9 million needed to renovate the plant. The other $3 million could come from a low-interest loan from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and would require a slight increase in sewage rates to repay it.Depending on the interest rate, the sewage rates will go up between $9 and $15 a month. If the millage had not passed, the sewage rate increase would have been $30 to $35 a month.“This election has played a significant role in securing future economic development in our city,” Robertson continued. “A person would not normally think about sewer treatment as playing an important part in the quality of life in a community, but it does. We can now move forward, knowing the upgrade of the sewer plant will play a role in the future development of our community.”The mayor said he is waiting to hear from the bonding attorney to tell him when the city can start making plans to start the renovations at the plant. He felt the city will know more in the next week.Robertson added the passing of this bond is another example of the “can do” attitude and commitment of the community that has made Bunkie a better place to live.“I’m proud to say I’m from Bunkie, the ‘Greenest Spot Top Side of God’s Green Earth,’” Robertson concluded.