Marksville Council favors putting 1/2-cent public safety tax renewal on Oct. 24 ballot

 

By Raymond L. Daye
 
Marksville City Council members apparently feel the renewal of a 1/2-cent sales tax for public safety has a better chance of passing on the crowded October ballot than it would sitting beside two Police Jury renewals in November.
 
The sales tax renewal provides revenue to support the city’s police and fire departments.
 
Fire Chief Jerry Bordelon said the renewal is important to ensure the city retains a full-time professional fire department.
 
“If it fails, were are in big trouble,” he said, adding that the department could revert to a volunteer force.
 
It was also noted that the reduced funding could hurt the city’s fire rating, resulting in an increased cost for fire insurance for property owners.
 
Councilman Mike Gremillion said it is important the public knows it is a renewal and not a new tax.
 
Councilmen were told that a tax election consultant told the Police Jury it is better to put tax propositions on low-turnout election dates -- such as the Nov. 21 runoff -- rather than a high-turnout election like the Oct. 24 event, when everyone from governor to police jurors will be up for election.
 
Councilman Frank Havard said he could see the reasoning behind that advice, but added, “the Police Jury taxes have not been popular.”
 
Mayor John Lemoine said that voters could see the sales tax renewal lumped together with the parish library and drainage maintenance tax renewals on the ballot “and just beat all three.”
 
The council made no final decision on which fall ballot to place the tax renewal proposition, but will do so in the near future.
 
In other action, City Engineer Rene Borrel said the contracts for the $650,000 Bethune Gymnasium renovation project should be advertised for bids in the near future. The city has $450,000 of a state grant. It has a $200,000 USDA loan that has been approved, but final paperwork is still pending. Borrel said another $250,000 in state funds is currently listed as “non-cash” for the project. He explained that means that if there are any unexpected budget overruns, the additional money can be “converted to cash” without the city having to start at Square 1 to apply for additional grant funds.
 
If the funds are not needed, they will not be used. If they are needed, Borrel said the project can be broken into a Phase I and Phase II, with Phase I using all or most of the original $650,000 and Phase II using whatever additional funds would be needed from the “non-cash” reserve.
 
The council also started making plans for the next round of Community Development Block Grant applications.
 
The city has been focusing on sewer system improvements for the past several years. Councilmen appeared to favor Borrel’s recommendation that the next grant-funded initiative be to improve the water lines providing drinking water to the city’s customers.
 
The council also discussed its hopes to receive a $650,000 state capital outlay grant to make needed improvements to the water lines around the courthouse. Dubbed the “Courthouse Square Fire Protection Improvements” project, the proposal calls for replacing aging water lines in downtown Marksville. 
 
It was noted that “one of the fire hydrants doesn’t work.”
 
Fire Chief Bordelon corrected that statement, saying the “hydrant works just fine. It’s the water line to the hydrant that’s the problem.”
 
After some discussion on the potentially tragic consequences of a courthouse fire with insufficient water to fight it, the council voted to seek permission to  redirect a $40,000 state grant for water valves to pay an estimated $45,000 to address getting a working water line to the fire hydrant.