City staff told the Carencro City Council on Thursday that a reduction in reported inventory at Amazon’s local warehouse and other assessment adjustments have trimmed the city’s net assessed value and will likely reduce property tax revenue this year.

Justin Centene, who the council introduced to present the tax figures, said the city’s net assessed value inside the city limits fell from about $122 million last year to about $119 million this year. “They reduced their inventory on hand by about $3,000,000 of assessed value this year, which is about 25% of the total inventory taxes that they paid,” Centene said, referring to Amazon’s filing. He said that change accounts for much of the decline in the city’s tax roll.

Centene showed the council two legal sheets commonly called the grand recap for the parish and asked members to note the top-line net assessed values. He said the total tax generated by the city’s property tax millage dropped from roughly $568,000 in 2024 to about $557,000 under current assessments. “We think you will experience a small decrease in your property tax revenue this year. But we think it’s probably gonna be more along $4,000 or $5,000,” Centene said.

The presenter said the council retains the authority to levy property tax up to the voter-authorized maximum and that, if the city keeps the same millage rate as last year, it can expect revenue closer to the current $557,000 figure. He also cautioned that public-service property returns are still coming in from the tax commission and the revenue number could change slightly.

Council members asked how inventory assessments are determined and whether the city audits Amazon’s filings. Centene said businesses file monthly inventory on-hand reports and the city receives an average of those monthly numbers for assessment. He described the process as primarily self-reported: “We actually don’t just get one number for inventory. We get an average of the monthly inventory on hand,” he said. Centene added that the state ballot this spring included a constitutional amendment on the inventory tax that failed, and he expressed his view that the inventory tax is likely to be removed in a future ballot. “If it was anything other than inventory ... we might really want to make sure about this. But since I do believe inventory tax is going to go away, it’s unfortunate, but kinda fortunate that you’re just taking the hit now,” he said.

Mayor Clavier and other council members thanked Centene; the council did not adopt a millage at the meeting. City staff said the same resolution the council considered last month—Resolution 2025-34—will be placed on the agenda for the Monday meeting for formal action and that numbers may change slightly when final tax rolls arrive.

Centene and council members also discussed the limits of the city’s options to offset assessment declines; Centene said the council can set any property tax rate up to its voter-authorized cap but that there were no other immediate administrative remedies.

The council did not vote on the millage at the meeting; staff slated the resolution for the council’s next meeting.