Terrebonne committee approves Bollinger Shipyards tax exemption after debate over local district revenue

The Terrebonne Parish Budget and Finance Committee voted 9-0 to approve a resolution allowing Bollinger Shipyards (Bollinger Shipyards, Homa LLC) to participate in the Industrial Tax Exemption Program (ITEP) for a 10-year term.

The vote followed discussion of how the exemption would affect parish government and several special districts. Candace (staff member) told the committee the figures she had provided reflected the exempted portion and that the parish would still receive some revenue. “For this one, for Parish Government, over the 10 year period that's about 35,000. Road Lighting District 10, that's about 3,700. Rec 10 is 9,600. And Fire 10 is about 13,000,” Candace said, and said she would email the detailed breakdown to members.

Why it matters: committee members raised concerns that the exemption shifts revenue pressure to small special districts that rely on ad valorem collections. Councilmember Carl Hardy noted payroll and jobs figures for the company and questioned the long-term local benefit, saying the company’s local payroll was about $12 million compared with $65 million statewide and that the company was not increasing jobs locally under the proposal.

Supporters of the exemption pointed to broader economic benefits. Cohen Guidry of Terrebonne Parish Economic Development said sales tax and the remaining taxable portion together make the revenue picture “almost a wash,” noting that when sales tax revenue is included along with the roughly 20% of value still paid locally, the overall parish revenue impact is limited.

Committee process and legal posture: committee members and staff discussed procedural steps under state rules. Candace said the Louisiana Administrative Code requires scheduling this as a public meeting (not necessarily a public hearing) and that the resolution was placed on the agenda to preserve time for required actions.

Action taken: Councilmember Steve Trosclair moved to adopt the resolution approving Bollinger Shipyards for ITEP participation; Councilmember Clyde Hamner seconded. The motion carried 9-0.

The committee’s discussion combined fiscal detail, concerns about the effect on recreation and fire districts and questions about how a newly proposed tax commission might change future cases. Committee members asked staff to circulate the email with detailed district-by-district numbers and said staff would coordinate follow-up briefings and meetings.

Looking ahead: The decision approves the company’s participation under the existing program rules as presented to the committee; members discussed but did not adopt additional conditions or amendments at the meeting.