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Sulphur council introduces ordinance to set 2025 property tax millage at 5 mills
Summary
At a July 28 special meeting the Sulphur City Council introduced an ordinance to set property tax millage for tax year 2025 at 5 mills and introduced a companion ordinance to repeal a prior ordinance adopted July 14, 2025. Councilmembers carried both introductions by roll call; final adoption will occur at a later meeting.
At a special meeting July 28, 2025, the Sulphur City Council introduced an ordinance to set the city's property tax millage for tax year 2025 at 5 mills and introduced a separate ordinance to repeal the ordinance adopted July 14, 2025 that previously set millage rates.
The measures were introduced after Mayor Danahay explained the city's millage history and said state officials advised the city to roll the rate back to the voter-approved level. "The current rate of our millages for fire maintenance and street maintenance is 5.29," Mayor Danahay said. "That came about, in after the hurricane. We were the values were estimated to be about a $10,000,000 decrease." He added, "So, we're gonna ask that we move it back to the 5 mills to be in line with what the voters had approved. And that's the story." The council held roll-call votes to introduce both ordinances; these were procedural introductions, not final adoptions.
Why it matters: the millage rate funds local services including fire maintenance and street maintenance. According to remarks at the meeting, the higher 5.29 rate was adopted after a storm when property values were estimated to have fallen by roughly $10 million; returning to 5 mills aligns the city's levies with the rate voters previously approved and with the state's guidance after the city submitted a 5.29 rate.
Councilmembers moved and seconded the agenda and then voted to introduce the millage ordinance and the repeal ordinance. The meeting record shows roll-call responses recorded as "Yes" by councilmembers during each introduction; the clerk announced the motions carried. The introduction of the millage ordinance begins the formal process; no final vote to adopt the millage was recorded at the July 28 special meeting.
The council also introduced an ordinance described in the meeting as repealing "ordinance number 68-25," the measure adopted July 14, 2025 that set property tax millage rates for tax year 2025. Councilmembers said the repeal is being filed to reflect the rollback to 5 mills and to align the city's paperwork with the state's direction.
The council scheduled its next regular meeting for Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. in the council chambers at 501 Willow Avenue.
