Council removes senior and disability providers from millage rollback, advances drainage change for July vote

The St. Tammany Parish Council on Thursday amended an ordinance on property tax millages to remove two faith-based and nonprofit service providers from a proposed rollback and then introduced the ordinance as amended for further action in July.

The council voted to amend ordinance calendar 7885 AA to remove the St. Tammany Council on Aging (COAST) and Stark of Louisiana from a proposed decrease in millage, keeping those agencies’ millage at 1.69 mills; the amendment passed unanimously with one member absent. Later the council voted to introduce the ordinance as amended for formal consideration at its July meeting.

Why it matters: COAST and Stark provide services to older adults and people with developmental disabilities; both told the council cuts would force program reductions. The ordinance also includes a proposed reduction in the drainage millage from 1.56 to 1.46 mills, a change parish staff estimated would reduce drainage funding by about $300,000 a year.

Amy Kudell, with the St. Tammany Council on Aging, told the council that roughly 70% of COAST’s budget “depends directly on parish provided funds, either through the millage or our transportation contract.” She said the agency budgeted a reduction in millage funding to $2,400,000 for FY2026 and described program cuts the agency would implement if funding falls, including trimming about 23,000 meals, removing roughly 450 medical alert units, and reducing personal care and respite services by about 700 hours.

Mark Bayham, director at Stark of Louisiana, said his organization — which serves more than 500 individuals in the parish and employs more than 200 people — would need to pause a planned rate increase for staff and delay a capital expansion project if the rollback proceeded. “We have not increased our millage rate in 10 years,” Bayham said, adding that Stark has regular audits and a finance committee that reviews financials.

Council members debated whether to treat all the affected millages together or separately. Councilman Bender asked whether members would be voting for all changes as written; parish staff explained amendments could be made at the special meeting so COAST and Stark could be kept at last year’s 1.69 mills while the drainage rollback is handled separately on the July 10 agenda.

Parish finance staff told council members that lowering drainage from 1.56 to 1.46 mills would reduce drainage revenues by about $300,000 annually and that the drainage fund’s budgeted available fund balance for fiscal 2025 was about $3,000,000 if millage stayed at 1.56 (about $2,700,000 if reduced). A written figure from the engineering department cited a long‑range need for drainage projects through 2029 of $183,125,000 and a projected funding gap of roughly $113,000,000 assuming current plans.

After public comment and council discussion, Councilman Corbin moved to remove COAST and Stark from the rollback; the motion was seconded by Councilman Laughlin and approved unanimously with one member absent. The council then accepted a motion to introduce the ordinance as amended; that introduction carries the item forward to the July meeting for a formal vote.

What’s next: The council will consider the amended ordinance at its July meeting, where members will vote on the drainage rollback and any related millage adjustments. The council, parish staff and affected agencies said they expected to adjust budgets and services depending on the final millage decisions.