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Cameron Parish official says $22 million assessed-value drop tied to LNG depreciation; Water District 7 flags revenue risk
Summary
At a Cameron Parish meeting, officials reviewed the 2025 grand recap of millages and reported about $22 million in lost assessed value—mostly from LNG plant machinery depreciation—warning the shortfall could hit Water District 7 and some independent entities; the board accepted and filed the report and adjourned.
An unidentified parish official said at a Cameron Parish meeting that the parish's 2025 grand recap of millages shows an assessed-value decline of roughly $22,000,000, driven mainly by depreciation of machinery and equipment at local liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities.
"Considering $22,000,000 in assessed value that's lost right now is not a big number due to we're dealing with over $500,000,000 in assessed value," said Speaker 1, who presented the recap and directed commissioners to the TC33 pages for detailed figures and year-over-year comparison.
Why it matters: the parish's presenter said the headline dollar figure represents lost assessed value, not a direct cash shortfall; the real budget impact is the millage revenue generated by that assessed value. Speaker 1 read potential maximum collections from the recap, including roughly $2,000,000 for the parish general fund, $3,400,000 for parish roads and $1,360,000 for courthouse maintenance—figures he said would be realized only if every taxpayer paid in full.
Officials also raised localized risks. Speaker 1 warned that Water District 7 could be hit hard because a nearby plant accounts for a large share of its revenue and the operator has gone bankrupt. "That plant is a big part of their income, and they're not gonna pay. They're bankrupt," the presenter said, noting parish staff are pursuing options to prevent future operators from taking over the site while owners and landholders press for cleanup.
The meeting included discussion of a property that the presenter said would appear on the tax roll at an assessed value of about $7,000,000 after a sale of a School Board building; participants debated how much additional revenue that would realistically generate under local millage rates. Speaker 2 and Speaker 1 exchanged calculations and cautioned not to conflate sale price with immediate cash revenue.
Speakers also flagged an equity concern when small residential lots are overtaken by surrounding commercial development and reclassified into much higher taxing brackets. "You can't do that to the general public," Speaker 1 said, describing legislation staffer "Wendy" drew up to address sudden tax burdens on long-term, fixed-income residents.
Formal action: Speaker 2 moved "to accept and file that rule," recording that the motion was made "by Mister Franklin by Mister Sam." The board voiced "Aye," the motion carried, and a subsequent motion to adjourn closed the meeting.
What remains unresolved: the presentation and discussion identified impacts (the $22 million assessed-value decline and the bankruptcy affecting Water District 7) but did not include detailed vote tallies, an implementation timetable for cleanup or remedies for the bankrupt operator, or an exact revenue estimate tied to the School Board building beyond the sale price cited. Those specifics were not provided in the meeting transcript.
The board accepted and filed the grand recap and adjourned.
