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Acadia Parish committee hears business complaints over Economic Development District; options include shrinking map or changing tax rules
Summary
Business owners told a parish committee they are paying an extra 2% sales/use tax under Acadia Parish Economic Development District No. 1 and want parcel removals or other fixes. Officials said the district was created legally in 2022 and may be altered by the police jury, and staff suggested legal study and targeted map changes.
Committee members and local business leaders spent a meeting on whether to recommend the police jury remove or exempt parcels from Acadia Parish Economic Development District No. 1, a tax increment created in 2022 to fund targeted infrastructure.
Luke, who introduced the agenda item, told the committee the district was formed after two newspaper notices and a jury vote because there are no registered voters inside the district. "The district's purpose basically is to incentivize economic development in the district," he said, describing the EDD as a tool to pay for sewer, water and roads that a single business might need.
Taylor Henry of the Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development said EDDs are "a tool in the tool belt" and cautioned that economic development is a long game. He told members the EDD account was small…
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