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Committee backs measures to remove 'use‑it‑or‑lose‑it' millage mandate and tighten procedural requirements
Summary
The committee advanced two companion constitutional amendments (HB521 and HB570) from Representative Wilder to let taxing authorities avoid automatically rolling millages forward to their voter‑approved maximums every four years; supporters said the change gives taxing bodies discretion, while assessors and parish officials described the current mechanics and urged clearer ballot language.
The House Ways and Means Committee on March 12 advanced two related measures—HB521 and HB570—sponsored by Representative Wilder to change how local taxing authorities maintain and adjust millage rates after reassessments.
Wilder told the committee the constitution’s current roll‑forward rule forces taxing districts to "max out" rates at least once every four years to preserve future authority. "The constitution forces us to overtax our residents and businesses," he said, arguing the proposal would remove that mandate and allow taxing bodies to hold lower levies until they actually need higher revenue.
Wendy Thibodeaux, Lafourche Parish Assessor, described how the Legislative Auditor adjusts 'adjusted' millage in reassessment years and gave a concrete example in which her office had to levy a maximum rate to avoid losing the authority later; she testified that the current rule caused two occasions of levying the full rate even when budgetary needs did not require it.
Supporters included parish presidents, the Police Jury Association and the Louisiana Chemical Association, which urged flexibility to make measured decisions based on community conditions. Opponents were not prominent on the record at this hearing, though members pressed for clearer ballot language after noting the measure previously failed at the ballot box in 2021.
A technical amendment set for HB570 (including a provision tightening when a taxing authority must adopt a separate ordinance or resolution for increased millage) was adopted and the bills were reported by the committee without objection.
