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Jurors consider adding animal‑control language to existing health‑unit millage; questions remain about accessing prior funds
Summary
The jury discussed placing a renewal of the 4.0 mill health‑unit tax on the ballot for 2027–2036 and adding wording to fund an animal‑control shelter; jurors cited projected revenue near $900,000 annually but noted uncertainty over whether existing $5.2 million health‑unit funds can be repurposed without AG guidance.
Jurors debated adding animal‑control and animal‑shelter language to the renewal of a four‑mill health‑unit tax expected to run 2027–2036. One juror proposed ballot language that would continue the four‑mill levy and explicitly add "construction, operation and maintenance of public health units and animal control shelter in the parish." Proponents said an added animal‑control line would address parish‑wide stray and public‑health concerns and estimated the renewal would generate roughly $900,000 annually.
Opponents and cautious jurors raised several procedural and legal questions: whether adding the language amounts to a new tax for voters, how to word the ballot so it is clear to voters, and—critical to financing—whether the parish can tap into approximately $5.2 million already accumulated in health‑unit funds for shelter construction without an Attorney General (AG) opinion. Jurors reported an AG letter has been drafted by engineers and staff to seek clarification on whether those prior funds may be used for an animal shelter.
Discussion touched on program scope: jurors distinguished "animal control" services (picking up loose animals, enforcing leash/stray rules) from taking owner‑surrendered pets; the jury signaled it intends to draft operational guidelines for the facility if the ballot language and funding proceed. At this meeting no formal vote to place the question on the ballot was taken; jurors agreed to include the matter on the Tuesday agenda pending final wording and legal guidance.
Why it matters: adding animal‑control language to a renewal that currently funds health units would expand permanently the permitted uses of that millage if voters approve, and would create a recurring revenue stream for shelter operations and maintenance. Jurors asked staff to finalize ballot language, produce clearer revenue estimates, and obtain AG guidance before finalizing the ballot package.
