Washington council keeps millage at 6.55 mills, approves USDA application and other resolutions

The Town of Washington council on Oct. 21 voted to roll forward its millage rate at 6.55 mills and approved several administrative resolutions.

Tanya Doucet moved to approve a resolution setting the adjusted millage and rolling it forward not to exceed the maximum authorized rate; the motion passed with YEAS from Erick Fontenot, Beau Wilson, Rogers Malveaux, Tanya Doucet and Mary Lavergne. The millage rate was unchanged from the prior year at 6.55 mills.

The council also approved a resolution authorizing the town to apply to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a truck and dump trailer. Beau Wilson made the motion, and the vote was unanimous. The meeting minutes do not specify the requested grant or loan program within USDA or the estimated cost of the vehicle equipment.

In the same session the council approved an Annual Compliance Questionnaire and adopted a Citation Accountability Policy by unanimous vote. Meeting minutes record motions and unanimous YEAS for these items but do not provide the text of the policy, the compliance questionnaire responses, or implementation details.

Why it matters: Rolling forward the millage at the same rate maintains the town's property tax levy for the coming tax year and preserves the revenue baseline for the town budget. The USDA application, if successful, would provide capital equipment for public works operations.

Next steps: The council approved the resolutions during the Oct. 21 meeting; the USDA application will proceed as authorized. The minutes do not list deadlines, seconders for the motions, or additional implementation steps.