Resident urges council to probe library millages and fund balances

Elliot Day, a Thibodaux resident, told the Lafourche Parish Council on July 14 that he supports local libraries but urged council members to scrutinize two proposed millage increases and the library’s reported finances.

“I am in full favor of the libraries,” Day said during the public-comment period, but he questioned two proposed increases — a 1.67-millage increase (up 0.2) and a 4.11-millage increase (up 0.5) — and described a third funding stream tied to a meals tax. “That’s a $3,500,000 millage of which $945,000 goes to the public libraries to keep up their buildings,” he said, and added that the library’s fund balance was about $9,000,000.

Day asked why the library would seek additional tax authority while showing a multimillion-dollar fund balance and flagged a 2025 year-over-year increase in wages and benefits from about $3.5 million to $4.2 million — roughly a 23% rise. “When you're increasing your balance and you're still asking for more money, it just doesn’t look right,” he said.

Council Chair responded that the council is not the library board and recommended that Day and other residents review the library board’s meetings and financial documents for more detail. “All the numbers are there. They’re available by law,” the chair said, encouraging constituents to engage directly with the library’s governance.

Why it matters: The council is considering millage measures and related ballot timing; questions about reserve balances and staffing costs are central to public trust in tax requests. Day asked the council to obtain and provide clearer answers before votes move forward.

What happens next: Council members noted the library’s public-hearing schedule and suggested the parish and residents seek clarifying documents from the library board. No formal council action was taken on the library’s millages during this meeting.

Sources: Public comment by Elliot Day; council chair’s reply at the July 14 Lafourche Parish Council meeting.