Panel votes to ax tax vote

• By SCOTT DYER
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Sep 18, 2008 - Page: 1B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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A Metro Council panel stacked with critics of Mayor-President Kip Holden on Wednesday recommended canceling the mayor’s Nov. 4 tax election so it can be revamped to include hurricane-related improvements and sent to voters at a later date.

By a 3-1 vote, the council’s Finance and Executive Committee advanced the proposal by Councilman Pat Culbertson to the full council, which will consider canceling the tax election Sept. 24.

Holden is asking East Baton Rouge voters to impose a half-cent sales tax and a 9.9-mill property tax for 30 years to pay for an ambitious $989 million capital improvement program that includes:

• $247.5 million for a riverfront tourist attraction.
• $144.3 million to expand the River Center and its parking.
• $135.3 million for a new parish prison.
• $43.5 million for a new juvenile justice center.
• $26.3 million to replace eight aging fire stations.
• $89.7 million for a new complex to house city police and the sheriff’s office.
• $49.1 million to convert the Governmental Building into a City Hall.
• $45.2 million to update and synchronize traffic signals.
• $208.3 million to improve drainage and replace 38 dangerous bridges.

“It occurred to me as I looked down this list that none of them would have helped during Hurricane Gustav,” Culbertson told the committee.

Specifically, Culbertson said he’d like to see the tax package provide generators at the sewer plants and lift stations, as well at local hospitals.

The mayor’s chief administrative officer, Walter Monsour, said the sewer system rehabilitation plan includes $35 million to provide generators for the sewer plants and lift stations. And Monsour noted the traffic signal synchronization project that is already part of the mayor’s tax proposal will provide generator power to some 100 traffic signals so they can continue to function during power outages.

Monsour pointed out that most local hospitals are for-profit, and have adequate cash reserves to buy their own generators, if they consider that to be a priority.

Monsour urged the panel to let East Baton Rouge voters decide the fate of the mayor’s tax package on Nov. 4.

The panel voted 3-1 to send Culbertson’s proposal to cancel the tax election to the full council.

Voting to cancel the election were Wayne Carter, who is running against Holden this fall, Lorri Burgess and Byron Sharper. Martha Jane Tassin opposed the favorable recommendation.

In a memo to the council last week, Culbertson said it would be “an insult” to ask voters to use some of the money on a riverfront tourist attraction and downtown parking garages.

When the mayor first proposed the tax election, Culbertson tried unsuccessfully to convince Holden to separate the proposed taxes for the parking garages and the riverfront tourist attraction so the other projects would have a better chance of passing.

But the mayor insisted on keeping the entire package together for a single up or down vote, claiming the tourist attraction — which would be operated by the Audubon Institute — was important because it will create jobs and spur economic development.

In other action Wednesday, the committee recommended the full council approve a new ordinance by Councilman Mike Walker to forbid the sale of dogs and cats at local shopping centers, parking lots and roadside rights of way.