Councilman calls AG opinion ‘junk’
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ZACHARY — A city councilman said late Tuesday that he received a draft of the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office response to his request for a legal analysis about whether Zachary could opt out of participating in Mayor-President Kip Holden’s proposed $989 million capital improvement program for East Baton Rouge Parish, should it pass Nov. 4.
Councilman Melvin Riley said he was disappointed in the Attorney General Office’s initial response. “This is junk,” he said during a City Council meeting Tuesday night. “The problem with the draft opinion, it did not address the issues we raised. They did not do a legal analysis. We should ask them to revisit this and answer the legal questions.”
In his letter to the attorney general, Riley said he posed three questions. The first was, if the tax and bond proposal passes, could Zachary choose not to collect the new sales taxes and property taxes.
Riley argued Tuesday that the plan would tax Zachary residents and businesses without providing any direct infrastructure improvements to the city. “We get absolutely no benefit for the city of Zachary from this proposal,” he said.
The proposed new Parish Prison and juvenile detention center are the only indirect benefits to Zachary, Riley said, and they make up only 18 percent of the nearly $1 billion proposal.
He added that under the plan, 75 percent of the money would be spent in Baton Rouge.
The second question Riley asked the AG, he explained, was that if Zachary could not legally refuse to participate in the tax plan, could the city use the money it collects under the plan for improvements within Zachary only.
The third question Riley posed was if Zachary could not exercise either of the first two options discussed in his letter, was there a way to create a special capital improvements tax district that would include only the city of Baton Rouge.
Riley said this third option would require that only Baton Rouge residents pay for improvements, such as police and fire stations, and roads and bridges in the city limits.
Zachary Mayor Henry Martinez said he was “insulted” that Holden did not discuss his proposal with the mayors of Zachary, Baker and Central before Monday and that Zachary would not benefit greatly from the plan.
In other business, the council:
Councilman Melvin Riley said he was disappointed in the Attorney General Office’s initial response. “This is junk,” he said during a City Council meeting Tuesday night. “The problem with the draft opinion, it did not address the issues we raised. They did not do a legal analysis. We should ask them to revisit this and answer the legal questions.”
In his letter to the attorney general, Riley said he posed three questions. The first was, if the tax and bond proposal passes, could Zachary choose not to collect the new sales taxes and property taxes.
Riley argued Tuesday that the plan would tax Zachary residents and businesses without providing any direct infrastructure improvements to the city. “We get absolutely no benefit for the city of Zachary from this proposal,” he said.
The proposed new Parish Prison and juvenile detention center are the only indirect benefits to Zachary, Riley said, and they make up only 18 percent of the nearly $1 billion proposal.
He added that under the plan, 75 percent of the money would be spent in Baton Rouge.
The second question Riley asked the AG, he explained, was that if Zachary could not legally refuse to participate in the tax plan, could the city use the money it collects under the plan for improvements within Zachary only.
The third question Riley posed was if Zachary could not exercise either of the first two options discussed in his letter, was there a way to create a special capital improvements tax district that would include only the city of Baton Rouge.
Riley said this third option would require that only Baton Rouge residents pay for improvements, such as police and fire stations, and roads and bridges in the city limits.
Zachary Mayor Henry Martinez said he was “insulted” that Holden did not discuss his proposal with the mayors of Zachary, Baker and Central before Monday and that Zachary would not benefit greatly from the plan.
In other business, the council:
- Voted down a request by Tony Turner to rezone his home at 3663 Church St. from residential to business.
- Voted against a request by Norville Hamilton to rezone a lot on Pope Road to allow Hamilton to build a duplex to be used as rental property.
- Approved new insurance contracts for the city at a savings of $40,000.
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