Parish flood district proposal proceeds
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ABBEVILLE — The Vermilion Parish Police Jury at a regular meeting Monday night gave parish bond attorney Lonnie Bewley permission to draft a document creating a Vermilion Parish Hurricane Flood Protection and Drainage District.
Bewley also explained why a hurricane flood protection board would be better for the parish than a levee board.
The jury is seeking ways to obtain more state and federal funding for storm protection in the wake of Hurricane Rita.
Bewley gave a brief history of levee boards in the state going back 90 years, explaining why it was better to have a hurricane protection board.
“Levee districts created prior to Jan. 1, 2006, were given authority to levy annually ad valorem taxes up to 5 mills, without prior voter approval, on all taxable property situated within the alluvial portions subject to overflow, but this was changed in 2006,” Bewley said. “Now, levee districts do not have the right to issue general obligation bonds or to levy sales and use taxes on all taxable property within the district sufficient to pay for property used or destroyed to be used solely within the district where collected.”
Because of the weakening of power given to levee boards and the need of legislative approval, he advised the council to look into forming a hurricane flood protection district.
“This district can be formed solely by the governing body of the parish and vote and issue general obligation bonds to construct and improve levees as well as gravity or forced drainage works,” he said. “With voter approval, the district could levy ad valorem taxes to fund operations or improve facilities.”
Jury President Gerald Butaud said he wanted the matter addressed as soon as possible.
“This is very important,” Butaud said. “We have to go with something like this to be prepared for the next disaster. Parishes (recently) receiving hurricane money had either a hurricane flood protection or levee board, and we are looking to form something like this.”
Bewley said this would be the best move for the parish.
“For a levee board, we would have to go to the Legislature, and right now, we are not ready,” he said. “We can get a draft document done and approved in a few months and later, if the jury decides, it could still form a levee board.”
