Opinion: Tax can’t finance drainage
Print
Email
Save
Reprints
Twitter
Share
Del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Reddit
DENHAM SPRINGS — The Livingston Parish Council cannot use road tax money for some of the drainage work the council discussed, according to an opinion from the Attorney General’s Office.
In the past, the council has used that money for drainage only if the work involved roadside ditches, said Blayne Honeycutt, the council’s attorney.
Some council members felt it does no good to clean roadside ditches if the canals into which they feed are clogged, Honeycutt said Wednesday.
For that reason, the council asked the Attorney General’s Office if it would be permissible to use sales tax money dedicated to road work for more extensive drainage work on the canals into which the roadside ditches flow, Honeycutt said.
Tax proceeds dedicated for roads and related road drainage cannot be used to pay for the removal of debris from drainage canals and ditches that are not adjacent to roads, according to the opinion.
“The opinion is pretty clear,” Parish President Mike Grimmer said.
The parish collects a 1-cent sales tax part of which is dedicated to roadwork and part of which is dedicated to the Parish Jail.
The council is locked in a separate battle with the Federal Emergency Management Agency over millions of dollars in reimbursement to contractors for clearing debris from drainage canals after Hurricane Gustav.
The total for the debris removal from canals alone is about $50 million, Grimmer said.
 | ||||
| Most Popular | Most Emailed | Hot Topics | ||
