Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor:
The Monroe News Star carried a story a few weeks ago that Louisiana was now the State with the highest Sales Tax Rate in the Nation, and this week I read in our Richland Beacon-News that our genius Richland Parish Police Jurors are contemplating asking voters to approve another increase in sales taxes for our pparish (as if we didn’t have enough sales taxes already).
Further, that they wanted to help the mismanaged Council on Aging (who have had an excess of paid workers), the LSU Ag Center (you may remember a couple years ago they asked for more parish funds for salaries, etc., however, after an investigation, it was determined by the Jury Members that LSU Ag Center workers all had raises recently, although they had indicated to the Jury that they “had not!”) LSU Ag is also funded not only by the Richland Parish Taxpayers but they also receive funds from the State of Louisiana! Another Juror also wanted the taxes to “aid other agencies,” apparently, even agencies with no need or apparent desire or request for the funds!! Very Smart indeed!
I am sure the voters of Richland Parish will agree that they already have enough sales taxes placed upon them at the present time! More sales taxes will have the effect of driving more shoppers out of Richland Parish to other shopping areas with less sales taxes, such as Vicksburg, MS with only 6 percent in sales taxes! More sales taxes of any kind, Whether sales taxes or millages should never be approved or even requested based solely upon an organization coming before the Jury and asking for more funds, without an independent investigation to find out how the organization is being managed, what the current salaries of each employee is, how many employees they really require to operate and how long it has been since the employees have received a salary increase and how budgetary funds are now being utilized and why the organization finds it necessary to ask for additional funds to operate.
Sadly, rather than organizations learning to operate within budget (including the Police Jury) it appears too easy to just ask for more taxpayer support rather than properly managing the agency in a cost efficient and effective manner. If the Police Jury really wants the COA and LSU Ag Center to receive more funds, then the Jury is “already” currently providing for them -- then the Jury should endeavor to increase the funds to each of these organizations from their own recently approved 1O-year taxes by Richland Taxpayers! The Jury can use funds in the Jury Budget that they aren’t already using to dig ditches, repair roads, etc., as well as the Jury voting to rescind the full Health Benefits for their part-time positions and also vote to “give back their selfish salary increases” that they more than once promised to end and then used their attorney as an excuse to continue them to eternity!
In my opinion, if “anything can be done,” then it can (with few exceptions) “be undone” contrary to the explanations that the Police Jurors give to taxpayers inquiry as to why their excessive salary increase cannot be rescinded or removed from the Jury Budget! It would seem that if something can be “voted into a budget,” then can it not be voted “out of a budget” also? But for this to be accomplished would certainly require some effort as well as a willingness of most Jurors -- which obviously isn’t possible!
Taxpayers are sick and tired of being asked to cough up more money from their overly taxed hard-earned funds to then fund agencies that are supposed to have management that can operate within budgetary constraints and if they can’t, they should resign their position or be fired and allow another manager to effectively “do their job!
More funds to be wasted away is NEVER the solution, but effective and efficient management is certainly required in each of these agencies. Richland Parish is not a wealthy parish, with employment already being weak, hourly pay is low, a thriving economy is non-existent, factory jobs near zero and then with taxes already being increased (sales taxes) by the State of Louisiana, Property Taxes increasing yearly by the State Tax Commission who are consistently prodding Parish Tax Assessors to “increase the values” on properties in their respective parishes based upon their “so-called ratio study” (State Tax Commissions), studies I am sure are done by entities interested in increasing the taxes and not so interested in lowering taxes to taxpayers! We do not need, nor deserve, another sales tax imposed on Richland Parish Taxpayers at this time and it is incumbent upon our elected Richland Parish Police Jurors to realize this, as we as taxpayers know that “once a sales tax is imposed upon us -- it is NEVER REMOVED! (Please remember the Richland Parish School Boards begging for a Sales Tax and promising that this tax will only be imposed “as long as we desperately need it?” I suppose that means forever??
One Juror stated that once an organization asks for more funds, that he felt the fair thing to do was to “throw a sales tax out there and let the voters decide!” Can you believe we elect Police Jurors with that seemingly intelligent belief? Why can’t the Police Jury act as a responsible body and since they are already funding each of these two organizations, simply “increase the funding to each of them” from the Jury Budget and compensate by reducing spending in other areas of the Jury Budget? Do you suppose that this simple solution never crossed the minds of the Richland Parish Police Jury? Or could it be that they do not want to touch their own budgets as it might mean properly managing the Jury Budget? I hope and pray that one day we will elect a functioning body to represent the Richland Parish Taxpayers of our parish and a group more interested in public service than to contrive and conspire to enrich themselves through free “Health Benefit Plans” and “Secret Salary Increases” that were not approved during a public meeting but in the dead of night by pre-planned budget maneuvers!
If you as a taxpayer and voter do not want another Sales Tax increase, then please take the time to call your Police Juror and let him/her know of your position to even placing one on the ballot in October, and attend the monthly Parish Police Jury Meetings and voice your opinion.
Gene Stewart
Post Master (retired)
Rayville