(Hear the full segment with Jesse Noel and Newell Normand here)
Louisiana elections occur on March 29th, and all indicators point toward a low-turnout election. However, that doesn’t mean the ballot doesn't hold many important measures.
Jesse Noel, Regional Director, Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority - West (SLFPA-W) joined the Newell Normand Show to explain how the West Jefferson Levee District will vote on tax hikes to fund large-scale reconstruction and maintenance projects on three major hurricane protection complexes.
Here’s the issue outline according to WWL’s March election guide:
"The district is seeking a renewal of a 4.75-mill property tax that would raise an estimated $6,551,596 annually between 2028 and 2037. That money would be used for the maintenance, construction, and replacement of flood and hurricane protection structures in the district, including the Bayou Segnette Complex, Harvey Sector Gate Complex, and the district's portion of the West Closure Complex."
Related
Noel explains that historically, the levee district has voted in favor of these projects.
“In 2018," Noel says, "the voters on the West Bank and West Jefferson authorized a $4.75 million tax to fund levy lifts and major maintenance on our three closure complexes. And we've put, since then, $23 million into levy lifts. So we raised about 18 miles of levy close to two feet, which obviously helps the resilience of the system.”
Noel explains that the additional tax money isn't for mere day-to-day operations but for the extra, essential reconstruction of critical systems.
Noel states, “Two of them are thirteen (years old) and the Harvey Canal Gate was in the water for Hurricane Katrina... so they're aging.”
"We've beaten the streets, We've been talking community groups. We've been trying to communicate on social media to ensure everybody's aware that the renewal is on the ballot," says Noel about the chances of passing the legislation. "We're hopeful that the folks that we have communicated with are going to vote and we certainly ask everybody to make their voice heard."
Noel underscores that he's proud of the work his organization does, and he hopes voters will keep in mind their dutiful stewardship of this life-saving infrastructure as they head to the polls between now and the 29th.
“We protect forty-one billion dollars in assets and over two hundred fifty thousand people live behind our system," says Noel. “So when we're maintaining this stuff this is what we're thinking about, making sure we're keeping these people dry.”
Related
