The Lafayette City-Parish Council will consider on Tuesday a resolution that if approved would clear the way for a special election next April.
The Lafayette City-Parish Council will consider on Tuesday a resolution that if approved would clear the way for a special election within the city of Lafayette next April asking residents to increase their support for the Parks & Recreation Department by swapping the current 1.92 mills property tax devoted to parks/rec - a tax that has been in place and renewed on a regular basis since the 1960s even as the city has more than quintupled the number of parks, golf courses and rec centers over the last four decades - for a 7 mills tax. The nearly 400 percent tax increase would generate about $8.5 million annually.
According to the resolution, 5 mills of the proposed tax would be earmarked for operations and maintenance at existing facilities; the other 2 would be for construction of new facilities and improvements to existing facilities.
For more on the Parks & Recreation funding issue, read this excellent editorial from September.