Stonecipher: Shreveport Is A Far Less Vibrant Community Than Bossier, East Texas Cities

This week, we are looking at the reasons for Shreveport's high property taxes.  Today, we compare Shreveport to cities right across the border in East Texas. 

Political consultant Elliott Stonecipher notes that East Texas cities do have a reputation for having higher property taxes than cities in Louisiana.  However, he says that it may actually be a better value over there.

"You will have no state income tax, you'll have public schools that are exemplary, some of the best public schools in America," shared Stonecipher.  "Louisiana, instead, has some of the worst public schools in America and can not seem to improve them even though we pay extraordinarily high property taxes to do so."

Stonecipher added that Shreveport has an extremely high number of people who don't pay these taxes.

"Shreveport is a far less vibrant community with a far disproportionately high number of people who have relatively much lower income.  We have more people by percentage who are not a part of the tax base, they are not paying.  They are basically receiving public services.  Bossier City has far lower instances of that."

Stonecipher notes that of all the cities in the region, Shreveport is the odd one of the bunch.

"Bossier is a much different city than Shreveport.  Interestingly, much of East Texas looks much more like Bossier City in that context than does East Texas compare to Shreveport."

To get around the property taxes, many choose to rent in Shreveport.  But Stonecipher notes that rental rates across Louisiana aren't a bargain either.

"We pay about the same per square foot rent in an apartment complex that people in the Dallas Metroplex pay," explained the political expert.

Or, they decide city life isn't for them.

"People here are learning to live outside the city limits, whether its down in southwest Caddo, which is one of the places that grows a lot, all the way down into Desoto Parish.  Or whether is it going up to Blanchard and a little bit north of there or out to Greenwood."

Tomorrow, we look at who is actually doing something to fix Shreveport's property tax problem.