How Did Shreveport Let Police & Fire Funding Millage Expire?

Some tax millages paid by Shreveport homeowners expired at the end of 2022 and the new mayor is having to scramble to get these millages on the ballot this spring to keep the money rolling in to city coffers.

What Does New Mayor Tom Arceneaux Say About this Problem?

Arceneaux tells KEEL News

We didn't get it done last year. It should have been done last year and they should have been on the ballot before these millages expired. We are planning to get them on the April ballot. The council will now have to have a special meeting early next month to actually get these millages on the ballot and get them before the bond commission for approval.

How Did This Fall Through the Cracks?

Mayor Arceneaux says someone in the finance department should have been on top of this. He says in the future "we are going to flag em for sure to make sure this doesn't happen again."

The Mayor says one of the most important millages that expired was for the Shreveport police patrol system. "These are very important millages that produce about $12 million dollars a year for the operating budget. These pay for very basic services that I hope the people will support us on."

But because this taxes expired and were not renewed before the end of the year, they can no longer technically be called "renewals", but Arceneaux says the impact will be the same.

These millages will now be on the April 29th election. That is a scheduled election date and at this time, the only other thing that might be on that ballot will be a runoff for the City Marshal's race, if necessary.