Tax needed to fund rural St. Tammany Parish recreation district ...

Having failed on two previous occasions to win voter support for a tax to fund its operations, supporters of St. Tammany Parish's 2nd Recreation District in Bush will try again in December to rescue its cash-strapped program.

The Parish Council has agreed to put before voters on Dec. 8 a proposition for a 3-mill tax for the district's recreation program. If approved, the new tax would be collected for 10 years and would generate about $49,200 a year in revenue for the district.

It would cost the owner of a $200,000 home about $38 a year. The owner of a $100,000 home would see an increase of about $7.50 a year.

The tax was in place for years, but was inadvertently allowed to expire in 2008, officials said. Attempts to renew it have failed by a 2-1 margin. Because the tax was allowed to expire, the tax proposals on previous ballots were not labeled as renewals or continuations, which was perhaps a factor in conservative St. Tammany.

Supporters have tried to present the proposal as an existing tax in need of renewal, rather than a new one. The Parish Council agreed Thursday night to place the matter on the Dec. 8 ballot, which will include runoffs for U.S. House of Representatives, if needed. Local governments have until Oct. 23 to add propositions to that ballot.

Bradley Cromp, a member of the recreation district's board of directors, said since the tax expired, the district has been operating on budget surpluses and on revenue generated by fund-raisers and fees paid by those participating in programs. But, he said the financial situation for the program is now dire.

"At this point, we're bare-bones," he said. "We're just trying to get what it takes to run this place."

The district operates a gymnasium, four baseball/softball fields, a football/soccer field and a walking track at is complex on Watts-Thomas Road in Bush. It's annual budget is about $72,000 a year, Cromp said.

About 450 youngsters participate in organized, volunteer-run recreational programs at the complex, he said.

"We offer a lot ," Cromp said. "We try to keep kids busy year around. Our children are the most precious commodity we have and it's important to provide activities for them, especially in rural areas."

Source: http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/10/tax_proposal_needed_to_fund_ru.html

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