Charter, Constitutional amendments deserve your attention

Four proposed local home rule charter amendments and 14 Louisiana constitutional amendments will crowd the Tuesday, Nov. 4, ballot along with federal and local elections in some areas.

Home Rule Charter Amendments – No position
St. Mary Parish voters will be asked whether or not parish politicians have worn out their welcome and, if not, whether they should be paid more money each year.
Currently, the parish president is paid $12,000, at-large councilmen $800 and single-member councilmen $450. Those rates were established in the mid-1980s. Each office is limited to two consecutive terms.
Proposals include substantially increasing the pay for each office and allowing three consecutive terms but prohibit jumping from single-member to at-large districts or vice-versa to remain in office more than three consecutive terms.
We believe that we had better representation when politicians weren’t paid at all and the less time served the better.
However, it’s been 30 years since any material changes have been made for elected officials and only you can decide if a politician deserves more time and money. Please vote “For” or “Against” as you see fit.

Constitutional Amendments – Amendment No. 1 & 2 – For
Disinformation is swirling around both amendments with detractors claiming that restricting these funds would somehow hurt higher education. Nothing could be further from the truth.
While both amendments address two separate sectors in health care delivery to the poor, both would accomplish protective measures for each. In essence, Amendment 1 deals with an existing fund for nursing homes, caregivers for the developmentally disabled and pharmacies. Each entity pays the state a “provider fee” which in turn is used to draw down federal dollars, usually at a three-to-one ratio. That draw down and initial fee is then returned to providers to offset losses for services rendered to Medicaid patients.
Amendment 2 is much the same except it would establish the same kind of mechanism for hospitals while protecting those health care dollars from being misdirected by the legislature.
Louisiana is one of only 10 states without a hospital “fund,” costing local hospitals millions of dollars in much needed revenue necessary to keep them open and viable. Like the fund in Amendment 1, this money comes from hospitals, is multiplied by a federal match and then would be returned to the hospitals.
There is no explainable cause or reason for the legislature to ever redirect this funding and both amendments would prevent that misuse. Please vote “For” Amendments 1 & 2.

Amendment 3 – Against
At issue is the legality of governments using third parties to handle tax sales and disposal of tax delinquent properties thanks to an adverse court ruling in New Orleans. There are some things government shouldn’t do and some things only government should do. This is one of those things best left to government. Please vote “Against.”

Amendment 4 – Against
While the proposal is an interesting and perhaps worthwhile endeavor, the companion legislation for this amendment failed, leaving nothing more than a new state program all dressed up with nowhere to go. Please vote “Against.”

Amendment 6 – Against
This is a New Orleans issue that does not belong in the constitution. Legislators should propose an amendment that would strip the phrase, “Orleans Parish excepted,” from all statues and the constitution — that’s something we could support.
This amendment pretends to authorize, but not impose, a higher millage rate ceiling for taxes dedicated to New Orleans fire and police funding. However, we all know there is no such thing as a “dedicated” tax since governments typically reduce general fund funding when a so-called dedicated tax can supplant general funds previously spent to support emergency responders. It is one of the oldest funding tricks in the book. Please vote “Against.”

Amendment 7 – For
Louisiana allows a special, higher homestead exemption rate for disabled veterans that are 100 percent disabled. Unfortunately federal bureaucrats at the Department of Veterans Affairs have created a mysterious calculus that produces a metric classifying some veterans as 100 percent unemployable while being only 80 percent disabled. This bizarre reasoning is further proof that the federal government is totally out of control.
This amendment would add the “unemployable” rating to disability so that if either is 100 percent, the exemption would be granted. The exemption currently applies to a small number, less than 3,000, statewide. Please vote “For.”

Amendment 8 – For
The tinfoil hat-wearing environmentalists in the federal government have essentially sued, settled and regulated themselves into a corner. Having made virtually every worthwhile endeavor illegal, they are now forced to offer concessions to efforts that always made sense.
This opportunity is one of those concessions. This fund finances transferring and overseeing decommissioned oil rigs enjoying a second life as artificial reefs in the Gulf of Mexico.
While this would normally not require constitutional protection, the fact is that technology is driving production rigs to the seabed floor and the days of production platforms on the surface are numbered. With the concession of additional time granted to get these transfers done, now may be the last opportunity to put those abandoned rigs to the best use for fishermen and the state. Please vote “For.”

Amendment 9 – For
The state currently grants the freezing of property taxes for the permanently disabled provided that extensive new construction is not added to the home or income does not annually exceed an indexed threshold. However, those qualifying must file a report annually reaffirming that their income has not passed the threshold. Permanently disabled means the affected lack the capacity or skills to pursue work in other fields, rendering this annual requirement more of a burden on the disabled as opposed to a tool for government efficiency. Please vote “For.”

Amendment 10 – For
Louisiana citizens used to be conscientious about tidying up estates and properly doing successions after the death of a primary homeowner. Ever since around 1964, that dedication to tidying up loose ends stopped, resulting in thousands of properties across the state technically owned by an ever-increasing number of undivided shares. It is now so convoluted that many homes are simply abandoned since no one knows who owns what or can agree on amicably splitting expenses to repair homes to marketable conditions.
Current constitutional provisions require a waiting period of three years before tax-delinquent properties can be disposed of. Since most blighted properties are not sold at tax sales, the three-year carrying expense for maintenance falls on taxpayers.
This amendment retains due process protections for declaring property blighted or abandoned, but allows disposition of the property after 18 months instead of the current three years. Please vote “For.”

Amendment 11 – Against
While this amendment would establish a much-needed singular department of elderly affairs, it also prohibits the future dismantling of existing government agencies, their duties and other unfortunate provisions. Part of existing government shortcomings is the vast bureaucracy established under agrarian/industrial-age methods while trying to service an information-age economy’s needs. A vast dismantling and reorganization is in order and the misplaced language in this amendment would prevent that. Please vote “Against.”

Amendment 12 – For
The state wildlife and fisheries commission is a seven-member body with requirements that three members come from coastal parishes and the remaining four be picked at-large from the rest of the state. The current membership has six commissioners from coastal parishes.
This amendment would designate two of the seats for areas just slightly north of the I-10 highway so areas overseen by the commission like Toledo Bend, Poverty Point and others would have representation. Please vote “For.”

Amendment 13 – Against
This is another New Orleans only amendment that has no business needing or warranting inclusion in the constitution. Additionally, this measure would allow property to be sold at below market value — a recipe for corruption.
There are also concerns that even if passed, federal guidelines would prohibit its execution. Please vote “Against.”

Amendment 14 – For
When legislative sessions were aligned to put fiscal matters like raising taxes in odd-numbered years and prohibit the same in even numbered years the language failed to delineate prohibiting rebates, incentives and abatements. This amendment would ensure that fiscal matters stay in fiscal-only sessions. Please vote “For.”