Annexations led to taxation woes on Old Spanish Trail

If some Old Spanish Trail residents are being taxed twice for recreation, it’s not Recreation District 3’s fault, the board chairman said recently.
Last week, the Berwick Town Council talked about the more than 30 homes along Old Spanish Trail that pay property taxes to the town of Berwick and to Recreation District 3.
“Our district was started in the early 1990s. Our district boundaries went up to the town limits of Berwick, which at the time, that section was Country Club Estates,” Board Chairman Stan Robison said. “That property was in our district and still is in our district.”
Ordinance 1109 states Recreation District 3 was created in July 1990. It covers all of Ward 8 of St. Mary Parish except the portion lying within the corporate boundaries of the town of Berwick.
Berwick annexed two sections of land in 1995 and 1998 — from U.S. 90 north toward La. 182 and in the Old Spanish Trail area, Berwick Mayor Louis Ratcliff said.
This uninhabited land was owned by Berwick Land Co, which is owned by Whitney Bank.
“The reason they’re getting double taxed is because the town of Berwick extended their boundaries, not for anything we did,” Robison said. “We did nothing. We did not change our boundaries.
“I feel like I have to defend our district. I don’t want to get in a fight with anybody. I just want people to know what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.
“I don’t want people to get the impression that we’re going to Berwick and taking property and making these people pay double taxation for property,” Robison said.
Many of the surrounding communities use facilities in Recreation District 3.
“My community is St. Mary Parish, not just Bayou Vista,” Robison said. “Our facilities are used by a lot of people.
“We work well with Berwick. We have teams practicing on our baseball fields. A lot of the kids and coaches live in Berwick. We have no problem letting them use our facilities,” he said.
As for resolving the Old Spanish Trail residents’ double taxation issue, Robison said, “Berwick could put their boundaries back where they were and the residents wouldn’t be double taxed. I don’t think Berwick wants to do that and I don’t blame them.”
Robison can be contacted at 985-397-1760.

This story was written by Shea Drake of The Daily Review staff. Reach her at sdrake@daily-review.com.