Calcasieu voters approve five of seven tax renewal proposals

Calcasieu voters approved five of seven tax renewals on the ballot.

Voters favored tax renewals for sewerage and fire protection services, but voted down tax renewals for education projects, and parks and playgrounds.

Voters rejected a sales tax renewal which would have funded a list of education-related projects in Moss Bluff. The measure lost by 1,459 to 572 votes, or 72 to 28 percent of the vote.

The Calcasieu Parish School Board was planning to use the 20-year, 1.5-percent sales tax renewal - which would have brought in an estimated $3,386,000 - to pay for a list of education-related projects, including a new "Upper Elementary" school adjacent to Moss Bluff Middle School, a new Sam Houston High School competition gymnasium and band hall, a hard surface parent drop-off road at Moss Bluff Middle School, a new Moss Bluff Elementary School library, a new multipurpose building, and reroofing of main buildings at Gillis Elementary.

Here's a breakdown of the other results:

• Voters approved a 10-year, 9-mill property tax renewal for Wards 3 and 8 Sewerage District No. 11 by a vote of 62 to 49, or 56 to 44 percent. The tax will bring in an estimated $242,000 each year for the operation and maintenance of the district's sewerage facilities.
• Voters approved a 10-year, 6.02 mill property tax renewal for the Ward 4 Fire Protection District No. 3 by a vote of 60 to 12, or 83 to 17 percent. The tax will bring in an estimated $1,051,000 a year, for operation and maintenance of the district's fire protection facilities. The tax is a decrease of 0.48 mills.
• Voters approved a 10-year, 10- mill property tax renewal for the Ward 7 Fire Protection District No. One by 34 to 9 votes, or 79 to 21 percent. The tax will bring in an estimated $437,716 a year, for operation and maintenance of the district's fire protection facilities.
• Voters rejected a 10-year, 5- mill property tax renewal for the Ward 1 Community Center and Playground District No. 4 by 1,101 to 924 votes, or 54 to 46 percent. The tax would have brought in an estimated $388,700 a year, for operation, maintenance and construction for the district's recreational facilities, including public buildings, community centers, parks, playgrounds, recreation centers, and libraries.
• Voters approved a 10-year, 10-mill property tax renewal for the Ward 7 Gravity Drainage District No. 2, from 84 to 34 votes, or 71 to 29 percent. The tax will bring in an estimated $532,000 a year, for operation, maintenance, construction and improvement of gravity drainage works for the purpose of paying the cost of purchasing, improving, or constructing the District's gravity drainage facilities, and for the purpose of purchasing, maintaining and repairing district equipment.
• Voters approved a 10-year, 8-mill property tax renewal for the Ward Two Fire Protection District Number One, by 152 to 8 votes, or 95 to 5 percent. The tax will bring in an estimated $177,000 a year, for operation, maintenance, construction and improvement of District's fire protection facilities, including related land, buildings, equipment, appurtenances, and furnishings constituting works of permanent public improvement.

All result are complete, but unofficial, until verified by the Secretary of State's Office.

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