The mayors of Covington and Mandeville outlined their cities' successes and the challenges they face in pushing for economic development while maintaining the unique character of the north shore during a breakfast meeting of the St. Tammany-West Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday. Covington Mayor Mike Cooper discussed his city's ongoing capital improvement program, which involves improvements to Boston Street and the resurfacing of about eight miles of roads in the city. He touted several businesses that are soon to open their doors in the city's historic downtown district and cited robust homebuilding numbers for the second half of 2012.
"There are not many more empty storefronts in our downtown," Cooper said, while mentioning several new restaurants soon to open. "We're going to be smelling lots of good smells in our city."
Cooper lobbied for passage of a proposition on Tuesday's ballot that would rededicate a one-cent sales tax that was first enacted 55 years ago. If approved, the city would have more leeway in how it could spend revenue from the tax, which amounts to about $3.75 million a year. As it stands, revenue from the tax can be used only for streets, drainage, fire protection and recreation. Covington officials said the city's needs have changed since the tax was enacted, and they need more flexibility in how the money can be allocated. In particular, Cooper said more money for public safety is the underlying goal of the proposition.
He stressed that voters are not being asked to increase the city's sales tax, only to change how money generated by the tax is used.
Mandeville Mayor Donald Villere was next at the podium, explaining that his city is on sound financial footing with rising sales tax revenues and healthy surpluses. But he said at some point, Mandeville, like Covington, may have to explore ways to allow for more flexibility in how some of its restricted revenues are used.
Villere also told the chamber audience that the city spent $2.2 million to clean up after Hurricane Isaac, which pushed floodwaters and debris all along the lakefront and several blocks into old Mandeville. The federal government will eventually cover most of the cleanup costs, but the city will still have to cough up over $550,000 as its share of the bill.
Both mayors talked about traffic issues in their cities and the delicate balance that governments need to achieve in promoting development in their communities. Cooper discussed plans to alleviate a bottleneck bridge on Louisiana 21, while Villere said a similar bottleneck on U.S. 190 near the Greenleaves subdivision should be address in the near future.
Chamber takes stand on ballot items
With election day just around the corner, the St. Tammany-West Chamber of Commerce has announced its support of several items on Tuesday's ballot, including a proposal to place term limits on parish school board members and the renewal of a parishwide millage for public health services.
The organization also is supporting six of nine proposed amendments to the state constitution.
The ballot items were vetted by the chamber's Governmental Affairs Committee and voted on by the Board of Directors, the organization said in a news release.
Voters in nearly all areas of the state will decide whether their local school board members should be limited to three consecutive four-year terms. If the proposal passes, the clock on term limits would start Jan. 1, 2014, with previous terms not counting.
The chamber also supports the 10-year renewal of a dedicated property tax of 1.84 mills for public health services in St. Tammany Parish. The largest expenditure from the fund goes to suicide prevention.
The organization says it is supporting the following proposed constitutional amendments:
- No. 2 - To revise language to say that the right to possess a weapon in Louisiana is fundamental and shall not be infringed and to require that any restrictions must pass a "strict scrutiny" judicial review.
- No. 3 - To require earlier notice of public retirement system bills.
- No. 4 - To allow the spouse of a deceased veteran who had a 100 percent disability rating to claim a higher homestead exemption even if the exemption wasn't in effect when the veteran died.
- No. 5 - To allow the state to include forfeiture of a portion of public retirement benefits as part of the sentence for a public servant convicted of a felony related to his or her office.
- No. 7 - To adjust the membership selection process for constitutionally created boards and commissions that have members chosen based on congressional districts.
- No. 8 - To allow the state Board of Commerce and Industry to grant local property tax exemption contracts to targeted non-manufacturing businesses in parishes that choose to participate
No position was taken on amendments No. 1, 6 and 9.
?Parish Council names new commissioner
The St. Tammany Parish Council on Thursday night appointed Ronald Randolph to the parish's Planning and Zoning Commission.
Source: http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/11/western_st_tammany_chamber_hea.html
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