LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) - The parish council meeting tonight had many items on the agenda. One of the items on the agenda was the council approving a special election in Lafayette parish for tax renewals.

LCG is attempting to put two property tax millages, which failed in March, back on the ballot for renewal in a special election set for Nov. 15. The majority of the council voted "yes" meaning the millages will be put back on the ballot.

If voters choose once again not to approve the millages in November, the parish would be looking at a $24 million budget shortfall, mainly impacting road maintenance and public health, like mosquito prevention, along with smaller impacts on drainage funding.

The millages are most likely targeted for November, instead of the regular election in October, to avoid the same negative impact from up ballot races and amendments that some think led to them failing in the last election. If the millages fail again, the road maintenance millage would expire in 2027, and the public health millage would expire in 2026.

"It's no new tax, we're not increasing tax, it's simply a renewal," said Rachel Godeaux, Chief Administrative Officer for LCG. "It's critical to the function of what we do as a government providing roads, drainage, animal control, animal shelter, the coroner's office, and mosquito control."

Another item on the agenda is the introduction, for approval by the council, the mayor-president's Cooperative Endeavor agreement with Holy Rosary Land Holdings Incorporated to build the Northeast Regional Library on Holy Rosary Institute land.

The agreement would lease the land for 99 years for one dollar per year, with extension options written into the contract. The parish council vote is one of the last steps to finalizing a location, design and time for the library. A process which has been ongoing since 2018.

"We have moved forward with selecting a site, a different site, than the original one selected, but a better one for accessibility to the public," said Godeaux. "The mayor-president reflected earlier about striking at the heart of poverty and that's essentially what we're looking to accomplish with this move of library location to the Holy Rosary Institute."

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