A new tax plan proposed by East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Kip Holden has raised concerns among officials in the cities surrounding Baton Rouge.Holden’s proposed parish-wide, half-cent sales tax and 9.9 mils property tax is designed to fund $989 million worth of projects. Though $357 million is marked for parish-wide spending, almost $550 million would be spent on Baton Rouge projects alone. While the cities of Baker, Central and Zachary have largely agreed to support the tax increase where parish-wide spending is concerned, the cities’ elected officials opposed what they see as taxation without representation.The tax proposal sets aside $178 million for parish-wide drainage improvements and $135 million for a new parish prison. About 38 substandard bridges are also set to be replaced throughout East Baton Rouge Parish.Though the entire parish will be affected by the roughly $20 per person monthly tax, the proposal earmarks the remaining $550 million for the capital city alone.A new public safety complex, estimated to cost $92 million, will include the Baton Rouge Police Department Headquarters, the East Baton Rouge Sheriff Headquarters and a shared training structure.The plan also calls for the emptying of five floors of City Hall and the consolidation of other government offices into the newly empty space. The process is expected to cost $38 million.The replacement and synchronization of approximately 260 traffic signals will require another $45 million, and the construction of two parking garages will cost $68 million.The “Alive” Riverfront development plan, juvenile services facilities and further development of the Baton Rouge River Center will eat up the remainder of the funds.”All these costs should be borne by the people who live there,” said Melvin Riley, Zachary city councilman. “If they’re parish-wide programs, everybody should pay    –   if they’re not, everyone should share.”Riley said the problem was a question of fairness. He said he didn’t understand why residents in his city should be required to pay for projects they won’t use.Mike Futrell, chief administrative officer for the city of Baton Rouge, said the outlying cities are not looking at the big picture when they oppose the tax.”As a parish, we have to think more broadly than our own backyards,” Futrell said. “We’re all in this together; we can’t just say, ‘If this isn’t on my own street, then I don’t want it.'”Officials from Zachary and Baker tried to get Holden to split the tax issue on the ballot in     November, but Holden refused.Riley said Holden was playing politics by forcing people to vote on important parish-wide taxes and Baton Rouge infrastructure issues together.”The Baton Rouge part of the tax proposal wouldn’t pass on its own without the other stuff,” Riley said. “If it was split up, only the parish-wide programs would pass.”Futrell said the investments in the Capital City will benefit the growing parish as a whole by providing 4,300 construction jobs a year for the next seven years and 10,000 permanent jobs by 2015.Riley disagreed and said years of increased property taxes will put a serious burden on Zachary, which already has one of the highest property taxes in the state.”I just hope people realize there is a requirement for governments to be fair to each other,” Riley said.The Baton Rouge city council will meet Wednesday to put the issue on a special ballot for November 14. The tax-election will be held parish-wide.
 
 
 
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