Helps to know what awaits taxpayers
Earlier this month, a Bossier City Council workshop was the occasion to learn more about the near future of solid waste collection/ service in Bossier City – and that the cost of the service will go up later this year.
But before we go there, a little tutorial on how the city is funded may be helpful in understanding why residents and business who use such city services pay for those services – instead of the “I pay taxes …” route to payment.
Like most every city or parish/ county in the country, Bossier City collects both sales and property taxes. And like most contemporaries, there is no big black pot into which these sources of revenue are tossed to be taken out for whatever need arises.
Bossier City Finance Director Joe Buf ngton explained the city’s “original” one cent sales tax was approved by voters in 1963; one half-cent was dedicated to the maintenance of the city’s re and police departments while the other half-cent was dedicated to land purchases and related issues in building Bossier Medical Center. A 1987 election re-dedicated the hospital’s halfcent to debt service and the balance to capital items.
Voters approved another half-cent sales tax in 1982, which was dedicated to payment of the city’s re and police pension funds followed by salaries for all city employees. Buf ngton noted that this pension fund should not be confused with the state’s public safety retirement systems.
Voters approved the fourth halfcent in 1987, dedicating it to the Red River (ART) Parkway and capital improvements. It was re-dedicated in 2002 for debt service and then funding re, police and other city departments. In 1991, voters approved another half-cent sales tax for the city jail, re stations, streets and drainage and salaries other than re and police.
Additionally, the city collects three property taxes approved by voters, and a fourth, at 5.57 mills, is authorized in perpetuity by the state for general operations of the city. The three voter-authorized property taxes are an 8.45 mill and 2.75 mill levy renewed by voters in 2004 and up for renewal again in 2015, and a 5.98 mill levy renewed in 2010 and up for renewal in 2020. These three millages are all dedicated to re and police operations and salaries.
Notably, none of these voterapproved sales or property taxes fund anything related to water and sewer service, public works and sanitation, or Emergency Medical Service.
Those services, per Buf ngton, are funded from proprietary funds, which are funds that must be accounted for like a business operation.
“If the revenues do not equal or exceed expenses, then something has to change. We would either increase revenues (rate increase) or decrease expenses until we do not have a de cit,” Buf ngton’s email explained.
Buf ngton also explained that the public works/sanitation fees are listed on residents’ water bills via a at rate of $16. Of that fee, $8 is charged for solid waste collection; the other $8 is charged for herbicide and mosquito control, street sweeping and animal control.
Also on the same bill, residents are charged $10 for EMS.
Back to the solid waste collection issue: Bossier City’s service has been provided for several years by Shreveport, but the contract for such service expires in November 2013. In March 2012, Bossier City of cials issued requests for proposals for solid waste services, and four companies responded. Shreveport did not respond, but as early as 2011 both Bossier City and Shreveport of cials knew that a new contract would include an increase in costs.
As it currently stands, the proposal for a new solid waste contractor includes few changes from the current program.
Solid waste collection will be ve days a week instead of the current four days, yard waste will have a few well-de ned limits, and the contract will permit the continued free pick-up of bulky items (white goods and furniture). All trucks will be CNG-powered, and fuel will be purchased from Bossier City CNG stations.
So, the current proposal is that the cost for solid waste service will double – from $8 per month to $16 per month.
That’s not great news, but that’s what it costs to provide a solid waste collection service based on proposals from contractors who’d like to provide the service. And there’s not a single sales or property tax in Bossier City dedicated to solid waste collection, nor is there a big pot from which to take several million dollars a year to pay for the service.
The alternative is to pack up our solid waste and personally haul it to the land ll, which incidentally charges a tipping fee.
Marty Carlson, a freelance writer, has been covering local news for the past 13 years. She can be reached via email at m_carlso@bellsouth.net.
