BGR backs West Bank flood protection tax measures – Article by Andrea Shaw (NOLA.com | The Times Picayune)

The Bureau of Governmental Research has endorsed flood protection taxes that voters in West Jefferson and Algiers will consider on Nov. 21. The non-profit cites increased obligations in maintaining a system levees, floodwalls and floodgates built after Hurricane Katrina. (NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

Two flood protection taxes on the Nov. 21 ballot for West Bank voters have won support from the Bureau of Governmental Research. The non-profit endorsed a 5.5-mill property tax increase for West Jefferson and a 6.35-mill renewal in Algiers.

The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-West relies on property tax revenue to pay for operations and maintenance. BGR said the agency’s obligations “have increased dramatically” since Hurricane Katrina. They include oversight of three drainage pumping stations, including the world’s largest in Plaquemines Parish, and raising and fortifying subsiding levees.

“Should voters reject the millage, maintenance of levees and infrastructure will suffer and levee improvements will go unfunded, increasing the risk of flooding and likely resulting in higher insurance rates,” BGR writes.

If approved, the taxes would be assessed for 30 years.