CATS tax discussed
Fred Skelton, a 70-year-old Baton Rouge homeowner, has never ridden a CATS bus before, and doesn’t expect that he’ll ever need to ride one.
But Skelton said at a Together Baton Rouge Civic Academy on Thursday that he will be “first in line at his voting precinct to support” the 10-year, 10.6-mill property tax on April 21 to pay for an expanded and improved parish bus service.
The reason, he said, is because before his mother died, she used to stay at a nursing home where he’d visit her. When he visited, he said, he remembered frequently seeing groups of employees waiting for the bus.
“Those people who were waiting for the bus are the people who were taking care of my mother,” he said. “If we shut down the transit system, who will take care of those people?”
He said that while he doesn’t use the bus, he realizes that he is reliant on many other people who use the system to get to their jobs.
Skelton was one of about 100 people who showed up for the first Civic Academy held by the faith-based, nonprofit organization. The meetings are to educate the public about a city-wide tax proposition to reform the Capital Area Transit System that will go to voters in Baton Rouge, Zachary and Baker.
The Rev. Raymond Jetson, a Together Baton Rouge leader, told the crowd that for years CATS has been significantly underfunded compared to peer cities in the South.
He also said that the tax would not merely keep CATS afloat, but would transform the way bus service is provided in Baton Rouge by dramatically reducing wait times and expanding the service area.
Jetson noted that the average wait time for a bus is 75 minutes, and the average bus ride takes two and a half hours.
“That’s the time it takes to drive to Biloxi, Mississippi,” Jetson said. CATS promises to reduce wait times to 15 to 20 minutes.
On the property tax itself, Jetson said that residents already pay much higher millage rates for other services they value.
For example, he said, the library system is 11.1 mills, the parks system is 14.4 mills, and fire departments and schools range from about 10 to 80 mills.
“The fact that Zachary is constantly being commended for its wonderful school system might have to do with the fact that it receives 79.2 mills,” Jetson said. “You don’t get something for nothing.”
Some people who attended the meeting expressed concern about the size of the tax request.
“That’s quite a bit of money for people on a fixed income like myself,” said Sarah Williams, 78, a Baton Rouge resident.
The 10.6 mills would cost $168 a year, or $14 a month, for someone with a home valued at $157,000. Property owners cannot take advantage of the homestead exemption because it is a municipal tax.
Other people expressed frustration that city-parish officials were not able to solve CATS’ financial woes within the existing budget.
Skelton noted that Metro Council members have attended previous Together Baton Rouge meetings with promises of trying to help CATS close its budget deficit.
“All those hotshot friends in the council who talked about finding money for CATS, well, not one of them made a motion to move any money for them,” Skelton said. “Those are false friends.”
This year CATS is facing a $2.1 million budget deficit because of the loss of federal and state funds. If the tax plan fails, CATS will be shuttered by July.
About 20 students, representing LSU and Southern University, attended the meeting, expressing support for the bus system.
Kendra Martin, 21, a Southern University student, said she lives off campus and frequently uses the CATS bus system to get to class, which, she said, is a better alternative than having to search for a parking spot in packed lots.
She said if CATS were to close, many Southern students, particularly freshman who often do not have cars, would lose their primary mode of transportation around campus and across the parish.
“It’s important to me and the other students who attend Southern,” she said.
In October 2010, voters rejected a proposal by CATS for a 3.5-mill property tax.
Together Baton Rouge will hold another civic academy on Jan. 24 at 6 p.m. at St. Paul Catholic Church, 3912 Gus Young Ave., and on Jan. 26 at 6 p.m. at Shiloh Baptist Church, 185 Eddie Robinson Sr. Drive.