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Election round-up: Less than 24 hours until votes are cast
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BATON ROUGE - There are less than 24 hours until the election day for the December ballot. Several runoffs along with propositions covering education, public safety and government are on the ballot.
One proposition on the ballot drawing attention is the 2-percent sales tax transfer for the City of St. George. It is not a new tax, but a proposition to transfer an existing 2-percent sales tax from East Baton Rouge Parish to the City of St. George. The sales tax could move nearly $50 million into St. George and would be used to fund city services.
In August, the St. George Transition District took legal action to settle its dispute with the parish over the tax transfer. St. George said they might not be able to function without the funding. Officials with St. George also said while the city-parish could lose revenue, it also has to pay for less services overall.
"Without the revenue that comes in from the sales tax, we won't have the necessary dollars in order to provide basic services," Mayor of St. George Dustin Yates said in a November interview.
The proposition is contentious. In the 2025 proposed budget for East Baton Rouge, the Mayor-President wrote that St. George's incorporation impacts the general budget. Metro councilmembers have also expressed concern for the city-parish losing that money.
Also on the ballot in East Baton Rouge, the run-off for the Mayor-President. Incumbent Democrat Sharon Weston Broome faces Republican challenger Sid Edwards.
In Ascension Parish, there are two run-offs on the ballot: the Mayor of Gonzales and the Police Chief of Gonzales. In the mayoral race, both candidates would be new to the position. Kemlyn Bailey Lomas has administrative experience on the parish level and has also worked with city-level commissions. Timothy "Tim" Riley currently serves as a Gonzales councilman and has experience with local government. Whoever wins the runoff election will be Gonzales' first Black mayor.
The Gonzales Police Chief is also on the ballot. Incumbent Sherman Jackson is up against retired Gonzales Police Officer Stephen Ussery.
Also in Ascension Parish, parish councilmembers are hoping to pass a proposition that could bring more power to the council. Currently, Ascension Parish's home rule charter allows the parish president to appoint the parish secretary. The parish council depends on the secretary for information. The proposition simply gives the council the ability to appoint the secretary instead of the president.
Ascension Parish Councilman Todd Varnado said 63 out of 64 parishes operate in the way the council is proposing on the ballot.
"If the legislative branch requests information and the executive branch may or may not be excited about that information being put out or given, the secretary's office can be caught in the middle so to speak. That job can potentially be threatened," Varnado said in a November interview.
In Iberville Parish, the runoff for the Mayor of Plaquemine is on the ballot. The two candidates are JB Barker and Timmy Martinez. In the November election, Barker took 44-percent of the vote. Martinez took 28-percent.
Voters will also decide the future of education in Iberville on Saturday. There are four propositions on the ballot, all tax renewals. The money goes toward paying salaries, repairs and building facilities and funding alternative programs with Iberville Parish Schools. The largest renewal could generate $29 million annually.
"We're not getting a penny more of state funding and we're not getting a penny more of federal money, so it's critical and vital for us to have these tax revenues in place," Iberville Superintendent Louis Voiron said in an interview earlier in December.
In Assumption Parish, voters will decide whether to fund the foundation of education for Assumption Parish Schools. There are three tax renewals on the ballot, each existing on the books for decades. The three renewals bring in roughly $7.8 million for the school system. The money covers teacher and employee salaries, student programming, security, and construction costs.
In Pointe Coupee, there is a proposition that would double the District Two Fire Department's budget with a new tax. Livingston Parish has several propositions on the ballot including one that would change the home rule charter to allow the council to seek its own legal counsel and a tax renewal to pay for Gravity Drainage District No. 1 to continue to operate on its current scale clearing canals and ditches and maintaining water outlet.
All the propositions can be found on the Secretary of State's website which can be found by clicking here.
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