SHREVEPORT, La. — Two local tax questions on the Nov. 3 ballot are drawing organized opposition in Shreveport and Caddo Parish as early voting continues.
The first would let Caddo Parish borrow up to $60 million in general obligation bonds to build a multi-sports complex. Under the ballot wording, the debt could run as long as 25 years at no more than 7% interest, and the parish says it does not expect the first-year millage for that debt to rise above the 1.50 mills it already levies.
Parish officials are pitching the complex as a draw for tournaments and visitors, and the parish says approving the bonds would not mean a new tax or a tax increase.
The Libertarian Party of Caddo Parish disagrees. In a social media post, the party questioned the project’s cost and openness and argued the interest alone could top $65 million, leaving taxpayers paying into 2050. It said the parish should put public safety, the water system and basic infrastructure first.
The second question would renew a 9.04-mill property tax inside Shreveport’s Downtown Development District for 25 years beginning in 2028. The tax is estimated to bring in about $714,179 a year for the Downtown Development Authority’s operations and projects.
The Shreveport Police Officers Association opposes both measures. The group said public safety should be every government’s top concern, and its president, Michael E. Carter, said downtown business owners have not seen the progress they were promised under the existing tax, pointing to vacant and run-down buildings and urging private investors to do more.
Section: More Shreveport LA politics news
Filed under: Shreveport LA Politics News
