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VIDALIA, La. — On Tuesday, the Vidalia Board of Aldermen adopted a lower tax millage rate than was previously stated during its July meeting after learning that property assessments increased in Concordia Parish.

It was said at the July meeting that the taxes would remain the same and not increase. However, to collect the same amount of money the millage would have to decrease since the ad valorem tax millage is based on the assessed value of property, which went up this year.

“Last meeting, it was confusing on which millage to adopt because we’re in a reassessment year and you have several options,” Jeanie Archer, Concordia Parish Tax Assessor, explained to the Aldermen on Tuesday. “What happened was our parish values increased, which meant that your millage had to decrease based on the current values so you would collect the same amount of money as you did last year.”

To keep the taxes at the same level without an increase, the board had to lower its millage rate from 3.37 mills to 3.2 mills, which is still one of the lowest taxes in the state, Archer said.

“This is the actual millage that would bring you to that without you rolling forward, which would mean you raise millage,” she said. “You are still one of the lowest if not the lowest.”

The Vidalia Aldermen were not alone in their confusion on the tax rates. The Concordia Parish Police Jury on Monday also adopted a different millage rate to fix a “discrepancy” in what taxes they would collect, said Police Jury Secretary Ariella Carter.

The Police Jury levies several millages.

During its Monday meeting the board approved 2.23 mills for general alimony, 8.25 mills for the library fund, 9.8 mills for drainage work, buildings and facilities and 3.92 mills for Concordia Council on Aging, which lowered the overall millage for the entire parish from 24.68 mills to 24.2 mills.

The rates previously stated were 2.27 mills for general alimony; 8.41 for the library fund and 10 mills for drainage work, buildings and facilities; and four mills for the Concordia Council on Aging.

In other matters during Tuesday’s meeting the Vidalia Aldermen approved a hold harmless request from the Mayor of Ferriday Alvin Garrison to allow two knuckle boom trucks and workers to work on one Saturday only in Ferriday and assist the town with cleanup efforts.

Vidalia Mayor Buz Craft said any work that couldn’t be done in one day would require further approval from the Board of Aldermen. The rate charged to Ferriday is $1,500 for the use of the two trucks and workers to compensate the town for the overtime accumulated by the employees.

“I think it’s a good thing for us to do as a neighbor,” Craft said.

The aldermen were in full agreement Tuesday.

“I think we should charge the lowest amount possible to help our sister city,” added Aldermen Triand McCoy.

The Vidalia Aldermen also approved giving away one mosquito sprayer to the Village of Ridgecrest, which is currently not in use.

“If we are going to give it to anyone, I’d rather it be a town close to us like Ridgecrest so that Vidalia may benefit from it too,” said Craft.

A lease of office space at the Vidalia Convention Center for $200 per month to the Delta Agriculture Research and Sustainability District was also approved Tuesday.

The DARSD was established by state Rep. C Travis Johnson, III, to help smaller municipalities in the agriculture region with economic growth. The offices would be for the DARSD’s new headquarters, officials said.