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VIDALIA, La. — Today is an election day in more than 30 Louisiana parishes, including Concordia Parish, where three tax proposals are on the ballot.

Polls stay open until 8 p.m.

The first proposition will rededicate 1.81 mills — or approximately $287,000 annually — from the parish’s public health unit fund for “purposes of acquiring, constructing, maintaining and supporting public roads and drainage, including equipment, animal welfare, and public buildings,” the proposition states.

This proposition would not increase taxes but instead rededicates taxes already being collected, explained the Concordia Parish Police Jury’s assistant Cathy Darden at a February board meeting.

The reason for the rededication is the fund currently has “in excess of $1.6 million and collects about $160,000 too much each year,” she said.

As it stands, that money can only be used for public health services, although not all of the tax revenue is needed for those services, she said.

Proposition 2 levees a 3 mil tax increase for the parish coroner’s office. Its estimated the request would amount to $478,000 collected from the parish each year for the next 10 years. This would support “operating and maintaining facilities and equipment” at the Concordia Parish Coroner’s Office, the proposition states.

By state law, the parish is required to have up to a 3 mil tax proposition on the ballot if the coroner requests it. A 3 mil tax increase on a property valued at $150,000 is approximately $30 more in taxes.

Proposition 3 is another 3 mil tax proposal to support Concordia Fire District No. 2.

Chief Vick Brown said the taxes would help the department to better respond to emergencies by increasing its manpower by having at least three people on each shift instead of two. Concordia Parish Fire District No. 2 provides fire service to all of the parish outside of Monterey, Vidalia and Ferriday, which each have their own city fire protection.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on April 29.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot, other than for military or overseas voters, is April 25. Absentee ballots can be requested online at voterportal.sos.la.gov or in writing through the Registrar of Voters office.

See the full propositions below:

Parishwide Proposition 1

“Shall the Parish of Concordia, State of Louisiana (the “Parish”), which is currently levying a 1.81 mills tax for public health purposes (the “Tax”) through the year 2030 (an estimated $287,000 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the Tax for an entire year) pursuant to an election held on November 16, 2019, and prior elections for public health purposes, rededicate $1,600,000 of the proceeds of the Tax heretofore collected for the purposes of acquiring, constructing, maintaining and supporting public roads and drainage, including equipment, animal welfare, and public buildings; and, to the extent any proceeds of the Tax hereafter collected remain after use for public health purposes in any year, shall said proceeds be used for the rededicated purposes set forth above?”

Parishwide Proposition 2

“Shall the Parish of Concordia, State of Louisiana (the “Parish”), levy a 3 mills tax on all the property subject to taxation in said Parish (an estimated $478,000 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the Tax for an entire year), for a period of 10 years, beginning with the year 2023 and ending with the year 2032, for the purpose of providing funding and support for the Concordia Parish Coroner’s Office, including operating and maintaining facilities and equipment therefor?”

Concordia Fire District No. 2 Proposition (Excludes Vidalia, Ferriday and Monterey residents)

“Shall Fire Protection District No. 2 of the Parish of Concordia, State of Louisiana (the “District”), levy a tax of ten (10) mills on all the property subject to taxation in the District (an estimated $1,056,000 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the tax for an entire year), for a period of ten (10) years, beginning with the year 2023 and ending with the year 2032, for the purpose of acquiring, constructing, improving, maintaining and/or operating fire protection facilities and equipment in and for the District, including the payment of all related personnel costs and the costs of obtaining water for fire protection purposes, said tax to be in lieu of and replace an ad valorem tax of 6.94 mills authorized to be levied in the District through the year 2030 at an election held in said District on November 16, 2019?”