Dear Mayor Landrieu:
As a long-time resident, you should know that the New Orleans taxpayers have never gotten a free lunch! We have paid handsomely for decades for a lunch our public officials have never served.
Our property tax millage is currently 36 percent higher than the Jefferson parish millage (139.84 vs. 102.70). However, you desire to increase the millage to 148.58, which is 45 percent higher than the Jefferson parish millage. Furthermore our sales tax is higher than the Jefferson parish sales tax, 9 percent vs. 8.75 percent. So, the question begs asking, what are the citizens of New Orleans receiving for these excessive taxes?
The streets in Lakeview, Lake Shore, Lake Vista and Lake Terrace are deplorable, and these streets have been this way for many years before Katrina. Additionally, the citizens in these neighborhoods have assessed themselves additional taxes to defray the cost of police protection. This wouldn’t be necessary if the police department and other city agencies operated in an efficient and effective manner.
Also, our public schools are and have been underperforming for decades. And, forget about receiving efficient service at city hall! On the few occasions I had business with city hall, I noticed employees milling around and skylarking while I, and others, waited to be served.
Another example of the excessive New Orleans expense structure is our utility costs. We pay Entergy a “Street Use Franchise Fee” and “City Tax” as part of our monthly invoice. Entergy doesn’t levy these charges in Jefferson Parish. Regarding our sewerage and water costs, we pay a “sewer volume” and “sewer service” charge in addition to paying a significantly higher cost for garbage disposal than does the Jefferson parish residents. Again, one must ask, where are these monies going, as we haven’t received the lunch you mentioned?
In your budget address Thursday you mentioned that, “We will stop the overspending …” Perhaps, you should start with the mayor’s office. You instituted the “Deputy Mayor” system in May, and hired six deputy mayors, each receiving a salary exclusive of benefits of approximately $150,000. The cost for these six approximates $900,000 plus benefits. Does New Orleans need six deputy mayors and can we afford this system?
I thought you were elected to execute the mayor’s responsibilities!
In your campaign, I don’t recall you ever saying you needed six assistants to do the job. You said repeatedly that you were the best qualified among the candidate pool. Additionally, Mr. Landrieu, you may wish to investigate the several city agencies which we learned this summer had paid excessive overtime and assigned city autos to many employees unnecessarily. I am sure these are fertile for cost cutting.
Governmental employees work for us, the taxpayers. As we have been required to deliver more quality services and products to our clients and customers with less since the late 1980s, it is time the governmental employees are required to do the same.
No, Mr. Landrieu, don’t look to raise our taxes; look for ways to cut the bloat out of city government! Considering the existing tax structure, homeowner insurance costs, and the inefficiencies in city government not to mention the crime situation, it is becoming less and less attractive to reside in New Orleans. The mayor should institute policies which would make New Orleans more attractive to upper middle class citizens to expand our tax base- not drive us away.
Since the late 1960s, our city leadership can be characterized by the following President Reagan quote: “Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”
Enough is ENOUGH!
Patrick Lynch
Visiting professor of business
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