In this first part of a multi-part series, we will examine yet another attempt by the Council to tank the Port litigation.
Part 1 – Why is everything so secret?
Our story starts with the January 16, 2025 council meeting agenda as originally published on January 13, 2025.
Does anything grab your attention? Of course not! That seems to have been the point of not putting on the agenda item about a proposed new sales tax.
Shortly before the very end of the January 16, 2025 council meeting, Moran took a moment to take up an off agenda item to give an “announcement of a public meeting.”
What is that meeting about you might ask? It was an “announcement of public meeting.” Moran then went on to declare that “notice is hereby given that at its meeting to be held on February 18, 2025 at 3 p.m. at its regular meeting place, the St. Bernard Parish Government Council Chambers, 8201 W. Judge Perez Dr., Chalmette, LA, the Parish Council for the Parish of St. Bernard, State of Louisiana plans to consider adopt a resolution ordering and calling an election to be held in the Parish of St. Bernard to authorize and levy a sales and use tax therein.”
The announcement hardly contained enough to put the public on notice of what is going on, but contained the bare minimum to satisfy certain legal requirements. But don’t take our word for it – take a listen for yourself.
Why didn’t this announcement appear on the agenda? It would seem that the item was intentionally omitted from the agenda to avoid putting the public on notice thereby giving the public an opportunity to voice their concern and get ahead of this issue.
What is this new sales tax for? Moran did not reveal the purpose of the proposed sales tax. However, according to a confidential high ranking source within the government (Councilman Everhardt) the proposed sales tax is related to the litigation against the Port of New Orleans.
So is this measure to actually fund the litigation? No, it seems to be a backhanded way to sabotage the litigation. Let’s examine why.
- First, such a measure broadcasts to the public that the Council does not have faith in the lawsuit against the Port and therefore does not want to spend “good money” opposing the Port. They will, however, spend your money to fight the Port – if you pass this new tax.
- Second, such a measure seems to be punitive to the general public in opposition to the LIT development, especially on the heel of the public putting a stop to a $4,000,000 deal with the Port of New Orleans. To this writer’s knowledge, the Parish has never proposed a sales tax to fund any type of litigation in the past. The message being sent is that the Parish will only continue to fight the Port of New Orleans if a new sales tax is authorized.
- Third, such a measure seems like a set up to abandon the lawsuit when the tax proposal fails. That way, the Council and Administration can avoid taking responsibility for abandoning the lawsuit by blaming the public for not passing the sales tax proposal – they can just blame me and you!
This, ladies and gentlemen, demonstrates how your government officials really feel about you. They hate you! They hate you for forcing them go against their political friends who are seeking to make millions off of the LIT development.
Don’t let them get away with this!
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