Louisiana Town to Vote on Tax for Fire Department Maintenance

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Voters in Gonzales, La., will decide on March 28 whether to renew a 10-year, 3.27-mill property tax that was first passed in 1986 to fund the city’s fire department.

With two fire stations and an ambulance service that transports residents to the hospital at no charge, Fire Chief Tracey Normand tells The Advocate the fire department has earned a Class 2 fire insurance rating that helps keep commercial and residential insurance rates down.

Normand say the millage pays for firefighters’ and Emergency Medical Service’s equipment, maintenance of the fire stations and training.

Operations of the department are funded by a half-cent sales tax.

The Ascension Parish Assessors’ Office says the millage costs homeowners about $49 annually for a $150,000 home.