State Rep. Phillip DeVillier said his service on the State Bond Commission sparked his House Bill 82 requiring disclosure of local election costs in the session that ended June 6.
“This is to me a very, very important bill ...’” he said.
“When you are on the Bond Commission the locals come to the commission to get approval to have an election whether to increase a bond or millage or sales tax...” he said.
“I was seeing multiple communities coming and I just asked the question, ‘What are these elections costing the locals if it is a standalone election,’” he said.
“I was just amazed by the cost of these elections,” he said.
DeVillier said there were recently two tax elections — a sales tax and millage increase — in New Orleans and both cost about $500,000.
The first-term representative said he reasoned if the elections were held on a general election date that would have saved New Orleans taxpayers $1 million, which might have paid for road work.
“It just seemed like a very good transparent piece of legislation, which now requires the locals to post the estimated cost before the election when the notice goes out about the election and then the actual cost of the election when a notice goes out of the result of the election,” he said.
The intent of the legislation is to show the public the cost of holding local, standalone elections, he said. If local elections are scheduled with general elections, the costs could be eliminated, he said.
House and Senate vote tallies show the legislation passed without opposition. On June 11, Gov. John Bel Edwards signed the legislation, which becomes effective Aug. 1.
DeVillier spoke about the election bill along with his other legislation in the recently ended session, the 12th he has attended in his first term.
“This year was unique for me and it was very enjoyable,” he said.
“We went in with obviously a surplus of funds. The surplus of funds were from fiscal year 18. We had over 300 million in surplus dollars,” he said.
The surplus came from changes in corporate and personal income taxes.
What had been a fiscal cliff turned into a surplus, he said.
DeVillier said legislators were limited to five general bills and unlimited revenue bills. DeVillier filed five general bills and two revenue bills.
DeVillier’s legislation included:
— House Bill 26, a request from the city of Church Point to name its community center after Gertrude Wimberly Broach, passed. The legislation was needed because Broach is alive.
— House Bill 31 to reduce the franchise tax paid by business didn’t make it out of the session, but DeVillier said it started the conversation. The change would reduce revenue by up to $350 million, he said.
“What we are going to work on between now and next year is to try to find ways of balancing that $350 million out possibly through removing some credits and exemptions,” he said.
— House Bill 117, another request from the city of Church Point that passed, is to allow the city to negotiate rules with the state Department of Transportation and Development for golf carts to cross state highways in the city.
— House Bill 195, which didn’t make it through the session, reforms the capital outlay process by focusing state dollars are roads, bridges and infrastructure, he said.
— House Bill 265, which makes it easier to collect disputed tax refunds, was folded into Senate Bill 198 now waiting on a decision by the governor.
— House Bill 559 dealt with a tax appeal, which was settled.
DeVillier said he worked on legislation to use unclaimed property to form an infrastructure bank for local government. The House approved the legislation, but it died in the Senate, he said.
DeVillier said his capital outlay projects once include overlaying La. 91 — Maple Avenue in Eunice — for $1.8 million.
The capital outlay projects await a final decision by governor within three weeks, he said.
Other projects in DeVillier’s District 41 include:
— La. 91, Bayou Plaquemines Brule Bridge, $5.1 million.
— LSUE Science Building roof replacement, $564,000.
— LSUE Science Building renovation, $13.6 million.
— LSUE Acadian Center kitchen repairs, $500,000.
— Church Point sewer improvements, $1.3 million.
Acadia Parish projects include:
— Parish public works complex, $520,000.
— Courthouse window replacement, $710,000.
— Old Spanish Trail roadway improvements for freight traffic bypass, $460,000.
— Courthouse elevator replacement, $765,000.
— Iota street improvements, $225,000.
