Critics say Capella’s budget hike could hurt public schools

2nd April 2012   ·   0 Comments

By Christopher Tidmore
Contributing Writer

Jefferson Parish’s new Assessor, Tom Capella, needs legislative approval to annex the funds necessary to hire some 15 new auditors and support staffers for his office. He expected little political opposition, since Jefferson will soon enter a massive state-mandated quadrennial reassessment of nearly every piece of property in the Parish.

Capella’s has contended that he cannot do the job without extra help, and that his colleagues in Baton Rouge must effectively order the diversion of property tax funds from other areas of parish government. It is a move that could impact an already struggling public school budget.

The Louisiana State Senate seemingly agreed, unanimously approving Capella’s request for a 59 percent increase in funding for his office, However, before the State House could take up the measure, Capella’s request spawned a title wave of opposition. Fears of further education cuts by good government groups have stopped short the suburban parish’s State Rep. delegation from rubber stamping the measure as it moves to the lower chamber next week.

Senate Bill 140 would which would increase the annual allowance for “clerical and other expenses” in the Jeff Assessor’s office. Margaret Baird, Chairman of the watchdog group Citizens for Good Government, argued to The Louisiana Weekly, that Capella’s request could further damage the beleaguered school system. “He wants an additional $1.6 million annually, which would increase his annual allowance from $2.7 million to $4.3 million. Mr. Capella certainly didn’t mention needing a huge increase in funding for the Assessor’s Office when he was running for election.”

“Unfortunately these additional funds for Mr. Capella would be at the expense of Jefferson Parish Schools and other government entities,” she continued. “The additional funding for the Assessor’s Office would cost the Jefferson Schools $459,000 in the 2012-13 school year alone and would add substantially to their budgetary problems. We believe that our schools need these funds more than Mr. Capella does.”

It is an argument that seems to have the agreement of Jeff schools Superintendent James Meza. He warned School Board members a week ago that the loss of $459,000 in the 2012-13 school year would force additional cuts in services to children. That is on top of a projected deficit of $25 million for the 2012-2013 School year. That shortfall alone, Mesa admitted, could force the closure of seven schools, and the layoffs of over 180 central office personnel.

Mesa told the Jefferson School Board’s finance committee that all possible efforts are being made to avoid cutting teacher salaries or positions. “Everything else,” he told the Board members, “is expendable.”

Jefferson School Board Presi­dent Michael Delesdernier explained to the Weekly, “We are trying to focus the school closures on low-performing schools, but it is tough…These cuts are going to hurt.”

The loss of over a half of a million more dollars could have an even greater impact. The As­sessor’s opponents wonder why Capella needs the extra money when Lawrence Chehardy never did. Capella’s predecessor, conducted a similar reassessment four years ago with the currently sized staff.

The new Assessor responded that times have changed. Property values across the nation in general, and in metro New Orleans in particular, have undergone massive fluctuations since the economic collapse almost four years ago. His office must deal with an earthquake in property assessments, some homes worth more, many worth less. That takes more staff.

Capella’s office is the only Assessor’s position in any parish in the state without a dedicated milliage to operate, he noted. His funding fluctuates based on the revenue flowing to other parts of government. Hiring 15 more employees would insure accurate reassessments, and therefore a more stable funding source for the rest of the parish government. Spen­ding money now could provide more resources later.

Some homes may have exceeded the state’s $75,000 homestead exemption for the first time, thus putting them on the tax rolls, and others may have seen values fall as the property market locally all but collapsed. The only way to know is to hire more people.

The measure will be voted upon in the State House of Representa-tives in the next two weeks.

This article was originally published in the April 2, 2012 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper