Town of Erath puts 1/2 sales tax on ballot to help the police department

More than 9,300 took part in early voting nearly a month ago.
Beginning this Friday, there will be another opportunity.
Early voting for the Dec. 7 election will begin this Friday, Nov. 22. It will run through Saturday, Nov. 30 (Excluding, Sunday, November 24, 2024, Thursday, November 28, 2024 & Friday, November 29, 2024 for Thanksgiving).
Voting will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on each available day. It will take place in the Vermilion Parish Registrar of Voters office, located on the first floor of the Vermilion Parish Courthouse.
Voters in the town of Erath will decide on a half-cent sales and usage tax. 
It has been at least 20 years since Erath voters had to vote on a sales tax.
If the sales tax is passed, it would collect around $150,000 annually, which would be dedicated to covering the Erath Police Department’s current excess operating expenses.
Erath Police Chief Anna Lapointe said the money from the sales tax will be used to operate the Erath Police Department.
She explained that the town needs help to help fund the police department. The $150,000 will “Supplement the police department’s budget,” LaPointe said.
LaPointe said this is not an extra $150,000 that the police department will receive for its budget. If the tax passes, the town would redirect the $150,000 allocated to the police department for other uses.
Four constitutional amendments will be on the ballot parishwide. The Louisiana Public Affairs Council released a guide to the four amendments on Dec. 7 ballots.
According to the guide, Amendment 1 on the Dec. 7 ballot expands and retools judicial supervision.
Voting for the amendment adds five members to the State Judiciary Commission and gives the Louisiana Supreme Court authority to direct investigations into misconduct allegations.
If the amendment fails to pass, authority over judicial ethics and discipline are limited to the recommendations of the commission.
Amendment 2 requires lawmakers to wait before passing budget bills.
Legislators would have to wait at least 48 hours to review and decide on proposed amendments to bills appropriating money.
Without this amendment, lawmakers can take a final vote on finance bills and send them to the governor at any time during a legislative session.
In Amendment 3, the Legislature via a two-thirds vote can extend a regular session in increments of two days up to a maximum of six days if necessary to pass a bill appropriating money.
Currently, the House and Senate meet over an 85-day period in even-numbered years and a 60-day period in odd-numbered years. If there is a no vote, it would stay that way.
Amendment 4 shifts Louisiana from a tax sale process to a tax lien auction process when a property owner hasn’t paid property taxes and the local government wants to satisfy the tax debt.
The difference between the two is that a tax lien auction transfers the right to collect unpaid property taxes to a private buyer, while a tax deed sale transfers ownership of the property to the highest bidder.
A vote no keeps Louisiana’s tax sale process in place for local governments seeking to satisfy a tax debt when a property owner hasn’t paid property taxes.