WAFB Channel 9, Baton Rouge, LA |Special Christmas-time election shot down

Special Christmas-time election shot down

By Caroline Moses - bio | email

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration asked for Dec. 26 to vote on money for a fire station to serve St. Tammany Parish, but Secretary of State Jay Dardenne spoke out loudly against an extra election during a meeting Thursday.

Would you get out and vote the day after Christmas? For many, it's not exactly the ideal ballot-casting time. 

"We're talking about a $400,000 mistake here is what we're talking about," Dardenne said.

Dardenne said every election the state holds costs thousands of dollars. It's why he is fighting so fiercely against a special election he says could have been avoided.

"Let the people who are affected, unfortunately, have to pay for the error of the commission in failing to timely call the tax," he said.

St. Tammany Fire District 5 must get voters to re-approve their funds every 10 years. The deadline is this year. According to St. Tammany Fire Chief David Pittman, somehow every election date in 2008 skated by and this year, their only option left is Dec. 26.

"This tax generates about 63% of our operating budget," said St. Tammany Fire Chief David Pittman.

"I would hate to know that someone lost their life because I was not here to represent them and recommend that these people have an opportunity to have an election," said Senator Ben Nevers, D-Bogalusa.

If an election is not held before the end of the year, the fire district will lose a year's worth of property taxes. It's money for salaries, insurance and emergency equipment.

"We respond to calls 24/7, 365 days a year," said Pittman.

Dardenne says his state employees should not have to, especially for what he sees as an avoidable, non-emergency issue.

"We ought not be, as a matter of policy, be calling a special election on the day after Christmas," said Dardenne.

Enough of Dardenne's bond commission members agreed with him, and the special election was rejected, despite votes from Governor Jindal's cabinet members.  Dardenne suggests St. Tammany use their reserve funds to cover costs, until they can hold a regular election next year.  He says that will save the state serious overtime fees from a close-to-Christmas election.

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