On April 24, the voters of rural Natchitoches Parish outside the City limits of Natchitoches will be asked to consider the reinstatement of a 1% sales tax. Here are a few facts voters should know as they consider their vote on this tax:
•This proposed tax has been in place for decades and is the only major source of funding for Natchitoches Parish Solid Waste work efforts. This includes bin sites, compactor sites, bin/compactor site personnel and the operation of the parish landfill.
•A vote FOR the reinstatement of the solid waste tax will provide the necessary funding to continue the operation of the services listed above and will simply return sales taxes to the level they were on Dec. 31, 2020.
•A vote AGAINST the reinstatement of the solid waste tax will seriously endanger the services listed above. Changes or total elimination of services may be necessary due to the removal of funding.
•This tax is voted on every 10 years.
•As in the past, the funds collected from the passing of this solid waste tax will continue to be used first, solely to fund solid waste removal, and only then can any surplus funds be used for road improvement. This is exactly how funds were used previously. These facts will be important for Natchitoches Parish residents to remember as they consider their vote on “Sales Tax District No. 1 Proposition” on the April 24 ballot.