District 8 News (Dutchtown, Duplessis)

PUBLIC HEARING ON MOSSY OAK PUD

What is a PUD?  The acronym stands for Planned Unit Development and permits more density than present zoning allows.  Opposition to this type of development continues to swell.  It is part of the “smart growth” movement that allows more homes on less land. Citizens are working with elected officials to abolish the ordinances that allow this type of growth.  

Join others on November 4th at the Parish Council meeting at the Donaldsonville Courthouse on the 2nd floor, @6:00 p.m. Citizens are required to fill out a public comment card prior to speaking.  Speakers will be allowed three minutes to make comments during the public hearing.  

Please wear red to show opposition to all PUDS.

Mossy Oak will consist of 175 homes situated on 35.63 acres between Babin Road and Hwy. 74.  Eighty percent of these lots will be 50' lots with zero lot lines.  Mostly due to pipelines and wetlands on this property, 20.21 acres will be green space.  It also seeks to have 2.18 acres on Hwy 74 rezoned from RM (Medium residential which allows 3 units per acre) to MU-2 (Mixed Use-2 which allows 4 units per acre with commercial).  This area will be adjacent to a day care center.  The plan does not clearly specify what businesses would locate here.

For more information contact:  Greg Duplessis at 241-8315, Ranell Farrar at 673-8201, 

or  Denise Theriot at 647-6794.  If you would like to sign a petition, contact Michelle Harris at 677-8666 or Gregg Duplessis.

ATTENTION SENIOR CITIZENS!

You may qualify to freeze the value of your property and keep your taxes from being raised through assessment. 

Every year property owners have an opportunity to review the information on the assessed value of their property.  This is a 15 day period when assessment lists are open for public inspection, usually in September.  The last reassessment of property by the Assessor’s office as required by the State of Louisiana was in 2008.  Reassessments are made every four years.  The next reassessment of property will be in 2012.

If you are 65 years of age or older, have a service connected disability rating of 50% or greater, or are permanently and totally disabled as determined by a final non-appealable judgment of a court or as certified by a state or federal administrative agency you may also qualify for a special assessment.   In 2009 your adjusted gross income must be $64,410 or less.   A “special assessment” freezes the value or assessment of your property.  This means that the value of your property shall not be increased above the total assessment shown on the tax roll in the year that you qualify for the special assessment level.   Property owners will still pay taxes, but the value of their property will not be increased as long as they are residing on this same property.  This will apply only to property receiving homestead exemption. 

The one page application can be obtained at the Assessor’s office in Donaldsonville or Gonzales. Applicants must provide name, address, birth date, social security number, and adjusted gross income reported on Federal Income Tax Returns for the year prior to applying.  Incomes must be combined if you and your spouse file separately.   Contact the Assessor’s office at 647-8182 for more information.

What is happening with the Master Plan?

After hearing the possibility that the Planning Commission intended to reverse their previous vote on September 20 to kill the proposed Master Plan, members of Concerned Citizens of Ascension Parish (CCAP) attended the meeting last night, October 13.  Some commissioners were planning to add the issue for reconsideration to the agenda with a 2/3 vote.   However, they were not able to accomplish this because a unanimous vote was required by law and Commissioners Clouatre, Marchand and Nance continue to stand with the people. 

Meanwhile, we continue to wait for the Planning Commission to schedule meetings to go back and update the current thirty-nine page Master Plan as decided in their original September 20^th motion. When discussions of the Master Plan are scheduled, we will post it here.