LIVINGSTON - Livingston Parish voters will decide on whether to continue funding two Fire Protection Districts via their prospective millage taxes.

Voters in Fire Protection District No. 5, which covers parts of Denham Springs, will consider adding 5 mills to the 10.14 mills they already pay. If approved, the tax would be on the books for 20 years. 

In District No. 8, around French Settlement, voters are being asked to renew a 15-mill property tax. 

Here are the details:

District 5:
The Ask: 5.00 mills for 20 years

The Cost: A 5-mill tax would cost $125 per year for a $250,000 home. If you add this to the current 10.14 mills, it would cost about $385 per year for a $250,000 home in Louisiana.

This is estimated to bring $950,000 into the district each year for a total of 20 years.

What it funds: A new fire station in District 5, along Cook Road.

The 10.14-mill tax has been in place since 1995. District Fire Chief Joe Koczrowski told WBRZ that if the tax increase does not pass, homeowners will likely face a higher home insurance rate due to a lower fire rating. He says the area served by District 5 has about 28,000 residents, a total that has grown considerably in the last 30 years.

District 8:
The Ask: 15 mills for 10 years

The Cost: The 15-mill tax would cost $375 per year for a $250,000 home. This is estimated to bring $299,000 a year to the district.

What it funds: This tax funds District 8’s volunteer fire department in French Settlement.

Fire District 8 has had a 10-mill tax since 1987. If the tax is not renewed the district could see its fire rating lowered, resulting in higher insurance premiums for property owners.

Separately, the wife of a former chief pleaded no contest in 2019 to taking $225,000 from the department and, according to the department, has repaid about half of that in restitution.