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BREC asks voters to extend decades-old property tax for 10 more years; opponents criticize spending
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BATON ROUGE — BREC is asking voters to renew an existing property tax later this month to keep its park system funded for another decade, but opponents are criticizing how the park system already spends its money.
The measure appears on the June 27 ballot. BREC is seeking renewal of the existing 3.96 mill property tax, which dates back to the 1980s.
Interim BREC Superintendent Janet Simmons said the request is not a new tax but a re-approval of one already in place.
"We have grass that we have to cut. We have property that we have to maintain," Simmons said.
Simmons also addressed what could happen if the funding were to go away.
"Not having that maintenance money coming in would mean that we have to close parks earlier," she said. "We would have to reduce our hours."
The vote comes after BREC faced financial scrutiny. WBRZ reported that, in December 2024, BREC failed to reconcile accounts on time and lacked complete financial documentation in several areas.
That led a state lawmaker to push for greater financial transparency and to ask BREC to submit monthly financial records. State Rep. Dixon McMakin had a bill requiring monthly financial reports, but it failed in a legislative committee.
"I am very disappointed that once again, they had the same mistakes that they've had previously," McMakin said.
BREC says its audits are now all up to date. Simmons addressed voters who may be skeptical because of the spending controversy.
"I understand it," Simmons said. "We have caught up on all of our audits. We're completely up to date, and we're going to have our next audit up to date."
Some residents near the parks say management issues should not stop voters from approving the renewal.
Pat McCallister-LeDuff helped transform Scotlandville Parkway, a 3-mile stretch of green space that runs in part under Interstate 110, alongside other volunteers and BREC over the past five years.
"This is a good thing for our community," McCallister-LeDuff said. "Whoever is mismanaging, get them out of the office and hold them accountable."
McCallister-LeDuff also warned about what could happen without the funding. "Eventually they're going to be selling more parks, and they won't be maintained," she said.
Mitch Evans, who lives near City Park, said he plans to vote yes on the measure. "You know it doesn't have to be perfect," Evans said. "Sometimes imperfect is perfect."
Early voting runs from June 12 through June 20. Election day is June 27.
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