LIVINGSTON — The Livingston Parish Library Board of Control voted to raise the property tax rate that funds the library system. 

The board's millage increase raises the current 7.53-mill rate to 8.2 mills. 

Three of the ten board members voted against the final rate, including board president Jonathan Davis, who proposed a separate resolution to refer the decision directly to the Parish Council.

Multiple board members and community members in attendance at the Tuesday meeting opposed Davis' proposal to send it to the parish council, arguing that it was the board's responsibility to adjust the tax rate, not the council's. 

Another board member proposed another distinct resolution that would have increased the rate to 8 mills, but this failed.

In 2023, voters approved an up to 10-mill library rate, but a reassessment ordered by the state in 2024 adjusted the rate to 7.53. 

With the increased millage, the library system, which consists of five branches across the parish, will have more funding, but would be at a greater burden to property owners. 

According to data presented by the board, a home valued at $250,000 with a homestead exemption would owe $131.77 under the 7.53-mill rate. Under the newly proposed rate, this would increase to $143.50. 

Board members who voted in favor of the rate increase said they would support anything that would help library workers get better pay, bringing their wages more in line with the cost-of-living in the parish. 

Discussion about the millage recommendation followed a presentation that showed how far Livingston's pay lags behind neighboring parishes and their library systems. Closing this gap to better compete with the average pay across the parishes would cost about $352,470 over a half-decade, data presented at the meeting showed.

The full meeting can be seen here.