Qualifying ends for March election

Staff Report

The books for the Saturday, March 26, election, will close on February 23, for in-person or mail voter registration. The last day for online registration will be March 5.
Early voting will be observed from Saturday, March 12, to Saturday, March 19, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., excluding Sunday.
Evangeline Parish will have two rededication propositions on that ballot, which would have included the Third Circuit Court of Appeals seat if more than one person had qualified.
Qualifying was observed Wednesday, January 26, through Friday, January 28. This will not be confirmed until seven days after qualifying ended for the seat. If by Monday, February 7, no one challenges the process, then Gary Ortego will be named the appellate judge for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in Lake Charles.
As for the rededications, Proposition One regarding a Library Tax Millage Rededication is as follows. Shall the Parish of Evangeline, State of Louisiana (the “parish”), be authorized to rededicate the proceeds heretofore or hereafter received by the parish from the levy and collection of a 5.21 mills tax on all the property subject to taxation in the Parish, authorized pursuant to that tax proposition approved at an election held on April 30, 2011 (the “tax”) (an estimated $1,105,954 reasonably expected at this time to be collected from the levy of the tax for an entire year), to be levied through the year 2027, for the following purposes: .62 mills for the purpose of constructing, acquiring, improving, operating and maintaining law enforcement facilities and criminal justice operations in the parish?
Proposition Two regarding a Health Unit Tax Millage Rededication is as follows. Shall the Parish of Evangeline, State of Louisiana (the “Parish”), be authorized to rededicate the proceeds of $1,250,000 heretofore received by the Parish from the levy and collection of a two and seven-hundredths (2.07) mill tax on all property subject to taxation within the District, authorized pursuant to that tax proposition approved at an election held on March 25, 2017 (the “Tax”), for a period of ten (10) years, beginning on January 1, 2018 and ending with the year 2027 (the estimated amount reasonably expected to be collected from the levy of the tax for one entire year being $439,070), for the purpose of constructing, acquiring, improving, operating, maintaining law enforcement facilities and criminal court operations in the parish?