Two more tax increases loom: Bossier Parish Police Jury and Benton Fire District #4
Plus — I-220 improvements won't help the rough ride. Benton Road lane closures and Swan Lake Road delays.
Bossier City weather — Today: Mostly cloudy. Highs around 90. Tonight: Mostly cloudy in the evening, then becoming partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 70s. Wednesday: Mostly cloudy. A slight chance of showers in the morning, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the mid-80s. Chance of rain 50%.
Beyond Bossier
Two more tax increases loom: Bossier Parish Police Jury and Benton Fire District #4
The list of local taxing authorities looking to raise taxes has grown to four.
The Bossier Parish Police Jury and Benton Fire District #4 join the Bossier Parish School Board and Sheriff Julian Whittington in considering to "roll forward" property taxes.
BFD #4 will hold its meeting at the Bossier Parish EMS/Fire Training Complex at 5275 Swan Lake Road, on Thursday, September 5, 2024, at 3:00 p.m.
The Sheriff's public hearing will be held on Monday, September 9, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. in the conference room at the Bossier Sheriff’s Office Viking Drive Substation at 2510 Viking Drive.
The police jury's meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 2, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. in the Police Jury Meeting Room at the Bossier Parish Courthouse.
At the August 1 meeting of the Bossier Parish School Board, CFO Nicia Bamburg recommended a roll forward in September.
"As you all know, every four years, the tax assessor does a reassessment of the property, and when he does that, they will adjust the millages at that point based on that reassessment," Bamburg told the school board. "We do have the option, if the property value has increased, to roll forward the millage from the prior year."
Bamburg noted that two millages, the constitutional tax and the school salary tax, are eligible for the roll forward.
"We have the option to roll both of those millages forward this year, and so it is going to be our recommendation, and we will be bringing it at the September meeting," Bamburg added.
The School Board's next meeting is at 6 p.m. Thursday, September 5, at the Bossier Instructional Center, 2719 Airline Dr.
Improvements set for I-220, but they're only superficial
I-220 is rapidly deteriorating with heavy use from the I-20 detours, but just-announced improvements won't improve the ride.
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has announced a roadway striping and pavement markings project for I-220.
The $1.2 million project is scheduled to begin on Sunday, September 8, 2024, with nighttime-only intermittent lane closures.
Work includes removing and replacing all of the reflectorized raised pavement markers, pavement striping, and other related work on the roadway's mainline (a little over 18 miles), as well as all of the on- and off-ramps.
The project also includes debris removal and cleaning of both the Red River Bridge and the Cross Lake Bridge.
Motorists should be aware that if they travel along I-220 at night, crews will conduct slow-moving operations to remove and install the markings once the project begins. Lane closures are permitted from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. only to minimize inconvenience and traffic disruption.
The entire project is anticipated to wrap up in late 2024, weather permitting.
Benton Rd. lane closures begin today
Beginning today, Tuesday, September 3, 2024, there will be intermittent lane closures on LA 3 (Benton Road) northbound and southbound between Shed Road and Douglas Drive in Bossier City.
These lane closures are anticipated to last approximately four weeks, and are necessary to allow the contractor for the ongoing Walter O. Bigby Carriageway project to install the traffic signal and striping in preparation for the opening of the newly constructed roadway.
The lane closures will be opened to traffic at the end of each work day.
The WOBC is expected to open to traffic by September 16.
Swan Lake Road overlay continues
Today, road construction crews will be on Swan Lake Road working to complete the overlay project that began Thursday, August 22.
Crews will begin working on the roadway's shoulders just after 8 a.m. Officials advise motorists to expect some delays.
The Overlay Program works to renovate and repair the 575 miles of paved roads and the 104 bridges in the parish, the Bossier Parish Police Jury said.
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