Outrage erupted at the Monroe City Council meeting on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, as Southside council members, known as the “Brown Bombers,” discovered that their request to roll up the property tax millage to its maximum for 2025 was ignored, dashing hopes of securing an estimated $314,946 in additional revenue to fund city operations next year.
District 5 Council Member Verbon Muhammad brought the issue to light, revealing that the council had directed the administration last month to increase the millage rate to the maximum allowable 27.15 mills, up from the current 26.37 mills. However, at the council’s June meeting, an ordinance maintaining the 2024 millage rate was placed on the agenda instead, causing the city to miss the August 1 deadline for submitting roll-up documentation to the Ouachita Parish Assessor’s Office.
Unaware of the deadline, the council had passed over the levy ordinance in June, expecting it to include the roll-forward authorization at the July 8 meeting.
The maximum property tax the city can impose without a public vote is 27.15 mills, compared to the current 26.37 mills.
Tuesday, Muhammad stated that former Director of Administration Stephanie Rowell, who retired last month, had informed him that rolling up to the maximum could generate up to $1 million for various city agencies.
However, when Council Chairman Rodney McFarland and Council Member Juanita Woods pressed for city clarification, Dan Richards from the city’s accounting department refuted this, stating that the roll-up would not yield $1 million. Richards admitted he did not have exact figures available but emphasized the amount would be significantly less.
Ouachita Parish Assessor Stephanie Smith provided precise projections to the Free Press on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, stating that a roll-up to the maximum allowed would generate an additional $314,946, allocated as follows: $150,000.20 for the general fund, $33,917 each for the Civic Center and Zoo, $43,608 for capital improvements, $19,361 each for the Police and Fire Departments, and $14,536 for the airport.
No additional revenue would be available for safety services, drainage facilities, or recreation, as their millage rates are already at maximum levels and were not rolled back in 2024, Smith said.
McFarland expressed frustration, noting that Rowell had assured the council of “well over a million dollars” in potential revenue. “And now we have nothing,” he said. With Rowell’s retirement, no administration official could explain why the council’s directive was ignored.
The southside council members voted down the 2025 tax levy ordinance on Tuesday night, because it lacked the requested roll-up. Council members Doug Harvey and Gretchen Ezernak voted in favor of the action.
Muhammad confronted Mayor Friday Ellis about the administration’s failure, but Ellis claimed he was unaware of the issue and was hearing it for the first time. Muhammad criticized the mayor’s frequent absences from council meetings and out-of-town trips, arguing that Ellis is ultimately responsible for department leaders’ actions.
Smith explained that rolling up the millage requires a 30-day notice published in the official journal, a public hearing, and submission of the approved ordinance, proof of advertisement, and hearing documentation to the Tax Assessor by August 1. Due to the missed deadline, a roll-up is not feasible for 2025, though it can be revisited in June 2026. The council’s rejection of the 2025 tax ordinance means it must reintroduce the standard 26.37-mill rate for first and second readings before July 31 to meet the August 1 deadline, which does not require a 30-day notice.
