New information from the parish tax assessor may have breathed new life into the city council’s push to squeeze more money out of present tax appropriations to subsidize city services.
The idea sparked discussion among Monroe City Council members about a potential property tax millage “roll forward” that could generate up to $800,000 in additional revenue for 2025. The idea was debated at the July 8 council meeting where Southside council members, dubbed the “Brown Bombers,” expressed outrage after their earlier request to increase the millage rate was ignored, costing the city a chance to get more revenue
City council president Bishop Rodney McFarland says he has now been informed that the city has been granted an extension to September 1 and that, despite bad information the council received in recent meeting, the council can get the new money it seeks.
According to updated data supplied by Stephanie Smith, the tax assessor, the city is required to set property tax rates annually, with ten authorized millages funding various city functions, including the general fund, police, fire, zoo, airport, and recreation. The general fund millage is currently levied below its adjusted maximum rate, while the other nine are at their adjusted maximums.
A “roll forward” would allow the city to increase rates to the voter-approved maximum, potentially yielding an estimated $1.12 million in total additional revenue, with approximately $800,000 attributed to increasing the general fund millage to its adjusted maximum rate and the remainder from the roll forward.
The issue surfaced after District 5 Council Member Verbon Muhammad revealed that the council’s June directive to roll up the millage to the maximum allowable 27.15 mills from the current 26.37 mills was not followed. The oversight, attributed to a miscommunication with former Director of Administration Stephanie Rowell, who retired last month, led to the city missing the August 1 deadline for submitting roll-up documentation to the Ouachita Parish Assessor’s Office. As a result, the council rejected a 2025 tax levy ordinance on July 8 that maintained the 2024 rate, with Muhammad and other Southside members, including Council Chairman Rodney McFarland, expressing frustration over the lost revenue opportunity.
Now the council has the correct and the procedural requirements for a roll forward, including a public hearing with specific notice requirements, two ordinances (one setting the adjusted maximum rate by majority vote and another approving the roll forward by a two-thirds vote), and submission of compliance paperwork to the Assessor and Legislative Auditor.
The Assessor extended the deadline for millage adoption to September 1, 2025, allowing the council to advertise for a public hearing by July 24 and vote on ordinances by August 26.
The council now faces three options: maintain last year’s rates (rejected on July 8), increase the general fund millage to the adjusted maximum rate for an estimated $800,000 in additional revenue, or pursue the full roll forward for $1.12 million. The latter requires a supermajority vote and adherence to strict procedural timelines.
McFarland, who previously claimed Rowell promised “well over a million dollars,” voiced disappointment over the administration’s failure to act, while Mayor Friday Ellis denied knowledge of the issue, drawing criticism from Muhammad for his absence from council meetings.
In the coming weeks, the council will act swiftly to meet the September 1 deadline, Rev. McFarland said.
