Less than three months ago, on June 24, Gov. John Bel Edwards signed an executive order in which he mandated more scrutiny over how significant industrial property tax breaks are doled out to manufacturers. http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2016/06/john_bel_edwards_signs_executi.html
Theoretically, the order gave local governments that would lose out on property taxes a say in approving exemptions for heavy industry, and companies applying for five-year renewals of five-year tax breaks totaling $11 billion would be required to prove the breaks would create and/or retain jobs.
But the Commerce and Industry Board may be trying an end run around Edwards’ order.
The board waited until late Friday afternoon (one of Bobby Jindal’s favorite tactics of making announcements as the week’s news cycle winds down) to give public notice of a Monday board meeting during which it is scheduled to vote on redirecting millions in local property tax revenue from disaster-affected parishes to corporate tax exemptions, without any input from the local bodies losing that revenue.
One of the exemptions to be voted on Monday would “renew” an exemption for Georgia Pacific, a Koch brothers company, costing East Baton Rouge $1.9 million in property taxes.
Exemptions are costing $16.7 billion in lost property tax revenues to local governments, schools and law enforcement, according to the nonprofit Together Louisiana, which will hold a press conference to oppose the proposed exemptions Monday at 9:15 a.m. prior to the 10 a.m. board meeting. http://togetherbr.nationbuilder.com/about
The board meeting will be held in the LaSalle Building at 617 North Third Street in Baton Rouge. The Together Baton Rouge press conference will be held in front of the LaSalle Building.
The exemptions being voted on at Monday’s meeting are being considered in direct violation of Governor John Bel Edwards’ Executive Order issued, and “effective immediately,” on June 24th, 2016, which stated that no future industrial tax exemptions would be approved without the consent of the local governmental bodies — school boards, sheriffs, municipalities and parish governing authorities — whose tax revenue was at stake.
No public hearings, public deliberations or local votes have taken place on any of these proposals, despite the clear requirement of the Edwards executive order. Here is the full agenda for Monday’s board meeting: http://www.opportunitylouisiana.com/docs/default-source/boards-reports/MeetingCategory/louisiana-board-of-commerce-and-industry/9-12-16-c-amp-i-board-agenda.pdf?sfvrsn=0
Louisiana Voice 
Since actual laws are routinely ignored, without consequence, ignoring an executive order should be a cake walk.
Editor’s Note: This is not the Steven Windham (note the letter “D” in Windham and the first name spellings) who serves as Chairman of the Commerce and Industry Board.
Thanks, Tom. I am sure Steve appreciates that. The similarity of our names has caused confusion in the past. When I was teaching at Southern, as just one example, my students never believed me when I told them I had not just come back from Korea one class after Steve had been on an economic development trip there.
It would seem that the most pressing problem our state faces is bald faced disregard for the law, executive orders included. Who is responsible for investigating, bringing charges and ordering punishment for government crimes. It soon gets to be an accepted norm when crime is revealed and nothing is ever done about it. We have become willfully corrupt!
Let’s just call him “Doormat” Edwards.
That moniker is 100% spot on!!!!
From now on when I reference him, it will be “Louisiana Doormat Governor John Bel ‘Honor Code’ Edwards.”
THANKS for such an apropos adjective to describe JBE!!
One has to hope that after Piyush gave away the store to foster trickle down, state bureaucrats would learn that it doesn’t work.
ps Glad to hear that you’ve jumped on the David Duke bandwagon. He’s that natural follow-up to Trump. Donald should have selected him instead of Pence.
I have no idea what that last comment means. To say I’ve jumped onto the David Duke “bandwagon” is completely asinine.
Where did you ever come up with that idiotic idea?
I’ve been severely reprimanded by a good friend who pointed out to me that Bill Shaw’s comment was tongue-in-cheek parody that I need not get my feathers so ruffled. Apologies to Mr. Shaw for being so obtuse.
Appears the FOX Jindalites are still on the board/in the hen house. Their agenda is like most Louisiana public meeting agendas I see. They really don’t give you any information relative to what or who they are really going to discuss or make decisions on.
Even the “Bidness” Report has chimed in on this one:
https://www.businessreport.com/article/state-board-take-renewal-11b-worth-industrial-tax-exemptions-louisiana-today?utm_campaign=dr_am-2016_Sep_12-10_49&utm_medium=email&utm_source=dr_am
Note how Adley hedges his bets on this one. Surprising? Hardly.
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/legislature/article_cf27f160-793c-11e6-8623-27025df6482f.html
At least they punted – The best we mullets could have hoped for.
Yup. Thanks in no small part to the 11th-hour efforts of Together Louisiana/Together Baton Rouge.
Reblogged this on The Louisiana Sinkhole Bugle and commented:
MORE NEWS