Parishwide tax renewals to be decided

Voters across Acadia Parish will decide the fate of a pair of property millage renewals when they go to the polls Saturday.

A 1.5-mill property assessment dedicated to funding services for the elderly, including the establishment and maintenance of centers for senior citizens, will be decided.

This millage raises an estimated $580,000 annually.

The second proposal is a 4.25-mill tax renewal dedicated to the operation and maintenance of the Acadia Parish Library system.

That millages raises about $1.6 million annually for the libraries.

Both are 10-year renewals through 2024.

Interest in the two propositions appears to be growing.

After getting off to a very slow start, early voting saw an influx of more than 100 voters during the final two days, according to numbers from the parish Registrar of Voters’ office.

As of 10 p.m. on April 24, only 63 people had turned out to cast early ballots in person at the registrar’s office. By the time early voting closed at 6 p.m. on April 26, that number had climbed to 174.

There has also been an influx of mail-in ballots, according to Billie J. Meyer, registrar.

On April 24, the office had received 129 of the 661 requested mail ballots. Thursday morning that number stood at 302, bringing the total early vote number to 476, according to Meyer.

“There’s still a chance that we might get a few more mail-in ballots Friday (today) and Saturday,” Meyer added.

The 476 votes cast to date represent 1.2 percent of the 38,810 registered voters in Acadia Parish, Meyer pointed out.

Polls on Saturday will open at 7 a.m. and will close at 8 p.m.

Proper identification — a driver’s license or Louisiana identification card and voter identification card — is required to vote.