Fair Share - The Independent Weekly

The overgrown back acreage of a driving range on one of Lafayette’s busiest thoroughfares is classified as ag property. What gives?

By Heather Miller

Acreage: 13 acres total, acreage of ag land located at the back end of the driving range is unclear
Property taxes paid in 2010: $1,215 in total property taxes: $1,205 for commercial use and $10 for the portion of land that’s classified as agricultural use

Description: The 13-acre tract that houses the Lafayette Golf Academy has an unspecified amount of land toward the rear of the property designated for agricultural use, though the brush-covered area has no indicative signs of farm life or ag activity. Lafayette Parish Tax Assessor Conrad Comeaux says he is looking into the property’s status. An employee at Lafayette Golf Academy says the owner/manager is out of the office “until next year.”

[Editor’s Note: “Fair Share” is part of an ongoing Independent investigative series to expose local property owners who appear to be taking advantage of what is widely viewed as an outdated state law. The state law mainly relies on the honesty of landowners who claim there is some type of agricultural activity on their land in order to pay extremely low property taxes. While we argue that the law needs to be changed, we also maintain there is no excuse to exploit it. We have identified numerous tracts of land throughout the parish that benefit from the exemption yet have no agricultural activity whatsoever taking place on them.]

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written by Michael A. Moss , December 21, 2011 - 05:49 am

This is a perfect example of laws being enacted to protect the politically connected. A law that relies on the honesty of landowners who claim there is some type of agricultural activity on their land. GIVE ME A BREAK!! They are gaming the system and the politicians enacted the laws to allow them to do this. WHAT SAY YOU CONRAD?? NO SPIN PLEASE!!!!

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written by Greg Foreman , December 26, 2011 - 10:02 pm

What this actually boils down to is "selective ignorance and/or enforcement" of the stated tax statues. Bottom line, it is the Tax Assessor's responsibility to insure that any/all properties are taxed in accordance with and complying with the tax laws of both the parish and the state. The fact is simply this; the Tax Assessor's job has been a "cush" job for generations. As long as Louisianaians, the citizens as well as the politicians, were satisfied with letting the oil industry provide the bulk of the revenue necessary to run the state everyone was happy. Now, the citizens have to wake up to the reality that if one wants to play, one has to pay. Now, property taxes are becoming more/more a symbol of what business as usual will have to be in Louisiana. No longer can we depend-as we have since the Long Administration-on the oil industry for the revenue necessary to run the state. More and more revenue will have to be generated on the local level, i.e, parish, city, bases--as is the case in almost every other state in the Union--after all Louisiana ranks 45th in per capita tax assessment, there's some "fudge" room there to play with. Keep your eyes open,very/very open, the "ethos" has just begun....
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