Louisiana House advances constitutional change to millage ‘roll forward’ rule

The Louisiana House of Representatives passed a constitutional amendment on April 13 that would change how local taxing authorities treat voter-approved millage caps between property tax reassessments.

Representative Brett Wilder, the bill’s sponsor, told colleagues the Constitution currently forces taxing districts to push millage rates back to their prior maxima after a reassessment, creating a ‘‘use it or lose it’’ dynamic. ‘‘Use it or lose it is hurting us,’’ Wilder said on the floor, arguing the rule leads some local districts to build up large surpluses and periodically spike millages rather than holding lower rates.

Wilder framed the amendment as returning discretion to local governing bodies and preventing what he and supporters described as a long-standing habit of automatic roll-forwards. Members asked technical questions about the proposal’s mechanics and what it would mean for school boards, assessors and parish councils; Wilder said he had discussed the measure with taxing authorities, police juries and school boards and that those stakeholders generally supported the change.

Opponents and questioners focused on how the amendment would interact with existing local practice and whether it could create unintended consequences at the ballot box. Representative Brett McCormick asked whether recent statutory changes affect the need for a constitutional fix; Wilder referenced an earlier 2021 effort that passed the Legislature and failed at the ballot and said the present measure was a renewed, clearer attempt to address concerns.

The House recorded a final-passage vote on the measure; the clerk announced the vote and the amendment passed on the floor with the tally read into the record (final passage noted on the House machine vote). The change will require approval by voters at a subsequent statewide ballot to amend the Louisiana Constitution.

What’s next: The amendment, if enrolled and sent to the secretary of state, will appear on a future statewide ballot where voters must approve a constitutional change. The House sponsor said he will continue outreach to local officials and clarified that technical drafting and timing details would be resolved as the bill moves through enrollment and the secretary of state process.