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This newspaper makes the following recommendations for Saturday’s ballot.

The non-profit Bureau of Governmental Research opposes the measure, arguing that veterans’ benefits should be handled by the federal government. In addition, the measure creates what Janet Howard, the organization’s president, referred to as “serious fairness issues” because disabled veterans who rent will not see any benefit.

New Orleans voters will get a chance Saturday to weigh in on efforts to tighten oversight at the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad, a once-obscure agency that was thrust into the spotlight as a result of misconduct by its top administrator.

Thousands of real estate transfers take place in Louisiana each year, and, so far, those transfers have gone mostly tax-free. An amendment on the Nov. 19 ballot seeks to keep things just the way they are.

To its defenders, the 7,000-acre New Orleans Regional Business Park can be one of the city’s most important tools for promoting economic development. To its critics, the eastern New Orleans park has failed for 30 years to prove that its potential can be turned into reality. Instead, it has been the subject of frequent unfavorable publicity because of management turmoil, political squabbles and ethical problems.

As the Bureau of Governmental Research noted, the park has accomplished very little, and businesses that pay the tax haven’t benefited from it in services or infrastructure.

Orleans Parish already has one, and now voters in Jefferson Parish will decide if they want one.

The push for an inspector general’s office in Jefferson Parish has garnered a broad base of support among business groups and government watchdogs, including the Bureau of Governmental Research, Parish President John Young said this week.

Last fall, the government watchdog group Bureau of Governmental Research estimated that 2,500 veterans statewide would qualify. The BGR opposed the constitutional amendment, in part saying it was the federal government’s role to provide benefits to veterans and noting that a provision in the amendment prevents local governments from replacing lost revenue through other measures.

Also on the ballot is the renewal of a one-half cent sales tax that would pay for teachers’ salaries, facility maintenance, textbooks, social workers and in-school suspension programs. It’s expected to generate almost $37 million next year and accounts for 8 percent of the system’s budget, according to the Bureau of Governmental Research.

The nonprofit Bureau of Governmental Research has recommended approval for both millages.

The proposition would renew the current 2.91 mills and increase the millage rate by a scant 0.59 mills — to a total rate of 3.5 mills. While renewal of the tax would produce a marginal property tax increase — literally pennies a day for a typical homeowner — failure to renew the measure would leave the Department of Juvenile Services without a dedicated funding source. The nonpartisan Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR), which supports this measure, noted that without it the department’s work would “fall to a thinly funded state office.”

Renewing the millage will translate to an upswing in tax bills for property owners. Over the years, the Parish Council has rolled the tax back from 5 mills to 3.6 mills. Approval Saturday would return the tax to 5 mills. The Bureau of Governmental Research estimates that the owner-occupants of a house valued at $150,000 would pay $10 more a year and a house at $250,000 would pay $24 more.

The Bureau of Governmental Research on Tuesday endorsed four tax renewals that Jefferson Parish voters will face on the April 30 ballot.

The Bureau of Governmental Research, an independent, non-partisan group, said Amendment 5 affects a relatively small number of people who are still working to rebuild their homes. And they say there are loopholes.

Anyone who has dealt with the bureaucratic red tape in the Road Home or fought for an insurance settlement can sympathize with people still waiting for a payout. And helping homeowners rebuild is important for the region’s recovery. But as the Bureau of Governmental Research noted in a recent report, this amendment is not the way to do that. “Shielding property from taxes removes an incentive for returning property to commerce,” BGR said. That, in turn, hurts the property owners who have already rebuilt and are living among empty and blighted homes.

The New Orleans-based Bureau of Governmental Research watchdog group also backs the proposal, saying it will “help to improve court efficiency.’’

The Bureau of Governmental Research said the amendment would “promote redevelopment of property by making it easier for bidders to assume outright ownership of properties with unpaid taxes.”

The Bureau of Governmental Research, a government watchdog group, estimated about 2,500 veterans would qualify for the extra exemption across Louisiana. O’Brien estimated the number at 3,000 to 4,000, which he argued would result in a negligible loss of revenue for tax-collecting agencies. O’Brien and Pope also emphasized that local voters will get the chance to decide whether they want to participate.

Another watchdog group, the Bureau of Governmental Research, said it usually criticizes state limitations on local financial decisions, but it took no position on this amendment because the case for such limits is stronger when applied only to appointed officials.

There are ten proposed amendments to the state constitution for voters to consider, covering everything from the timing of pay raises for elected officials to homestead exemption and tax issues. The nonpartisan groups Bureau of Governmental Research and Public Affairs Research Council have released their analysis of the amendments.

Analyses of all the constitutional amendments are available on the websites of the Public Affairs Research Council, www.la-par.org, and the Bureau of Governmental Research, www.bgr.org. PAR takes no position on any of the amendments. BGR opposes No. 5 and supports Nos. 7 and 8.

The ballot measure was proposed by Council President Arnie Fielkow and supported by the Bureau of Governmental Research, which noted that giving the council more flexibility in its appointees would help ensure that the members chosen could handle the time commitment required.

The department thrived for many years, supported by a strong local economy and plentiful federal grants. But the oil bust of the mid-1980s and the drying up of federal dollars brought on hard times. Between 1985 and 1991, the cash-strapped city cut NORD’s budget from $6.2 million to $2.2 million. Translating those numbers into 2010 dollars, the nonpartisan Bureau of Governmental Research calculated, that amounted to a drop from $12.5 million to $3.5 million.

Janet Howard, President & CEO of the Bureau of Governmental Research, discusses the October ballot with Jennifer Hale.

The Bureau of Governmental Research noted in its analysis of the amendment that the department suffers from “frequent turnover of NORD directors, deteriorating facilities, poor maintenance of fields and parks, and inadequate programming.”

In an analysis of the charter amendment, the nonpartisan Bureau of Governmental Research said council members have “asserted that (the change) would allow for more informed representation.” The analysis went on to say that in their view, district members are more aware than at-large members of the challenges facing the S&WB, because constituents typically go to district council members with problems related to water and sewerage service.

The Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR), a New Orleans-based reform group, opposes Amendment 2 — but the Council for A Better Louisiana (CABL) supports it. The groups agree that GOHSEP employees are not typical state workers. They are on 24-hour call and must move about the state on a moment’s notice. The groups just disagree as to how to treat those employees with regard to civil service protection.

The nonprofit Bureau of Governmental Research today threw its support behind two Jefferson Parish transit taxes up for renewal by voters, saying that “serious cuts in service” will result if they are not renewed.

New Orleans voters narrowly agreed Tuesday to amend the City Charter to give the city’s forthcoming master plan the force of law, meaning that all zoning and land-use decisions will have to conform to the plan.

As he seeks a 10th term from the 2nd District, U.S. Rep. William Jefferson has yet to draw an endorsement from a single local elected official. But it seems he can count on Mayor Ray Nagin’s vote Tuesday.

How state government should tax homeowners, sell expropriated property and make public investments are at the heart of three proposed constitutional amendments on next week’s ballot.

This newspaper makes the following recommendations for the Nov. 4 ballot.

Three constitutional amendments on Tuesday’s ballot address the way political appointees and lawmakers do their jobs.

Among the seven proposed constitutional amendments on the Nov. 4 ballot, Louisiana voters will decide whether to let state and local governments invest in the stock market with money from public-employee retirement health care and life insurance funds.

New Orleans voters will decide Nov. 4 whether to amend the City Charter to give the city’s forthcoming master plan the force of law, meaning that all zoning and land-use decisions would have to conform to the plan.

Among the seven proposed changes to the state constitution on the Nov. 4 ballot in Louisiana is an amendment that would shift oil and gas severance tax revenue from the state to parishes where the industry activity is the greatest.

East Baton Rouge Parish stands to gain an additional $1.2 million a year from one of seven constitutional
amendments facing voters on the Nov. 4 ballot.

The Nov. 4 ballot presents Louisiana voters with much more than the all-
important contests for president, U.S. Senate and Congress.

When voters go to the polls Nov. 4, they will be greeted by seven little-heralded proposed changes to the state Constitution, including ones to limit the terms of 10 state boards, require the governor to give lawmakers more notice of a special session, and authorize a temporary replacement to fill a legislator’s seat if the incumbent is called to military duty for at least 180 days.

Under present law, if a lawmaker is called to active military duty, the district seat is temporarily left without a representative. If the proposed constitutional change passes, lawmakers would have the authority to go through a procedure to fill the opening on a temporary basis.

On Tuesday, November 4, New Orleans residents going to the polls will do more than elect the next president.

Saturday is Election Day. Many of us will vote in a closed party primary for the first time.

The coroner used to have two walk-in coolers that could each store 100 bodies before floodwaters destroyed his office in the basement of Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, forcing Minyard to move into the Majestic Funeral Home in April 2006.

New Orleans voters will decide Saturday whether to enshrine the city’s year-old inspector general’s office in the City Charter and guarantee it a significant budget each year.

New Orleans voters on Saturday will be asked to extend an existing tax to raise $63 million for infrastructure improvements in the criminal justice system that backers say will reshape inadequate jails, courts and other buildings that have languished since Hurricane Katrina.

The Bureau of Governmental Research is behind a move to make the Office of Inspector General a permanent part of city government but opposes a $63 million bond sale to pay for a new criminal justice facility.

New Orleans voters go to the polls today to decide whether to renew four property tax millages that bring in about $32 million annually for the city’s public schools, including charter schools.

Public education in New Orleans is improving. The latest LEAP test results show improvement across all school districts, ACT scores are up, charter schools offer more choices for parents, and in many schools the academic day and year have been extended. We need to keep this momentum going. Gambit Weekly therefore urges New Orleans citizens to go to the polls this Saturday (July 19) and vote FOR the four property tax renewals for public schools.

This newspaper makes the following recommendations for propositions on the ballot Saturday.

In just two years, a mix of new and veteran educators have done what no educational reform movement had been able to do in Orleans Parish in over 30 years: They changed the landscape of public education and gave us hope for the future of our children and city

The New Orleans City Council voted 7-0 on Thursday to submit to voters a City Charter amendment that would substantially revamp the way the city handles zoning and land-use regulation.

When the New Orleans City Council decides Thursday whether to call a fall election on a proposed City Charter amendment revamping the way the city makes land-use decisions, the proposal will be far less sweeping than the version introduced last month by council President Jackie Clarkson.

A diverse coalition of supporters is trying to generate interest in an upcoming midsummer vote to determine whether public schools in New Orleans will continue to collect about $30 million annually in taxes for such purposes as dropout prevention and teacher salaries.

New Orleans voters already have a chance this fall to approve a City Charter amendment making the inspector general’s office permanent.