Contentious proposed Livingston Parish tax fails in Saturday election

LIVINGSTON PARISH – A proposed 1% sales tax that would give parish school faculty a raise failed at the polls after the Mar. 25 election.

The proposed sales tax would have put a one-cent tax on every dollar spent in the parish, excluding groceries, gas, and prescriptions with the money going toward raises for teachers and school faculty. 

“We’re losing our educators to our surrounding districts,” said Livingston Parish School System Superintendent Joe Murphy. “We have six districts around us, and we rank absolutely sixth in pay.

“I lost 12 teachers to Tangipahoa Parish this year. Twelve. I’ve lost multiple teachers to Ascension. I’ve lost my teacher of the year to Central in Zachary,” Murphy said.

The proposed tax was certainly divisive—signs all around the parish urged voters to vote ‘no’ on the Mar. 25 ballot. In the end, the tax ultimately failed, as with 77 of 79 precincts reporting ~46% voted for and ~54% voted against.

Updated results as compiled by the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office for Saturday’s election can be found here.