www.thecentersquare.com – By Emilee Calametti | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-04-18 07:30:00
(The Center Square) — The Caddo Commission voted this week in favor of the 2% sales tax increase at the TA truck stop in Hosston, ending the months-long discussion surrounding the implementation of the tax increment financing agreement.
After a lengthy discussion spanning the past few months, the 2% sales tax passed in the Caddo Commission regular session on Thursday afternoon by a 7-4 vote.
At the beginning of March, the commission voted to advance the TIF ordinance for the Interstate 49 North boundaries economic development district. Since the advancement, city officials, business owners and commissioners have had heated discussions.
Hosston Mayor Kim Jaynes took the podium for the final time during the public hearing with a petition signed by residents of Hosston and surrounding areas supporting the sales tax.
“When Edgemont Holdings came in, they didn’t just come to build a truck stop. They invested in us when no one else would,” said Jaynes. “And they did it with the understanding that there would be a path of reimbursement through the public partnership.”
Hosston Chief of Police Jessie Colston and Hosston Alderwoman Misti Banks stood beside Mayor Jaynes supporting the tax.
The 2% sales tax is being added to the existing sales tax at the truck stop, increasing it to 12.6%. The tax is not being implemented in the entire village of Hosston.
There was no update when the tax will take effect.
The Hosston truck stop was recently raided by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, sparking further controversy amongst the community as seven foreign nationals were allegedly detained.
Commissioner Chris Kracman, who has been vocal about his opposition to the tax, previously spoke with The Center Square after the truck stop’s ICE raid.
“I’m not gonna be for a tax hike anyway as it is because there’s already a 10% tax up there,” Kracman told The Center Square. “But, now that we are getting into the weeds of this thing, there are several legitimate holes in this whole thing,”
Commissioner John Akins also provided a statement to The Center Square supporting Kracman’s opposition. Atkins was among the four commissioners who voted against the tax in Thursday’s regular session.
Emilee Ruth Calametti serves as staff reporter for The Center Square covering the Northwestern Louisiana region. She holds her M.A. in English from Georgia State University and soon, an additional M.A. in Journalism from New York University. Emilee has bylines in DIG Magazine, Houstonia Magazine, Bookstr, inRegister, The Click News, and the Virginia Woolf Miscellany.She is a Louisiana native with over seven years of journalism experience.
Louisiana lawmakers plan to withdraw \$1.2 billion from the state’s Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund to fund infrastructure, economic development, and technology upgrades. The budget includes \$709M for roads and bridges, \$150M for development sites, and \$59.8M for government tech. Notable allocations include \$280M to attract federal transportation funds, \$101M for bridge maintenance, \$75M for water systems, and \$29M for college repairs. Other spending supports voting machine upgrades, a marketing campaign, and AI monitoring in prisons. Though Louisiana isn’t in a budget crisis, lawmakers cite strong reserve balances. After the withdrawal, \$2.7B remains in the trust fund.
The Louisiana Legislature’s leaders want to spend $1.2 billion that would typically be deposited into a state savings account on infrastructure, economic development and technology upgrades.
State lawmakers expect to send Gov. Jeff Landry a $48 billion budget plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1 by the time their legislative session concludes Thursday. The current plan includes additional money for roadways and bridges ($709 million), economic development site upgrades ($150 million), state government technology improvements ($59.8 million) and public university maintenance projects ($28 million).
The money comes from a state savings account called the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund, which takes in corporate taxes as well as energy production taxes in excess of $600 million each per year. Established by voters in 2016, the fund was set up to provide an additional source of funding to Louisiana during economic downturns when the state faces budget crises.
Lawmakers gave themselves a significant amount of latitude in the law to access the fund at any time, so long as they can get two-thirds of the House and Senate to vote to draw down the money.
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The Senate voted unanimously Monday through House Bill 461 to withdraw $1.2 billion. The House is expected to approve the same plan Wednesday or Thursday.
Louisiana is not in the midst of a budget crisis but legislators feel confident about using the money anyway because the state’s two major savings accounts are flush with cash. They also took $717 million out of the account just last year, mostly for transportation and youth prison projects.
Even after the withdrawal, the Revenue Stabilization Trust Fund will have $2.7 billion left. There’s also more than $1.1 billion in the Budget Stabilization Trust Fund, a separate account often referred to as the state “rainy day” fund used to cover budget shortfalls.
Here are some highlights of how the money will be spent:
$280 million: Transportation funding to attract federal money
Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Jonesboro, said this allocation will be used to draw down $1.3 billion in federal funding for transportation projects that could include both new construction and maintenance of existing infrastructure. A list of specific items that would be funded was not provided.
This money would be used to fix and upgrade existing transportation infrastructure, according to McFarland. On top of this money, an additional $63 million is going directly to state transportation districts, where it can also be used for that purpose.
$150 million: Louisiana economic development site investment
The Louisiana Economic Development agency requested this funding in order to pay for physical upgrades and infrastructure at specific sites where the state hopes to attract private sector investment.
For example, the state has already committed to spending millions of dollars to build new roads around the site of the anticipated Hyundai steel mill in Ascension Parish. It will also reimburse Hyundai for some of the construction the company undertakes to build its facility at that location, according to The Times-Picayune. It’s unclear whether any of this funding is committed to the Hyundai project or others recently announced.
On top of this allocation, the economic development agency will also receive an additional $74 million for its “debt service and commitments program” from the $1.2 billion. The department will also get $5 million to launch a marketing campaign for the state.
$101 million: Bridge upgrades McFarland said Louisiana intends to “bundle up” bridge maintenance projects – around 20 at a time – and put them out to bid as a collective in order to get a better price on the construction work. This money would be used to pay for that work.
$75 million: Water system upgrades
This money is supposed to be used to improve local drinking water and sewerage systems in Louisiana. The state has put hundreds of millions of dollars toward similar projects since 2021, but the repairs needed are estimated to cost billions of dollars.
$29 million: College campus deferred maintenance
The funding will support delayed construction projects and repairs at public universities and colleges. It includes $3 million for work at the University of New Orleans, which is being transferred to the LSU System later this year.
$24.1 million: OMV technology upgrades
The state Office of Motor Vehicles experienced outages of its system this spring, leading Gov. Jeff Landry to declare a state of emergency and waive driver’s license fees as members of the public struggled to access the system. The technology motor vehicle offices rely on is approximately 50 years old.
$10 million: LIV Golf and other ‘major’ events
Lawmakers will combine this money with other state funds in the Major Events Incentive Fund for a total of $16.4 million in spending for tourist-heavy events that are expected to generate revenue.
These include $7 million for a LIV Golf League event in New Orleans; $3.5 million for the months-long U.S. Bowling Congress Tournament in Baton Rouge; $1.2 million for Essence Festival in New Orleans and $1.5 million for an Ultimate Fighting Championship event in New Orleans.
$10 million: New voting machines For years, Louisiana has been trying to purchase new voting machines to replace ones that are more than three decades old. This allocation comes as lawmakers passed legislation to change the bid process for purchasing a voting system earlier this month.
$5 million: Upgrade to Medicaid eligibility system
This money is supposed to allow Louisiana to upgrade the technology it uses to make sure Medicaid recipients are eligible for the public health insurance benefit. The Louisiana Department of Health recently announced its intention to start cross-checking its Medicaid rolls with other state databases, including those used by the Office of Motor Vehicles.
$4 million: More grass cutting on state roads
This allocation will be used to pay for additional cycles of mowing along state roads over the next fiscal cycle.
$3 million: AI tool for monitoring state prisoner phone calls Louisiana’s prison system will receive $3 million to help pay for an artificial intelligence tool that monitors and collects data on phone calls from state prisoners. The program Verus, made by the company LeoTech, is used to detect criminal activity, prevent self-harm and assist with public safety, according to the LeoTech’s website.
The company says it does not monitor communication between incarcerated people and their attorneys, spiritual advisors or doctors.
$3 million: Louisiana Supreme Court building security
The court is receiving a blanket $1.8 million to upgrade security at its facility in the French Quarter in New Orleans. Another $1.1 million has been allocated specifically for additional fencing around the building.
$1.8 million: State police payment for the ‘recapture of fugitives’ The state’s top law enforcement agency is receiving $1.8 million for “expenses related to the recapture of fugitives.”
Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The content presents a detailed and factual account of Louisiana’s legislative budget decisions without any overt editorializing or partisan language. It describes how funds are being allocated across various sectors such as infrastructure, economic development, technology upgrades, and public safety, reflecting a pragmatic approach to governance. The emphasis on bipartisan legislative approval and the inclusion of multiple perspectives and facts suggests a neutral stance aimed at informing readers rather than advocating a particular political viewpoint.
SUMMARY: This week’s Lafayette City and Parish Council agendas include proposed measures to allow UL Lafayette and SLCC student IDs as library cards to boost library use, and a \$100,000 increase for waterproofing the parish jail, where five undocumented workers were recently detained. The City Council will discuss drainage improvements after repeated flooding this spring. Other city matters include rezoning Ramsgate Townhouses and a permit for Five Mile Eatery’s new location, which faces some neighborhood opposition. Joint council items involve donating properties for affordable housing and a pocket park, as well as selecting The Daily Advertiser as the official journal of record.
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Meteorologist Payton Malone has the latest update on the tropics for Monday, June 16.
