81% of parish taxes collected by Dec. 31

Just over 81 percent of the property taxes due to local entities had been collected as of Dec. 31, according to the St. Martin Sheriff’s Office.
Darren Doré, CFO for the Sheriff’s Office, reports that $34,303,724 had been received by the Dec. 31 deadline, out of $42,097,286 billed.
Acting as the parish tax collector, the Sheriff’s Office mailed out 33,071 notices to property owners and all but 6,251 had responded by Dec. 31.
Taxes are generated
through 39 separate millages levied by more than two dozen taxing bodies. The Sheriff’s Office also collects property taxes for all parish municipalities.
Not all of the millages apply parishwide, with several levied by special road maintenance and/or drainage subdistricts.
Parishwide taxes include those levied by the School Board, Sheriff’s Office, Assessor and to fund the library system, fire protection district, recreation programs, health units and the Teche-Vermilion Fresh Water District, among others.