The town of Abita Springs hopes to ask residents to approve a measure allowing them to use property tax money to pay for work at the park and to help pay for street lighting.

In December, the town’s Board of Aldermen opted not to roll back its millage as recommended by the tax assessor’s office. At the time, Mayor Louis Fitzmorris said he feared because of the large number of appeals, the assessor’s recommendation would leave them with not enough tax revenue to pay back its bond payments and operate the town.

However, now that final figures are in, Fitzmorris said, the town actually has four extra mills it must either roll back or rededicate. In the past the town has asked the residents to use the extra mills to pay for street improvements.

However, this year Fitzmorris said he would like to use sales tax revenue to pay for streets and to use the property tax revenue to pay for other things.

The town is requesting to bond out $646,000 to pay for street repairs. That money, Fitzmorris said, would be paid back with sales tax revenue.

With street work being taken care of through another source, Fitzmorris said, he would like to use the extra property tax money to pay for items not funded through the town’s regular budget.

“My intention is to find revenue for streets and to redirect this money to the things that are always on the bottom of the totem pole,” he said.

The town’s Board of Aldermen would like to dedicate 2 mills toward improvement and maintenance at the park and trailhead.

Fitzmorris said a lot of people and businesses have donated time and money to these projects, which are used heavily by the residents and visitors, and he feels the town needs to dedicate funds to ensure it is maintained properly.

The board is also asking to dedicate 1 mil to street lighting. Fitzmorris said currently the town is paying $2,000 a month to pay for streetlights, and that bill continues to grow.

“These are not new millages,” Fitzmorris stressed. “These are old millages being used for different purposes.”

Fitzmorris intends to roll the fourth mill back, which will offer residents a savings on their property tax bills for 2009.

In order to redirect the mills and to incur the bond debt, the item must first be approved at next month’s board meeting and then go before the residents for a vote.

The items will be discussed at a public hearing at next month’s Board of Aldermen meeting and, if approved, they will appear on the Oct. 17 ballot.