Military Road Alliance Press Release

Military Road Alliance Votes to Support
the Fire District's Request for a Parcel Fee.

Slidell, LA -- The delegates of the Military Road Alliance (M.R.A.) in eastern Slidell met recently to hear a presentation by St. Tammany Fire District #1 Chief Larry Hess. Introduced by current M.R.A. president Robert Golding, Hess spoke about the need for a $39 parcel fee which will be on the ballot September 30th.

After the presentation, the M.R.A. delegates voted unanimously to support the fire district's request for the fee.

According to Hess, the $39 fee would have a life of ten years; it would only apply to residents of the 8th and 9th wards. Currently the fire district is funded exclusively by a 35-mill property tax. When Hurricane Katrina destroyed many of the homes and businesses in the Slidell area, it slashed tax revenues for the fire district. This reduction in funding came at a time of rapidly growing population, increased demand for fire and rescue services and rising fuel costs.

Hess pointed out that the fire district does not receive any sales taxes. Hess stated that the current loss of revenue has caused the department to go into debt to maintain services. He further emphasized that without the parcel fee the department would likely have to cut services, which could possibly include fire inspections, fire prevention, emergency medical services and hazmat (hazardous materials) services.

The Military Road Alliance, formed in 1979, is an umbrella organization of nine homeowner associations in eastern St. Tammany Parish. The group provides information to the community through its monthly meetings on a wide variety of topics, primarily: activities of local government; drainage and flood control; parish roads and infrastructure; fire protection and mosquito abatement; the parish public school system; individual subdivision concerns; and general issues of community interest.

The M.R.A. does not support individual political candidates; however, its by-laws do allow for taking positions on issues affecting the community.

Each homeowner association member can send five delegates to the M.R.A., any three of whom can vote on issues. Even though only delegates can vote, M.R.A. meetings are open to the public.

The current roster of the Military Road Alliance includes: Breckenridge, Cross Gates, Doubloon Bayou Estates, French Branch, Frenchmen's Estates, Lake Village, Park Condo Association, Stonebridge, and Willow Wood.

The M.R.A. continues to restructure after Katrina, and welcomes potential membership interest from all subdivisions in the area.

Area residents and homeowner associations interested in keeping up on community activities and information, or interested in becoming a member of the MRA, should contact current president Bob Golding, 649-4860, or e-mail bdgoldin@bellsouth.net. Also, residents are encouraged to access the M.R.A. website at: www.militaryroadalliance.org.