WASHINGTON, La. (KLFY) — Voters in the Town of Washington will decide Oct. 11 whether to renew a 0.2% sales tax that has been in place for 30 years, with the funds dedicated to street repairs.

The sales tax generates approximately $40,000 annually, which is used exclusively for maintaining and repairing roads in the town, according to Washington Mayor Dwight Landreneau.

“We’re asking people to renew. This tax had been levied for probably 30 years. The money generated from the tax will go towards the streets and street repairs,” Landreneau said.

Landreneau emphasized the specific nature, and the importance, of the tax.

“It’s for streets,” he said. “That’s the only way we can generate funds to maintain those roads. And we use it here for that purpose.”

Landreneau noted that renewing the tax for another 10 years will allow Washington to continue its efforts to beautify the town and maintain its roads in good condition. Earlier this year, Washington paid off a massive debt, and the continuation of the tax is seen by the mayor as crucial for maintaining the town’s upward trajectory.

“It really adds to the quality of life in Washington,” Landreneau said. “And we’re lucky our streets were in pretty good shape. So if we can maintain those with that $40,000 of repair per year, that’ll just keep those streets in good working order.”

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KLFY. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KLFY staff before being published.

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