Noteworthy Comments

• Firstly, because Oyster requested it.. and because it is a sensible request.. I am asking everyone to revisit the comment thread below Friday's post regarding Orleans Parish property assessments and read the discussion there between Steve and Oyster. While I think Oyster's analysis is correct, I'm still not going to fault Steve for doing what he can to protect himself.. even if it ends up being unnecessary in the long run. We may or may not be able to reasonably expect a satisfactory and lasting reduction in millage rates. Were I in Steve's position I certainly wouldn't take it for granted. It's amazing to me that the deadline for contesting assessments occurs well before the millage question will be definitively answered. What do you expect people to do with incomplete information? Around here you have to assume the worst. Oyster also convincingly surmises that Steve..as a recent home buyer... would have seen his assessment go up anyway.. perhaps more than it has.. under the previous regime. I don't necessarily blame Steve for not reaching that conclusion, however.
  
  My real concern here is that if property taxes are going up, what.. if anything is being done to ensure that working families do not wake up one day and suddenly find that they can no longer afford their own houses. For example, throughout this process has anyone seriously mentioned perhaps raising the homestead exemption.. or providing for other forms of tax relief for families who may be on the brink of losing their homes to "reform" assessments? You can't just expect these things to happen on their own.



• While we're revisiting comments, btw, everyone should also check out Matt McBride's addendum to Oyster's post about the latest edition of Time Magazine. The article, is closer to what we'd like to see from the national media, but as Matt points out, it does make some crucial errors.