By Stephen C. Picou
We are one of the poorest cities in Louisiana and have one of the highest sales tax rates in the USA. At approximately 12% (depending on where the purchase is made), Opelousas is more expensive to shop in than nearly anywhere else in the country. Why? Because of special taxing districts, specifically Central St. Landry Economic Development (CSLED) and the Opelousas Downtown Development District (ODDD), each of which collects a 1% tax in its coverage area.
Exactly where you pay those taxes (or whether they overlap in certain stores) is hard to determine because neither agency makes that information easily accessible. The ODDD website shows a map, but doesn’t indicate which businesses collect the tax. In fact, under a Q&A section, the ODDD misrepresents the number of businesses with this statement: “There are only six existed [sic] businesses that are included in Special Taxing Districts.” Yet more than a dozen businesses currently collect the tax, including grocery stores, pharmacies, fast-food restaurants, and auto-parts retailers. It takes a public records request to find out the details.
According to meeting agendas and reporting in St. Landry Now, CSLED plans to expand to Sunset/Grand Coteau and continue north of Opelousas along the I-49 corridor. ODDD wants to add Creswell Lane and more of the businesses in town. They’re not proactively presenting this information to local civic organizations, news outlets, or the public, and are taking action with the barest adherence to state Open Meetings guidelines. No fact sheets, no research papers, no public forums.
I’m no more against taxes than I am against guns. I simply don’t want either in the hands of people with too little self-control. Raising sales taxes in a town as poor as Opelousas is irresponsible; for an economic development entity to do so during these tumultuous, inflationary times is cruel and harmful.
The most oppressive tax burden on struggling households is not income tax; it’s sales tax. The price of groceries has risen by more than 33% since 2019. If these were more prosperous and optimistic times, this tax increase might not hurt as much. But times are getting much harder for the poor, and too many of us are running out of options.
Anticipated cuts to federal food and medical safety-net programs, such as SNAP, Medicaid, and Medicare, are now impacting families, and additional reductions written into federal law are scheduled to take effect after the upcoming midterm elections. Louisiana is among the states most affected.
For Opelousas, this means less money for food and reduced access to medical care. It means more hungry people. It means untreated illnesses. It means businesses that depend on discretionary income, like restaurants, home improvement, and entertainment, will see lower revenue.
Meanwhile, the ODDD has committed roughly half of its annual sales tax revenue to debt service associated with the renovation of Gardner Stadium, including $1.4 million in interest and overhead. Payment of that debt will continue for approximately 9 more years until the bond is paid in full. That’s $1,800 a day, every day through 2035, not counting utilities, insurance, maintenance, staffing, and other operating costs borne by the city government, which, if estimated, have not been shared publicly. All for a high school sports stadium that should be (at least partially) owned and operated by the school system and that sits empty for more than 300 days a year, baking in the increasingly hot weather. It is the most expensive non-infrastructure expenditure in Opelousas history.
Now, ODDD and CSLED want to expand their taxing authority. And you and I only have a voice if we have the time and ability to drive three miles from downtown to meetings on weekday mornings, when those of us lucky enough to have a job are at work.
The bottom line is this: economic development should improve the lives of the people who already live here while creating opportunities for those who may choose to join us. That’s the standard by which every public investment, and every tax increase, should be judged.
As climate risks, insurance costs, and housing prices reshape migration patterns, inland communities like Opelousas have a compelling opportunity to attract new residents and businesses. That opportunity depends on affordability, competent public infrastructure, and confidence in local leadership. Higher sales taxes move us in the opposite direction, and we’ll struggle to convince families and businesses to bet their future on our unique town.
The decisions we make today will shape Opelousas for decades. Let’s make this a place where people choose to live, not simply because it’s affordable, but because we’re doing things together that make our unique city a great place to be for people of all ages.
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