OPSB rejects Bollinger’s tax break

The Orleans Parish (La.) School Board denied Bollinger Algiers’ application for a five-year property tax break. It was the board’s first-ever vote on the topic since it gained power to review industrial tax exemption applications. Six of the seven board members voted to deny Bollinger’s application under the Louisiana Industrial Tax Exemption Program. District 3 member Sarah Usdin recused herself. The district rejected the request because the application failed to meet two of four established rules for tax breaks approved by OPSB. Bollinger Algiers is a subsidiary of the Lockport, La.-based Bollinger Shipyards, one of the largest vessel-repair firms in the Gulf region. There was little information available on the project or Bollinger’s property the tax request. However, an Aug. 17 Louisiana Board of Commerce resolution identified the project name as "2017 Expansion". Online documents show a Bollinger employee also submitted requests with the city and the sheriff's office for tax breaks. Bollinger submitted the same application to OPSB on Sept. 13. The district's resolution stated the project was not located in a "distressed region" or "an enterprise zone," as defined in the criteria. The Bollinger project has also already commenced construction, but the district's criteria states a project cannot have begun prior to gaining OPSB approval. (Source: NOLA.com 10/11/18)