Capt. James Baldassaro, of New Orleans Private Patrol, does a key round while patrolling the Upper Hurstville area in 2010. (Sabree Hill, Uptown Messenger)
While the only election many New Orleanians are considering today is whether to get the crawfish bread or shrimp bread, residents of the Upper Hurstville and the Garden District neighborhoods will vote on whether to renew their security districts.
The security districts levy a tax on all the property in a certain neighborhood, then allow a neighborhood board to use that money to hire extra security patrols, either off-duty police officers or private security companies. Those security officers not only patrol the neighborhood, but also for more general security services such as driving by to watch residents get to their front door safely when they get home at night, or to check on their property when they are out of town.
The Garden District boundaries are Louisiana Avenue, Carondelet Street, Jackson Avenue and Magazine Street. It uses a tax of up to 19 mills on each property. The district’s website says that the fee levied is usually around 11 mills, and the ballot questions says it generates about $1.65 million per year.
The boundaries of Upper Hurstville are Exposition Boulevard (along Audubon Park), Prytania Street, Nashville Avenue and Magazine Street. That neighborhood uses a flat fee per property currently set at $475 — and raising about $213,750 per year — and its commissioners cannot raise it above $650.
Both security districts are up for an eight-year renewal, from Jan. 1, 2019, to Dec. 31, 2026.
Polls in both districts are open until 8 p.m., and anyone in line at 8 p.m. will be allowed to vote.
