West Orange swore in three Aldermen to the City Council Tuesday. Shirley Bonnin, Mike Shugart, and Dale Dardeau were given their oaths of office by former County Judge and current West Orange Alderman Carl Thibodeaux. The three ran unopposed for the City Council which allowed West Orange to cancel last Saturday’s election. Bonnin was unanimously voted by the council to continue her role as Mayor Pro-Tempore.
The Council approved keeping the current tax exemptions for 2016. The Homestead exemption will remain 20 percent of the appraised value of the property. The exemption for citizens 65 years of age and older, as well as the exemption for disabled citizens will remain at $17,000. Bonnin made the motion for the exemptions. She believes those citizens deserve a break on their property taxes and that they should continue to receive the amount the city has been giving them.
The City Council approved an ordinance Tuesday regulating 8-liner machines in West Orange. An annual regulatory and license fee of 1,000 dollars will be applied to each machine. Dardeau said they would like to discourage the 8-liners coming into West Orange. Dardeau stated the concern is the sometimes illegal use of the coin-operated machines plus the requirement it puts on the city to oversee them and always having to look over the shoulders of the operators of those machines.
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