Lawyers Urge Public to Vote on Tax Increase

LAFAYETTE, La. — Lawyers here are touting the potential benefits of a new courthouse in hopes of persuading voters to approve a tax increase this November that would fund the project.

The existing courthouse is run down and needs to be replaced, according to courthouse officials. The facility has broken elevators, an overcrowded security check-in area and asbestos problems, according to reports.

There is no separation between victims and alleged criminals, according to Kenneth Oliver, president of the Lafayette Parish Bar Association, and everyone in the courthouse uses the same elevators, stairwells and hallways.

Advocates for the proposal have been informing the public with luncheons and afternoon lectures on the importance and benefits of a new courthouse, insisting to taxpayers that their out-of-pocket expenses would be minimal. The parish owns the land where the proposed new courthouse would be built, so no purchase of land would be necessary.