VIDALIA — The Concordia Parish Police Jury will have a public hearing at 6 p.m. today to levy parish taxes, but Jury President Melvin Ferrington said the taxes will remain the same.

Ferrington said the jury has to routinely levy the taxes and has the option to roll them forward, back or keep them the same.

Ferrington said the taxes will stay the same, but the police jury has to hold a public hearing before a vote.

“We will levy the taxes that are already in place,” he said. “It will be the library tax, the recreation district tax, the drainage tax, all the taxes the police jury is in charge of.”

The police jury will also have a public hearing Aug. 20 for a proposed two-mill tax increase to fund future maintenance of the drainage project and a drainage project for Brushy Bayou.

Ferrington has said the tax increase could be the solution to getting the funding for Black River Lake released to Concordia Parish. Ferrington and other police jurors have they would not support a tax increase without input from the public.

The Black River Lake Commission, set up several years ago to help manage the Black River drainage area was allocated $1 million in priority 1 funding and $2.5 million in priority 5 funding for drainage structure installation, studies, permits and construction.

The funding, however, will not be released until an organization agrees to provide upkeep and maintenance after construction.

A one-mill tax increase for Catahoula Parish has also been proposed for a section of property owners inside the Black River Lake complex that would be affected by the drainage improvements. If approved by the police jury, the Concordia tax increase would be put on the ballot for November, but the tax increase initiative has to be sent to the Secretary of State’s office prior to ballots being printed.