Attorney General says St. Tammany can't buy cars for assessor's field workers
by Christine Harvey - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

St. Tammany Parish can no longer purchase vehicles for the field crews who work for the parish assessor because state law does not include vehicles among the types of equipment for which the parish must foot the cost, according to a recent opinion by Attorney General Buddy Caldwell. Assessor Patricia Schwarz Core had asked Caldwell to reconsider an earlier opinion regarding the vehicle issue, as well as another concerning her ability to charge fire protection districts for placing parcel fees on the parish's tax rolls. In an opinion issued Aug. 16, Caldwell reiterated his earlier stance with regard to vehicles as equipment and further clarified Core's right to charge a fee for certain services. For the past 11 years or so, the parish from time to time has purchased vehicles for Core's crews to use when assessing properties throughout the parish, she said. However, some questioned whether a vehicle truly could be considered as equipment the parish must fund.