Parish reviews notice of ITEP noncompliance
Published 1:29 pm Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Jeff Davis Parish officials are reviewing how to respond to a notice of noncompliance involving Metalplate Galvanizing and its state-approved property tax exemption for the years 2022, 2023 and 2024.
Officials discussed the issue during a recent meeting attended by representatives of the sheriff’s office, police jury, and other parish officials. According to School Board President Greg Patterson, Metalplate Galvanizing did not meet certain job-creation and payroll requirements associated with its Industrial Tax Exemption Program agreement during those years.
The agreement began in 2021 and provides a 10-year exemption, divided into two five-year periods. Under the rules in effect at the time, participating companies were required to submit documentation annually and meet specified employment and payroll requirements.
District Attorney Lauren Heinen said the law changed in 2025, removing the job and payroll requirements at issue in the Metalplate case. Metal Plate subsequently opted out of those requirements under the revised procedures, she said.
“So going forward they won’t have those job and payroll requirements,” Heinen said.
Heinen said parish officials now have several possible responses. She said the parish can defer to the state Board of Commerce and Industry, make a recommendation to the Board of Commerce and Industry, or request that the company make a default payment.
“But the final decision is still going to be with the state board, or you can request a default payment,” Heinen said, adding that the state has the right to override whatever local entities decide.
Police Jury President Butch Lafargue said he would favor a payment by default, which would allow their tax exemption to remain in place going forward as long as they paid what was due to the parish during the three years of noncompliance.
“So as long as they paid us on a payment plan that everybody would agree on going forward, their tax exemption would remain in effect,” Lafargue said, noting the company has done “a lot of good in the parish.” “They’ve got a lot of employees and significant investment.”
Officials did not have a final figure for the amount of taxes potentially owed during the meeting. They said the parish tax office may be able to provide that information before the matter returns for formal consideration.
The discussion also focused on Metalplate’s employment history. Documents presented to officials indicated that the company’s employment increased substantially over several years from 71 in 2018 to 142 employees by March 2023. However, officials said the company was required to meet both an employee threshold and a payroll threshold under the previous rules and apparently fell short of the required payroll amount.
Officials also noted that Metalplate submitted letters addressing its compliance issues in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Parish representatives said Louisiana Economic Development officials indicated that the agency is dealing with a number of similar compliance cases following changes to the tax exemption program.
The state Board of Commerce and Industry will ultimately have authority over the matter. Officials said the board could consider the parish’s recommendation at a future hearing, where Metalplate would have an opportunity to present its case.
Parish Administrator Ben Bouregois also discussed the company’s economic contributions, including its investment in the community and its role in manufacturing components used in solar-energy projects. A parish investment in improvements to Farm Supply Road was mentioned as another consideration in evaluating the company’s relationship with the parish.
Representatives agreed that additional information is needed before a final recommendation is made. Officials want updated figures on the company’s employment levels, payroll, and the amount of taxes potentially owed for the three years in question.
The matter is expected to return as an action item at a future meeting. The police jury is scheduled to discuss the issue at 5 p.m. during its Sept. 2 and Sept. 9 meeting. Parish officials said representatives of the sheriff’s office and other entities may attend as they develop their own recommendations.
No final decision was made during the meeting.