Funding & Management
How the District is funded?
There are no individual charges for supplemental security services. Instead, the GDSD is supported by a property tax of up to 19 mills assessed on all real property in the District. In 1998, the imposition of the tax was approved by a vote of 72 % of the residents of the District. In 2002, again in 2010 and, most recently in 2018, the tax was renewed by a large majority vote in the district.
Each year in the Fall, the GDSD Board of Commissioners calls a public hearing and meets to set a budget for the next year and to determine how many mils the City Council will levy for that year. Though the maximum allowable millage is set at 19 by law, the levied amount in the past few years has hovered around between 8-9 mils. A homeowner of a house assessed at $350,000 with a 10 mil levy is subject to pay approximately $350.00 for that year for the service provided by the GDSD. This amount is billed to property owners on their property tax statements sent at the end of each year by the City of New Orleans. Payments are due by February 1 each year or penalties are assessed by the City.
An assessment on all properties within the District allows all homeowners benefitting from the 24-hour patrol services to pay for the service rather than a few homeowners paying for all neighbors to receive the service as in many other neighborhoods that have voluntary memberships to pay for patrol. It also allows for steady income for the neighborhood District which in turn allows for steady patrols throughout the day, week and year, a big deterrent in crimes for the area.
How is the GDSD managed?
Wendell LeGardeur, President
Chestnut Street
Mary Schmidt, Vice President
Seventh Street
William Wolf, Secretary
Camp Street
Kenneth Davis, Treasurer
Sixth Street
Richard Baudouin
Louisiana Avenue
John Charpentier
St. Charles Avenue
Juliet Holton
Louisiana Avenue
Allain Hardin
Prytania Street
Catherine Makk
Coliseum Street
Shelton Shugar
Fourth Street
James Wood
Coliseum Street
Executive Director:
Shelley Landrieu
Office – 504-525-7911
gdsdpatrol@bellsouth.net
Patrol: Pinnacle Security
Chad Perez, Owner
504-934-1411
Mike Lentz, Post Commander
504-899-4373