§1907. Salaries

            A.(1) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, except the provisions of Subsections H through M of this Section, in the performance of all duties required of them by law, the assessors of the various parishes shall receive an annual compensation, to be paid monthly on their own warrant, based on the applicable population of the respective parishes, not to exceed the compensation schedule provided for in this Paragraph according to the latest decennial United States Census or the population estimates published pursuant to the United States Bureau of the Census Federal State Cooperative Program for Population Estimates.

                        Population                              Compensation

            (a) Greater than 250,000                   $108,290

             (b) 50,001 to 249,999                        $98,290

            (c) 50,000 or less                               $88,290

            (2) The president of the board of assessors for the parish of Orleans shall, for his services as president of the board, receive an extra compensation of one thousand dollars per annum.

            (3) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to limit an assessor from participation in an eligible deferred compensation program established in accordance with Section 457 of Title 26 of the Internal Revenue Code. An assessor shall not authorize or receive an employer contribution that would be more favorable than that offered to the employees of the assessor's office.

            (4) The salary of the assessor of Lafayette Parish shall be the salary provided for in Subparagraph (1)(a) of this Subsection regardless of the population of Lafayette Parish.

            B. In addition to his salary, each individual assessor shall be granted ten percent of his annual compensation as a personal expense allowance provided that the tax receipts of the respective tax recipient bodies shall not be reduced.

            C. The assessors' professional certification program is hereby established to formalize and recognize the professional standards of assessors engaged in the assessment of property for ad valorem taxation purposes in this state. It is the objective of the program to insure compliance with the requirements of the constitution and laws of the state governing the assessment of property and to assure the citizens and taxpayers of the state that property will be assessed fairly and equitably.

            D.(1) The requisite education and training will be provided through courses at state institutions of higher education or other appropriate locations in conjunction with the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) or the Appraisal Institute with additional seminars and workshops being conducted at various locations throughout the state or other appropriate locations. All such instruction shall be offered and directed towards the attainment of the certification and recertification described herein.

            (2) For the purposes of this Section, "certified Louisiana assessor" (CLA) shall be a person holding the office of assessor in this state at the time of certification.

            E. The assessors' certification program committee, hereinafter referred to as the "certification committee", is hereby created to govern the assessors' professional certification program. The certification committee shall be composed of five members who shall serve one-year terms and who may be reappointed. The members shall be appointed as follows:

            (1) One member shall be the chairman of the education committee of the Louisiana Assessors Association who shall serve as chairman of the certification committee.

            (2) One member shall be appointed by the Louisiana Tax Commission.

            (3) Two members shall be assessors who have met the requirements for certification as certified Louisiana assessors (CLA's) who shall be appointed by the president of the Louisiana Assessors Association.

            (4) One member shall be a deputy assessor who has met the Louisiana Assessors Association requirements for certification as a certified Louisiana deputy assessor (CLDA) who shall be appointed by the president of the Louisiana Assessors Association.

            F.(1) The educational requirements for certification shall be as follows:

            (a) A passing grade on the examination for the International Association of Assessing Officers course 1-- Fundamentals of Real Property Appraisal.

            (b) A passing grade on the examination for the International Association of Assessing Officers course 2--Income Approach to Valuation or equivalent courses offered by the Appraisal Institute.

            (c) A passing grade on the examinations or other evidence of successful completion of two electives equal to or greater than sixty course hours among the courses offered by the International Association of Assessing Officers or the Appraisal Institute.

            (d) A passing grade on the examination for the International Association of Assessing Officers Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) on an Appraisal Foundation approved two-day Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course.

            (2) The experience requirements for certification shall be met upon the assessor's election by majority of the voters voting in an election called therefor.

            G.(1) Recertification shall be obtained by completing either of the following requirements:

            (a) A minimum of fifty-nine hours of continuing education offered by the International Association of Assessing Officers or the Appraisal Institute, which shall include the International Association of Assessing Officers Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course or an approved Appraisal Foundation two-day Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course and at least one course, thirty hours minimum, on appraisal of property completed by passing a written examination. The remaining hours shall be selected from recertification guidelines as adopted by the certification committee. All designees shall obtain recertification within a five-year period.

            (b) A minimum of seventy-four hours of continuing education offered by the International Association of Assessing Officers or the Appraisal Institute, which shall include the International Association of Assessing Officers Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course or an approved Appraisal Foundation two-day Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course and at least one course, thirty hours minimum, on appraisal of property, for which no written examination shall be required. The remaining hours shall be selected from recertification guidelines as adopted by the certification committee. All designees shall obtain recertification within a five-year period.

            (2) Recertification requirements shall be met prior to December thirty-first of the fifth year. If these requirements are not met, the designee will lose certification and certification compensation until recertification requirements are met. After using a specific course toward recertification, the designee shall not be permitted to use the same course again toward recertification for one five-year period with the exception of the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) course. Hours shall not be carried forward from one five-year period to another. If the designee teaches courses for the International Association of Assessing Officers or the Appraisal Institute, the designee shall receive credit for those hours.

            H.(1) Notwithstanding any other provisions of law to the contrary, after documents showing the successful completion of the program, resulting in certification as a certified Louisiana assessor (CLA), have been submitted to and approved by the certification committee and said approval documented to the legislative auditor, the assessor shall be recognized through the implementation of a one-time increase in compensation paying additional compensation equal to seven percent of the assessor's annual salary as set forth in Subsection A of this Section.

            (2) Any assessor who has completed the educational and experience requirements as provided in Subsection F of this Section, and the documents showing the successful completion of the program have been submitted to and approved by the certification committee and said approval documented to the legislative auditor, shall be granted the seven-percent increase in compensation to his annual salary as set forth in Subsection A of this Section. Assessors shall complete the requirements of Subsection G of this Section, within five years and every five years thereafter in order to retain the seven-percent compensation enhancement, notwithstanding any other provisions of law to the contrary.

            (3) If an assessor does not complete the certification program as provided for in this Section, or if after certification an assessor does not receive recertification within each five-year period, his salary shall revert back to the salary scale provided for in Subsection A of this Section.

            I. In addition to all other forms of compensation which are authorized for assessors under the provisions of this Section, effective on July 1, 1999, the annual compensation of each assessor shall be increased by ten thousand dollars.

            J. In addition to all other forms of compensation which are authorized for assessors under the provisions of this Section, any assessor may increase his annual compensation by an amount not to exceed seven thousand dollars.

            K. In addition to all other forms of compensation which are authorized for assessors under the provisions of this Section, each assessor's office may increase the assessor's annual compensation by up to four percent each calendar year for four calendar years, beginning calendar year 2013 and ending calendar year 2016.

            L. In addition to all other forms of compensation which are authorized for assessors under the provisions of this Section, an assessor may increase his annual compensation by an amount not to exceed five percent in calendar year 2023.

            M.(1) In addition to all other forms of compensation which are authorized for assessors under the provisions of this Section, an assessor may increase his annual compensation by an amount not to exceed five percent for the term beginning after December 31, 2024.

            (2) The additional compensation authorized pursuant to the provisions of this Subsection shall become effective if the assessor publishes notice of his intent to increase his compensation on two separate days in the official journal of the parish in which the assessor's office is situated. The last day of publication of the notice shall be at least thirty days prior to the date the assessor increases his compensation.

            Acts 1950, No. 92, §1; Acts 1952, No. 73, §1; Acts 1954, No. 575, §1; Acts 1956, No. 362, §1; Acts 1960, No. 99, §1; Acts 1962, No. 289, §1; Acts 1963, No. 78, §1; Acts 1965, No. 126, §1; Acts 1966, No. 73, §1; Acts 1966, No. 243, §1; Acts 1966, No. 470, §1; Acts 1967, No. 66, §1; Acts 1967, No. 78, §1; Acts 1969, No. 148, §1; Acts 1970, No. 155, §2; Acts 1972, No. 305, §1; Acts 1974, No. 383, §1; Acts 1974, No. 447, §1; Acts 1975, No. 526, §1; Acts 1976, No. 206, §1, eff. July 23, 1976; Acts 1978, No. 31, §1; Acts 1979, No. 671, §1; Acts 1980, No. 459, §1; Acts 1981, No. 288, §1; Acts 1984, No. 925, §1; Acts 1990, No. 718, §§1, 2; Acts 1992, No. 823, §1; Acts 1995, No. 157, §1; Acts 1995, No. 472, §1; Acts 1997, No. 564, §1; Acts 1997, No. 1157, §1; Acts 1999, No. 125, §1; Acts 1999, No. 132, §1; Acts 1999, No. 571, §1; Acts 2001, No. 73, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2001; Acts 2003, No. 1218, §1, eff. July 1, 2003; Acts 2004, No. 850, §2, eff. July 12, 2004; Acts 2004, No. 861, §1; Acts 2006, No. 622, §8, eff. Dec. 11, 2006; Acts 2007, No. 97, §1, eff. July 1, 2007; Acts 2008, No. 276, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2009; Acts 2012, No. 448, §1, eff. July 1, 2012; Acts 2013, No. 372, §1, eff. July 1, 2013; Acts 2023, No. 366, §1, eff. July 1, 2023.