* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. DO YOU HAVE IT IN THREE [00:00:01] SECONDS? TWO, ONE. GOOD AFTERNOON. WELCOME [Presentations and Special Recognitions] TO THE PRESENTATION PORTION OF OUR MEETING THIS OCTOBER 23RD, 2024. AT THIS TIME, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO DANTE BIDWELL, CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER. THE MAYOR, PRESIDENT OF SHARON WESTON BROOME, BATON ROUGE POLICE CHIEF TJ MORRIS. GENTLEMEN. THANK YOU, SIR. UM, IT IS A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN BATON ROUGE AND IT IS A BEAUTIFUL DAY TO CELEBRATE ACHIEVEMENTS HERE IN BATON ROUGE. SO I'VE GOT, UH, CHIEF TJ MORRIS HERE WITH ME, AND I'LL TELL YOU IT'S MY HONOR TO RECOGNIZE THE BATON ROUGE POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR RECEIVING ITS NINTH RE-ACCREDITATION FROM KALIA, WHICH IS THE COMMISSION ON ACCREDITATION FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. I COMMEND CHIEF MORRIS AND HIS ENTIRE DEPARTMENT FOR MAINTAINING THE HIGH STANDARDS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT. YOUR DEDICATION TO SERVING AND PROTECTING BATON ROUGE IS CLEAR, AND THIS ACHIEVEMENT IS WELL DESERVED. AND I'M SURE Y'ALL LOOK AROUND THIS ROOM, YOU SEE A LOT OF FOLKS FROM BRPD IN HERE. WE GOT, WE'RE GONNA BRING A NUMBER OF THEM UP, BUT I DO WANT TO GIVE CHIEF, UH, MORRIS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK ABOUT THIS ACCREDITATION CHIEF. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, DANTE. SO, UH, WE'RE VERY PROUD OF, UH, RECEIVING THIS ACCREDITATION FROM CLEA. SO CLEA IS COMMISSION OF ACCREDITATION LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. THEY WERE CREATED IN 1979. THEY'RE KNOWN AS THE GOLD STANDARD AND CRED CREDENTIALING AUTHORITY. THROUGHOUT THE JOINT EFFORTS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT'S, MAJOR EXECUTIVE ASSOCIATIONS OFFERS ALL PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES A VOLUNTARY PROCESS TO OBTAIN NATIONAL ACCREDITATION, INDICATING THE AGENCY MEETS AN ESTABLISHED SET OF PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS. EACH YEAR, OUR BATON ROUGE POLICE DEPARTMENT SUBMITS PAPERWORK CONFIRMING ITS COMMITMENT TO THE ACCREDITATION PROGRAM. AND EVERY FOUR YEARS AN IN-DEPTH REASSESSMENT TAKES PLACE. THESE ANNUAL REPORTS AND AUDITS ENSURE BRPD MEETS THE HIGHEST NATIONAL STANDARDS, UM, BY KALIA. THE ACCREDIT ACCREDITATION PROCESSES ARE HANDLED BY THE DEPARTMENT'S ACCREDITATION MANAGER, SERGEANT BRIT JONES THIS YEAR THROUGH SERGEANT JONES AND HIS STAFF'S DILIGENT EFFORTS. THE BATON ROUGE POLICE DEPARTMENT WAS RECENTLY AWARDED THEIR NINTH RE-ACCREDITATION THROUGH KALIA, ESTABLISHING THAT BRPD REMAINS IN ALIGNMENT WITH NATIONAL BA BEST PRACTICES FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT. OUR BATON ROUGE POLICE DEPARTMENT IS ONE OF THE VERY FEW LOUISIANA LAW ENFORCEMENT'S AGENCIES, WHICH IS NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED BY ALIA'S ACCREDITATION. I'M GONNA CALL UP SERGEANT JONES TOO AND GIVE HIM, LET HIM LET THIS APPLY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR. SO ON THE SUBJECT OF, UH, BATON ROUGE POLICE DEPARTMENT, GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND, UH, WE ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE OFFICER TRILL GRAY FOR GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY. ON OCTOBER 7TH, OFFICER GRAY RESPONDED TO A CALL AT A LOCAL HOTEL AND DISCOVERED A WOMAN IN HER INFANT CHILD IN A DIFFICULT SITUATION. WITHOUT HESITATION, OFFICER GRAY CAME OUT OF HER OWN POCKET TO ENSURE THEY HAD A SAFE PLACE TO STAY. THIS ACT OF KINDNESS DEMONSTRATES THE COMPASSION AND SELFLESSNESS THAT OUR OFFICERS SHOW EVERY DAY, AND WE ARE VERY PROUD TO HAVE OFFICER GRAY HERE WITH THE BATON ROUGE POLICE DEPARTMENT. OFFICER GRAY. I DO WANNA ADD, UH, THAT, UM, OFFICER GRAY, UM, DID NOT KNOW THAT SHE WAS GETTING THIS TONIGHT, AND SHE DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WE KNEW ABOUT IT. THE ONLY, UH, WAY WE FOUND OUT THAT THIS HAPPENED WAS, UM, THROUGH BODY CAMERA IN HER REPORT, AND WE FOUND OUT THAT, UH, SHE KNOWS SHE CAME OUT OF HER OWN POCKET TO FIND A, UM, HOUSING FOR THIS WOMAN IN HER BABY THAT WERE, THAT NEEDED THAT NIGHT. SO, UH, WE APPRECIATE HER AND IT GOES, UM, SHE WENT WELL ABOVE AND BEYOND. THANK YOU, OFFICER GRAY. UM, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR SOMETHING THAT I FEEL LIKE SHOULD BE DONE PRETTY OFTEN. UM, WE DO GO ON CALLS OF SERVICE ALL THE TIME AND JUST, YOU ALWAYS HEAR DIFFERENT STORIES AND YOU JUST TRY TO HELP PEOPLE. AND I KNOW THAT ONCE I SIGNED UP FOR THIS CAREER BACK IN 2021, I KNEW THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO TO HELP OTHERS WHO CAN HELP THEMSELVES. SO WHEN I WENT ON THIS CALL, I JUST KNEW THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I NEEDED TO DO. UM, THIS MOTHER DIDN'T ASK FOR [00:05:01] THIS, SHE JUST TOLD ME HER STORY AND I JUST TOLD HER, JUST GIMME A SECOND. AND I WENT TO A HOTEL TO MAKE SURE THAT HER AND HER CHILD HAD SOMEWHERE TO STAY FROM THE CALL THAT I HAD RECEIVED, THAT SHE HAD POSSIBLY BEEN OUTSIDE FOR THREE DAYS WITH HER TODDLER. AND I WAS JUST LIKE THAT, I CAN'T LEAVE HER OUT HERE. SO, AND I KNEW THAT I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO HELP THIS MOTHER CHANGE AND HELP HER GET SOME HELP THAT SHE JUST DIDN'T HAVE AT THE MOMENT. SO I JUST MADE SURE THAT I MADE A DIFFERENCE IN HER LIFE. SO THANK YOU ALL. SO, ABSOLUTELY. THANK YOU FOR THAT. UM, AND WE DO WANT TO RECOGNIZE A FEW MORE FOLKS, UH, IN UNIFORM HERE. UM, IT IS A PLEASURE TO RECOGNIZE THE OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS THAT OUR BATON ROUGE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S K NINE UNIT MADE AT THE NATIONAL U-S-P-C-A TRIALS. UM, CORPORAL COURT, I'M SORRY, SERGEANT, DON'T LET ME DIMINISH YOU. SERGEANT KURT ALLEN AND HIS K NINE GOOSE CORPORAL JAMES CRISLER AND LIEUTENANT KYLE LYLE, ANDRE HAVE ALL SHOWN EXCEPTIONAL SKILLS AND DEDICATION TO THEIR WORK, THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS. FIFTH, OVERALL, FOURTH IN OBEDIENCE, THIRD IN OBEDIENCE, AND FOURTH IN SCENT WORK. UH, HIGHLIGHT THE EXCELLENCE OF OUR K NINE UNIT. UH, SPECIAL CONGRATULATIONS TO LIEUTENANT ANDRE FOR RECEIVING THE PRESIDENT'S AWARD. UH, WE ARE PROUD OF THEIR COMMITMENT AND HARD WORK IN KEEPING OUR COMMUNITY SAFE. SO, LIEUTENANT ANDRE. THANK YOU SIR. CORPORAL, CLEAR CORPORAL, I MEAN, UH, AND SERGEANT ALLEN. YEAH, SO AS DANTE SAID, WE, UH, JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO, WE, UM, HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF HOSTING THE NATIONAL UNITED STATES POLICE CANINE ASSOCIATION PATROL DOG CERTIFICATION AND TRIALS RIGHT HERE IN BATON ROUGE. UM, WE HAD ABOUT 70 OFFICERS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY THAT HAD TO QUALIFY IN DIFFERENT REGIONALS TO EVEN ATTEND NATIONALS, REPRESENTING FROM ABOUT 13 OR 14 DIFFERENT STATES, UM, ACROSS THE COUNTRY. SO, AS A FORMER CANINE HANDLER MYSELF, A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE I WAS IN CANINE, UH, FOR SEVEN YEARS AND WORKED A DOG. ALSO, I KNOW THAT WHAT THEY HAD TO PUT IN TO NOT ONLY HOST, BUT COMPETE AT A HIGH LEVEL AT THIS COMPETITION, UM, TOOK A LOT OF WORK. SO I APPRECIATE THEM AND THE WORK THEY DO, UM, EVERY DAY. UM, FOR THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE, TAKE A EVERYBODY LOOK THIS WAY FOR, ALL RIGHT. HOLD UP FOR 3, 2, 1, HOLD FOR ME. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. I'LL TAKE ONE RIGHT HERE, Y'ALL. EVERYONE LOOK AT ME. ONE, TWO, AND THREE. I'VE GOT MY SHOT. THANK Y'ALL. I PROMISE. WOO. THANK Y'ALL. THANK YOU, GENTLEMEN. APPRECIATE IT. ALL RIGHT. SO TO KEEP THE TRAIN ON THE TRACKS TO KEEP ROLLING, UH, AS GOOD. SO AS WE CELEBRATE RED RIBBON WEEK, I WANT TO COMMEND THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR THEIR COMMITMENT TO EDUCATING AND EMPOWERING OUR YOUTH TO LIVE DRUG FREE LIVES. THIS WEEK SERVES AS A REMINDER OF THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING HEALTHY, POSITIVE CHOICES AND OUR APPLAUD OUR SCHOOLS FOR THEIR LEADERSHIP AND PROMOTING A SAFE, SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL OF OUR STUDENTS. TOGETHER WE CAN BUILD A STRONGER, HEALTHIER BATON ROUGE. AND I WANNA INVITE THE TEAM FROM ICARE AND A PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM TO COME ON UP. WELL, ALL ALRIGHT. GOOD AFTERNOON AND THANK YOU ALL FOR HAVING US HERE TODAY. I FIRST HAVE TO SAY, ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU. THE ICARE PREVENTION PROGRAM. [00:10:01] WE SEE A LOT OF FAMILIAR FACES AS WE'RE STANDING HERE BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS WE DO IS SUPPORT STUDENTS, BUT WE ALSO SUPPORT OUR COMMUNITY. WE HAVE BEEN DOING THAT OVER 40 YEARS. AND WE ARE PREVENTION PROGRAM OF SUBSTANCE USE, ALCOHOL ABUSE, VIOLENCE, AS WELL AS RESPONDING TO CRISES IN OUR SCHOOLS. WE SEE STUDENTS ON AN INDIVIDUAL LEVEL AS WELL AS IN GROUPS. AND WE COVER TOPICS FROM BULLYING, TOPICS FROM GRIEF, AS WELL AS TOPICS WITH SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING AND CONFLICT RESI RESOLUTION. AND THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT'S NEEDED AS ADULTS AS WELL. AND SO WE WANNA THANK OUR PARENTS WHO WE ALSO SUPPORT FINDING RESOURCES AS WELL AS OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS. AND WE'D LIKE YOU TO KNOW, UM, WE DO HAVE A WEBSITE, ICARE.BR SCHOOLS.ORG. WE INVITE YOU TO VISIT THAT WEBSITE AND ALSO INVITE US TO SOME OF YOUR COMMUNITY, UM, EVENTS AND WE WILL BE HAPPY TO SUPPORT. SO ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR CELEBRATING RED RIBBON WEEK WITH US. IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT TIME OF THE YEAR. THANK YOU ONE. ALRIGHT, UH, I WANNA BRING UP MY FOLKS WITH THE LOUISIANA HIGHWAY SAFETY COMMISSION. PEDESTRIAN SAFETY MONTH. YOU WANNA COME ON UP. TODAY I WANT TO RECOGNIZE CHANTIS SHANITA VASQUEZ. SHANITA VASQUEZ, EXCUSE ME, I'M SO SORRY. THAT'S OKAY. THE OCCUPANT PROTECTION AND DIVERSITY OUTREACH PROGRAM COORDINATOR AT THE LOUISIANA HIGHWAY AND SAFETY COMMISSION FOR HER OUTSTANDING WORK IN PROMOTING PEDESTRIAN SAFETY DURING PEDESTRIAN SAFETY MONTH. THE 1 MILLION STEPS TO SAFETY 5K RUN AND WALK HAS RAISED CRITICAL AWARENESS, UH, ABOUT KEEPING OUR STREETS SAFER FOR EVERYONE. UH, THEIR DEDICATION TO THIS CAUSE IS INSPIRING AND I THANK THEM FOR THEIR EFFORTS IN PROTECTING THE WELLBEING OF OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU HERE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, GOOD AFTERNOON AGAIN. MY NAME IS SHANITA VAZQUEZ. I AM THE DIVERSITY OUTREACH AND OCCUPANT PROTECTION PROGRAM COORDINATOR FOR THE LOUISIANA HIGHWAY SAFETY COMMISSION. SO OCTOBER IS PEDESTRIAN SAFETY MONTH, AND DURING THIS MONTH, THE LOUISIANA HIGHWAY SAFETY COMMISSION, ALONG WITH OUR OTHER TRANSPORTATION SAFETY PARTNERS, WANTING TO HIGHLIGHT PEDESTRIAN SAFETY AND SEE HOW WE CAN GET EDUCATION AND OUTREACH TO THE PUBLIC. SO FOUR YEARS AGO, UM, DURING THE PEAK OF COVID, WHEN WE WERE NOT ABLE TO REACH OUT AND TOUCH ANYONE, WE STARTED A PLATFORM OF DOING 1 MILLION STEPS TO SAFETY. VIRTUALLY AT THAT TIME, WE WERE ABLE TO BRING TOGETHER, UM, PARTICIPANTS IN THE STATE OF LOUISIANA ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND EVEN CERTAIN PARTS OF THE WORLD TO BE ON THIS PLATFORM, STRIVING FOR THOSE 1 BILLION STEPS, ALTHOUGH WE ACTUALLY ONLY GOT ONE PERSON TO ACTUALLY DO THE 1 BILLION STEPS. BUT, UM, WE WERE ABLE TO GIVE OUR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY INFORMATION AS WELL AS BICYCLE SAFETY, SAFETY INFORMATION, AND ENCOURAGE DRIVERS TO SHARE THE ROAD. ON THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF THAT VIRTUAL WALK, WE, UM, WANTED TO DO AN IN-PERSON, 5K. SO, UM, WE ARE HOSTING ON OCTOBER 26TH, 2024. UM, PACKET PICKUP STARTS AT 0 7 30, A FREE 5K FOR ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO COME. THIS 5K IS TO CELEBRATE THE FIFTH YEAR OF PEDESTRIAN SAFETY, THE 1 MILLION STEPS OF SAFETY, BUT ALSO BRING LIKE MIC LIKE-MINDED MEMBERS TOGETHER IN ORDER TO HELP CELEBRATE AND DISTRIBUTE THAT INFORMATION. SO SIGN UP STILL IS AVAILABLE. YOU CAN GO ON FACEBOOK, UM, AT THE LOUISIANA HIGHWAY SAFETY COMMISSION. YOU CAN SIGN UP ON THERE OR YOU CAN CONTACT SOMEONE IN OUR OFFICE AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO HELP YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. SURE. ONE MORE. AND LAST, BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST, WE WANT TO RECOGNIZE OUR FRIENDS AT THE [00:15:01] GOCREATE AWARDS. UH, MARIAN BLUMIX, IT'S MY PLEASURE TO RECOGNIZE HER. THE CREATOR OF THE GOC CREATE AWARDS FOR HER VISION AND DEDICATION TO EMPOWERING CREATORS IN OUR COMMUNITY. THE GOCREATE AWARDS CELEBRATE INNOVATION, CREATIVITY, AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP VALUES THAT DRIVE BATON ROUGE FORWARD. MARIAN'S COMMITMENT TO FOSTERING GROWTH AND RECOGNITION FOR LOCAL TALENT IS AN INSPIRATION. I'M VERY EXCITED TO SEE HOW THESE AWARDS WILL CONTINUE TO SHAPE THE CREATIVE LANDSCAPE OF OUR CITY. MARIAN HEY, YOU. GO. HEY EVERYONE. I'M MARIAN BOIS, OWNER AND FOUNDER OF THE GO CREATE AWARDS. GO CREATE STUDIO, AND THE GO CREATE FOUNDATION. UM, IT'S AN HONOR TO STAND BEFORE YOU GUYS AND IT'S AN HONOR TO REALLY, UM, STAND HERE REPRESENTING BATON ROUGE CREATIVES. UM, LAST SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20TH, WE HAD THE VERY FIRST GO CREATE AWARDS, UM, CELEBRATING BATON ROUGE CREATIVES. AND IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL NIGHT, UM, JUST IN THE DURATION OF THE GO CREATE FOUNDATION. BEING HERE, I'VE HEARD SO MANY AMAZING STORIES ABOUT PEOPLE STARTING TO WRITE AGAIN, DRAW AGAIN, YOU KNOW, BELIEVE IN THEIR CREATIVITY AGAIN AND HAS BEEN A HEARTWARMING EXPERIENCE. UM, AND SO THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH. AND ALSO OCTOBER 20TH HAS BEEN PROCLAIMED BY, UH, THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE AND THE MAYOR AS GO CREATE DAY. SO IT'S AN HONOR TO HAVE THAT DAY. UM, BUT I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE A FEW CREATIVES THAT WON THE GO CREATE AWARDS. ALEXIS BRITTON, SHE WON THE CULINARY ARTIST AWARD, THE MARVIN ANDERSON. HE WON THE MALE COMMUNITY AND CULTURAL CREATIVES AWARD. ALSO, WE HAVE JEREMY AND SHEIKA DUNCAN. THEY WON THE SOCIAL MEDIA CREATIVES AWARD AND THE TECH AND INNOVATION CREATIVES AWARD. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE SOMEONE VERY SPECIAL, KIMBERLY CHRISTOPHE. SHE WAS PRESENTED THE PRESS AWARD FOR HER STORY. AND WE ALSO HAVE OUR MALE PERFORMING ARTIST BLOW DARICE. AND LASTLY WE HAVE ASEA QUEEN. SHE WAS ALSO PRESENTED THE FEMALE PERFORM AWARD IS NOMINEE YOU WANT US TO LOOP AROUND? OKAY. ALRIGHT. EVERYBODY LOOK RIGHT THIS WAY FOR ME. HOLD, MOVE, MOVE MORE PICTURES. MOVE EVERYONE LOOK AT ME. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU. AND I AM SORRY I CANNOT FORGET EBONY. SHE JUST CAME IN. SHE WAS ALSO ONE OF OUR AWARD WINNERS FOR THE 2024 GO CREATE AWARDS. NEXT UP WE'RE GONNA HAVE COUNCILMAN AARON MOOCH, RECOGNIZING 13TH GATE, FOLLOWED BY 10 30. 10 31 CONSORTIUM COUNCILMAN MOOCH. UH, THANK Y'ALL. COUNCIL MEMBERS, THANK Y'ALL FOR ATTENDING. THANK Y'ALL TO THE PUBLIC FOR COMING TONIGHT. UH, SO AS WE APPROACH THIS WEEKEND BEFORE HALLOWEEN, WE HAVE SO MANY THINGS FOR EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH AND, UH, EVENTS TO DO FOR, FOR FAMILIES AND KIDS, AND JUST ALL OUTRIGHT FUN. AND WE WANTED TO RECOGNIZE A COUPLE PEOPLE, UH, GOT COUNCILWOMAN JEN ROCKA, AND IF I COULD HAVE MS. UH, COUNCILWOMAN COLEMAN, PLEASE COME UP FOR A SECOND. FIRST OF ALL, I'D LIKE TO RECOGNIZE A, UH, BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY THAT HAS BEEN WITH US FOR A LONG TIME. IN FACT, SOME OF Y'ALL MIGHT EVEN REMEMBER GOING TO THIS PLACE DURING WHEN IT WAS AT LSU IN THE AG CENTER [00:20:01] IS I BELIEVE IS WHERE THEY ACTUALLY GOT STARTED. AND THEY'RE IN THEIR CURRENT PLACE NOW. BUT THE EVENT THAT I'M TALKING ABOUT IS THE 13TH GATE. AND SINCE THE 13TH GATE HAS OPENED AS FAR AS THEIR HAUNTED HOUSE, THEY HAVE BEEN SELECTED MULTIPLE TIMES AS THE NUMBER ONE HAUNTED HOUSE, NOT JUST IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, NOT JUST IN LOUISIANA, BUT IN THE UNITED STATES ITSELF MULTIPLE TIMES. AND THEY HAVE ALSO BEEN PRESENTED THAT AWARD FOR THIS YEAR. SO I'D LIKE TO CALL UP AT THIS TIME MR. DUANE SANDBURN. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS IS MR. DWAYNE SANDBURN AND TO THE 13TH GATE. CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING NAMED THE NUMBER ONE HAUNTED HOUSE IN THE COUNTRY. YOUR HARD WORK, CREATIVITY AND SPINE CHILLING, DEDICATION HAVE CLEARLY PAID OFF. YOU HAVE SET THE BAR FOR FEAR AND THRILLS AND WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT TERRIFYING EXPERIENCES YOU CONJURE. UP NEXT HERE'S TO CONTEND YOU SUCCESS AND SCREAMS AHEAD. THIS TIME I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MR. SANDBERG TO TELL YOU A LITTLE ABOUT IT, BUT CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YOU GUYS PROBABLY, YOU GUYS PROBABLY THOUGHT I WAS SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE, UH, ROB ZOMBIE. HUH? . UH, I, THIS IS QUITE AN HONOR. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, IT'S AN HONOR TO BE RECOGNIZED. AND I HAVE TO SAY THAT THE REASON THE HAUNTED HOUSE HAS BEEN A SUCCESS FOR SO MANY YEARS IS BECAUSE OF THE DEDICATED CAST AND CREW THAT I HAVE AT HAUNTED HOUSE. THE AMOUNT OF TALENT AND, AND HARD WORK THAT GOES INTO THE HAUNTED HOUSE EVERY YEAR IS JUST UNBELIEVABLE. AND, UH, THAT'S THE REASONS 'CAUSE ALL THE PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR ME, SO THIS IS FOR THEM. SO I REALLY APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. HOLD ONE SECOND. GET A PICTURE. YEAH. IF YOU'RE WONDERING WHY I'M IN THE OUTFIT, I TRIED OUT EARLIER TO BE IN THE HAUNTED HOUSE, BUT I WASN'T EVEN GOOD ENOUGH FOR THAT. SO I JUST, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR. CAN WE GET UP AND TAKE A PICTURE? A BIG SMILE FROM EVERYBODY LIKE THIS. WAY? GOOD. ALL THAT. 3, 2, 1. AND NOW THE HOSTESS WITH THE MOST IS WITH THE MOST EVENTS AND, AND, AND GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND EVERYTHING. AT THIS TIME, I WANNA RECOGNIZE AN ORGANIZATION THAT HAS BEEN PART OF BATON ROUGE FOR, FOR MANY YEARS. IT'S THE, UH, 10 31 CONSORTIUM. IF I COULD HAVE THE 10 31 CONSORTIUM COME UP. THIS ORGANIZATION, UH, FOUNDED A LONG TIME AGO, THEY DO THE, UH, EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH HALLOWEEN PARADE. AND EVERY YEAR IT HAS GROWN AND GROWN AND YOU SEE MORE PEOPLE COMING OUT, KIDS COMING OUT, AND IT, IT IS JUST A SPECTACULAR EVENT TO SEE THE FLOATS THAT ARE GROWING AND EVERYTHING ELSE. NOT ONLY THAT, BUT THE ORGANIZATION AND THE, THE, THE THINGS THAT THEY DO THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. UH, I'M GONNA HAVE, UH, MR. COULIER COME UP AND TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. BUT FIRST I WANNA PRESENT TO THE 10 31 CONSORTIUM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO SERVING OUR COMMUNITY THROUGH FUN AND CREATIVE HALLOWEEN TRADITIONS. YOUR EFFORTS FROM, FROM PROVIDING NEW AND USED COSTUMES FOR CHILDREN TO OFFER IN FREE CANDY FOR NEIGHBORHOODS SUPPORTING SAFETY DURING TRICK OR TREAT AND DELIVERING GIFT BAGS TO HOSPITALIZED CHILDREN, MAKE A LASTING IMPACT. PROGRAMS LIKE KIDS COURT, YOUTH LEADERSHIP, AND HOSTING THE FIFA HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL BRING JOY AND HOPE TO MANY. YOUR DEDICATION IS TRULY APPRECIATED. TO THE 10 31 CONSORTIUM, I PRESENT TO YOU THE CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION. AND ALSO, AGAIN, MAIN REASON FOR THE COSTUME IS, UH, A GREAT FRIEND OF MINE IS KING AND QUEEN. AND, UH, SOMEONE THAT Y'ALL KNOW VERY WELL IS THE, UH, GRAND MARSHALL THIS YEAR, AND I WANNA PRESENT TO THEM. BUT, UH, THIS IS JUST A LITTLE BIT OF THE OUTFIT THAT WE'LL BE WEARING ON THE FLOAT. HOPEFULLY Y'ALL WILL COME OUT AND SEE THE REST OF IT AND WHAT THIS TURNS INTO. AND ALL THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO WEAR THEIRS TOO, BUT THEY LEFT ME OUT HERE BY MYSELF, . WELL, Y'ALL KNOW I'M NOT GONNA PASS UP AN OPPORTUNITY TO PUT ON AN OUTFIT, SO, OKAY, Y'ALL, Y'ALL ALL KNOW THAT. BUT ANYWAY, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT THIS TO MR. JEREMY LONG BAR FOR BEING CROWNED FIFA AT HALLOWEEN KING 14. YOUR CREATIVITY, SPIRIT, AND DEDICATION HAVE TRULY SHOWN THROUGH AND YOU'VE CLAIMED A WELL-DESERVED PLACE IN HALLOWEEN HISTORY. MAY YOUR RAIN BE FILLED WITH SPOOKY ADVENTURES, WICKED FUN, AND UNFORGETTABLE MEMORIES. WISHING ALL THE BEST AS YOU CONTINUE TO LEAD THE CELEBRATION IN STYLE AND FRIGHT. LIVE LONG HALLOWEEN KING. OUR NEXT CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION IS MS. AMY LELONG, BEING CROWN FIFA AT HALLOWEEN QUEEN 14, YOUR CREATIVITY, SPIRIT AND DEDICATION OF TRULY SHOWN THROUGH. AND YOU'VE CLAIMED THE WELL-DESERVED [00:25:01] PLACE IN HISTORY. MAY YOUR RAIN BE FILLED WITH SPOOKY ADVENTURES, WICKED FUN, AND UNFORGETTABLE MEMORIES, WISHING ALL YOU THE BEST AS YOU CONTINUE TO LEAD THE CELEBRATION WITH STYLE AND FRIGHT AND LONG LIVE OUR HALLOWEEN QUEEN. SHE IS NOT HERE TO BE WITH US TODAY, BUT WE WILL PRESENT THIS. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. DID HE MAKE IT? NO. OKAY. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, OF COURSE, EACH GRAND, EACH, UH, PARADE HAS THEIR GRAND MARSHALL, UH, THAT LEADS OFF AND THE KING AND QUEEN THIS YEAR. OUR GRAND MARSHALL IS PRESENTED TO MR. DANTE DEVONTE LEWIS. IF YOU KNOW WHO DEVONTE LEWIS IS, HE IS YOUR PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSIONER AND HE HAS BEEN NAMED GRAND MARSHALL. CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU BEING NAMED GRAND MARSHALL. OF THE 14 OF THE PEOPLE AT HALLOWEEN CHRISTMAS PARADE. , SORRY, I RUN THE CHRISTMAS PARADE TOO. HALLOWEEN PARADE, I APOLOGIZE, BUT TOTALLY SCREWED THAT UP. MR. DEVONTE WAS NOT ABLE TO BE HERE WITH US TODAY, BUT WE WILL GET THIS TO HIM. AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO CALL UP MR. COULIER TO GIVE Y'ALL SOME MORE INFORMATION ON NOT JUST THE PARADE THAT'S COMING UP, BUT WHAT, WHAT THEY'VE DONE THROUGH THE YEAR, THROUGH THE YEAR, ESPECIALLY THIS MONTH, AND THE ACTIVITIES THAT HAVE BEEN DONE AND EVERYTHING THAT'LL BE HAPPENING ON THIS HALLOWEEN SEASON. THANK YOU. THIS PAST WEEKEND WE WERE ABLE TO HOST OUR TWO COSTUME GIVEAWAY DAYS. OUR FIRST ONE WAS SATURDAY IN DONVILLE, LOUISIANA. THIS WAS OUR FIRST TIME TO EXPAND OUR COSTUME GIVEAWAY TO A SECOND DAY AND A SECOND LOCATION. AND ON SUNDAY WE HAD OUR CUSTOM GIVEAWAY HERE IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH AT THE LIBRARY ON GOODWOOD. UH, WE WERE ABLE TO GIVE OUT A LITTLE UNDER 400 COSTUMES, SO THAT CONTINUES TO GROW. WE HAD OVER 40 LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE PARISH COLLECTING COSTUMES FOR THAT COSTUME GIVEAWAY. AND STARTING TOMORROW IS THE FILT HALLOWEEN FESTIVAL. WE KICK OFF WITH OUR ZOMBIE PUB CRAWL. THAT'S GONNA BE TOMORROW. IT'S GONNA START AT THE ORIGIN HOTEL, AND THAT'S GONNA BE AT AROUND FIVE O'CLOCK AND IT WILL PROGRESS DOWN THIRD STREET. WE'LL VISIT MOTHER'S LOUNGE, THE BENGAL TAP ROOM, 13TH SOCIAL, SOMEWHERE, BAR AND O'HARA. SO IF YOU'RE IN FOR A GOOD TIME AND WANNA DRESS LIKE A ZOMBIE, WE'LL ALSO HAVE A MAKEUP ARTIST, AIRBRUSH ARTIST AT, UM, OUR FIRST STOP TO BEGIN AIRBRUSHING PEOPLE GETTING THEM READY FOR THE PUP CRAWL. SO COME ON OUT IN POLICE DEPARTMENT, DON'T PULL US OVER. WE'RE JUST ZOMBIES HAVING A GOOD TIME. UM, ON FRIDAY NIGHT WE HAVE OUR FI FILET HALLOWEEN COSTUME BALL THAT WILL BE AT LIVE COOK ON THE CAMPUS OF LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY. UH, EARLY ON SATURDAY MORNING, WE'LL START OFF AT THE FIL-A 5K ON THE LEVY AT EIGHT O'CLOCK. ALSO IN THAT GREEN SPACE RIGHT THERE, THE RIVERFRONT PLAZA IS WHERE WE'LL HAVE OUR ARTS MARKET. WE HAVE A SPECIAL KID ZONE AREA WHERE KIDS CAN COME PLAY GAMES. THEY GET A FREE BOOK FOR THE FIRST 100 KIDS, A HALLOWEEN BOOK, AS WELL AS TONS OF, OF OF TREATS FOR HALLOWEEN THAT WE'LL BE ABLE TO COLLECT. AT FOUR O'CLOCK, WE'LL HAVE THE 14TH ANNUAL FFAT HALLOWEEN PARADE, WHICH STARTS AT GOVERNMENT STREET AND RIVER ROAD AND PROCEEDS DOWNTOWN. AND ON SUNDAY MORNING, WE'LL HAVE OUR FINAL AWARDS BRUNCH FOR THE FFAT FESTIVAL. ALL OF THAT INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEBSITE. IT'S 10 31 CONSORTIUM.COM. AND THANK YOU, UH, COUNCILMAN MOOCH FOR RECOGNIZING WE APPRECIATED. THANK Y'ALL. ALRIGHT, LOOK THIS WAY FOR ME AND LET'S GET A BIG SMILE FROM EVERYBODY. I DO IT. HOLD THAT. 3, 2, 1 OH . ALL RIGHT, ONE. YOU GREAT. THANK YOU. SO YOU, NEXT WE'RE GONNA HAVE A PRESENTATION BY COUNCILWOMAN DARAN. HELLO EVERYONE. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE COUNCIL FOR HAVING GIVEN ME AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME UP. AS WE ALL KNOW, OCTOBER IS THE MONTH THAT WE RECOGNIZE AND OBSERVE BREAST AWARENESS, BREAST CANCER AWARENESS. WE RECOGNIZE THE RESEARCH, WE RECOGNIZE THE DI DIAGNOSIS, THE TREATMENT, THE MEDICAL TREATMENT OF THE FOLLOW UP, UP OF, AND THE SUPPORT AND CONTINUED EDUCATION OF THIS CONDITION. WE ALSO WANT TO CONTINUE [00:30:02] TO TAKE THIS SERIOUS AS, AS, AS, AS THOUGH WE HAVE MADE, UM, TREMENDOUS ADVANCEMENT IN THE TREATMENT AND EARLY DETECTION. AND SO WE WANNA CONTINUE TO GET THE WORD OUT THERE. EARLY DETECTION GIVES US SOME GOOD RESULTS. SO WE DON'T EVER WANT TO FORGET TODAY. I HAVE A SURVIVOR HERE WITH ME. I'M GONNA ASK HER TO COME UP. DEMETRIUS JONES. DEMETRIUS IS A VERY MOTIVATED PERSON, VERY COURAGEOUS. SHE WORKS HARD IN THE COMMUNITY, IN THE AREA OF EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT, SHE'S FOUGHT A COURAGEOUS FIGHT. SHE CONTINUES TO GET THE WORD AND SPREAD THE WORD ON THIS CONDITION. SHE'S A COMMUNITY ADVOCATE. SHE SERVES FAMILIES THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY. SHE WAS DIAGNOSED OVER A YEAR AGO AND BATTLED FROM FEBRUARY 23RD. AND SHE'S CURED. AND WE THANK GOD FOR THAT. LET'S GIVE HER A HAND. SHE'S GOT A NEW LOOK ON LIFE. SHE'S THRIVING, SHE'S SURVIVING ABUNDANTLY IN SPIRITUALITY MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY. SO WE ARE SO EXCITED TODAY TO HAVE HER TO JOIN US AND TO PRESENT HER WITH THIS CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION IN THIS HOUR MONTH OF OBSERVANCE OF BREAST CANCER AWARENESS, YOU LIKE TO HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY. SHE DOESN'T WANNA SAY ANYTHING, BUT SHE'S A LIVING TESTIMONY. SO WE CAN PUT OUR EYES ON HER AND SEE WHAT HAS HAPPENED AND WHAT GOOD THINGS HAVE HAPPENED TO HER. AND THANK YOU FOR COMING TODAY. NEXT WE'RE GONNA HAVE COUNCILWOMAN SHAUNA BANKS. GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCILWOMAN. UH, DEZA PLAYED ME. SHE SAID SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY. I WOULD SAY SHE DID AN EXCELLENT JOB. AN EXCELLENT JOB. ALRIGHT, I HAVE TWO GREAT PRESENTATIONS TODAY THAT ARE VERY EXCITING AND I HOPE THAT YOU ALL WILL FEEL, UM, THE ENERGY AND EXCITEMENT AND CREATIVITY AND THE VISION THAT WE HAVE, UM, COMING ALONG IN, I CALL IT NOW THE GREATER SCOTLANDVILLE AREA AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES. I'M GONNA ASK PAULA DAWSON TO COME UP. SO PAULA DAWSON IS PRESIDENT OF JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT FOR GREATER BATON ROUGE AND ACADIANA. I WOULD LIKE TO FIRST JUST ALLOW HER AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS WONDERFUL ORGANIZATION, WHAT SHE'S BRINGING, UM, TO OUR COMMUNITY. INVITE YOU ALL TO BE PART OF A SPECIAL, UH, GRANT, NOT RIBBON CUTTING AND GRAND OPENING. SO I DON'T WANT TO, UM, UH, GIVE MOST OF MY TIME. I'D LIKE TO GIVE IT TO YOU, PAULA, THANK YOU, WOMAN BANK. UM, WE TRULY APPRECIATE YOU BEING BEHIND US ON THIS. JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT, IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR, IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION WHERE WE SERVICE GRADES K THROUGH 12 WITH FINANCIAL LITERACY, WORK READINESS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMS. UM, AND OUR PROGRAMS ARE REALLY TARGETED TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THERE'S THAT SEQUENTIAL LEARNING THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. UM, I ONLY HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME. SO THERE'S TONS OF PROGRAMS THAT WE ALREADY OFFER WITH 37,000 STUDENTS THAT WE SERVICE IN THE GREATER BATON ROUGE AREA. EVERY ONE OF YOUR DISTRICTS ARE IMPACTED BY THIS. UM, BUT WHAT I WOULD LOVE TO SHARE WITH YOU IS OUR GRAND OPENING OF OUR DISCOVERY CENTER MOBILE. WE WORKED FOR A FEW YEARS ON THIS PROGRAM AND IT'S SUPER EXCITING. SO, UM, OUR, OUR GOAL IS TO INSPIRE AND PREPARE YOUTH FOR THE GLOBAL ECONOMY. WE'VE WORKED FOR A FEW YEARS TO BRING THIS, THIS DISCOVERY CENTER MOBILE LIVE TO YOU. IT HOUSES TWO PROGRAMS. ONE PROGRAM IS CALLED BIZTOWN, IT'S FOR FIFTH GRADE STUDENTS. WE ARE LAUNCHING IT, UM, IN JUST A FEW WEEKS, UM, AT THE JEWEL NEWMAN COMMUNITY CENTER. AND WE'VE ALREADY GOT OUR SCHOOLS LINED [00:35:01] UP. THAT BIZTOWN UNIT IS FOR FIFTH GRADE. BUT WHAT HAPPENS IS THESE KIDS GO THROUGH 12 LESSONS OF WHAT IT TAKES TO RUN A CITY. WHAT IS VOTING? HOW DO YOU, HOW, HOW ARE YOU A CONSUMER? UM, WHAT IS A PRODUCER? HOW DOES A CITY WORK? UM, AND SO THEY LEARN ALL ABOUT BUSINESSES AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. AND THEN THEY TAKE THOSE SKILLS AND THEY BRING 'EM INTO ACTION. AT THIS DISCOVERY CENTER WHERE WE WILL BRING AT JEWEL NEWMAN, UH, WE WILL POP UP A CITY WHERE YOU'LL SEE THE CITY HALL, YOU'LL SEE THE GROCERY STORE, AND THESE KIDS APPLY FOR THE JOBS AND ACTUALLY COME AND RUN THE BUSINESSES THROUGH A HALF DAY EXPERIENCE. SO IT IS A TREMENDOUS IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE FOR THESE KIDS THAT THEY WILL REMEMBER FOR A LIFETIME. THE SECOND PROGRAM THAT WE'RE GONNA BE RUNNING OUT OF THERE IS FINANCE PARK, WHICH IS FOR SEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS. AND THESE STUDENTS TAKE 12 LESSONS IN THE CLASSROOM AND THEY LEARN ALL ABOUT THE BILLS THAT THEY'RE GONNA PAY. UM, DON'T WE ALL WISH WE WOULD'VE KNOWN A WHOLE LOT MORE ABOUT FINANCIAL LITERACY WHEN WE WERE YOUNGER? SO THEY LEARN ALL ABOUT A CREDIT SCORE. WHAT IS RENTING VERSUS A MORTGAGE? YOU KNOW, HOW CAN, HOW CAN I KNOW WHAT I CAN AFFORD FOR A CAR? UM, WHAT IS A LOAN? ALL OF THOSE DIFFERENT CONCEPTS, THEY COME TO THIS SAME POP-UP CITY. UM, IT'S SET UP A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY. IT'S A LITTLE BIT OLDER, UH, MODEL. AND SO WHEN THEY WALK IN, THEY ACTUALLY GET AN IPAD AND EACH STUDENT TURNS IT ON AND THEY FIND OUT WHO THEY ARE FOR THE DAY, IF THEY'RE MARRIED, SINGLE, WHAT THEIR CREDIT SCORE IS, HOW MANY CHILDREN THEY HAVE. AND, AND SO THEY ACTUALLY HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE CITY IN THIS IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE AND USE THAT BUDGET AND THAT PERSONA THAT THEY'VE BEEN GIVEN AND CREATE A POSITIVE BUDGET. AND BOY DO EYES OPEN BY THE TIME THEY'RE LEAVING, THEY'RE WANTING TO THANK THEIR MOMS AND DADS. AND, UM, THEY HAVE A, A NEW APPRECIATION FOR WHAT IT MEANS TO REALLY HAVE A BUDGET. AND THAT'S WHERE IT BEGINS IN THESE YOUNGER YEARS. SO WE CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH COUNCILWOMAN BANKS FOR OPENING YOUR DOORS FOR US. UM, WE ARE ONLY THE FIFTH IN THE COUNTRY TO HAVE THIS DISCOVERY CENTER MOBILE, AND WE WILL BE EXPANDING FOR 25, 26. SO GET YOUR SCHOOLS READY AND YOUR, YOUR AREA PREPARED BECAUSE JA IS, IS COMING IN HOT. PAUL, IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TELL THEM ABOUT THE GRANT, THE, UM, GRAND OPENING. OH, ABSOLUTELY. SO YOU HAVE AN INVITATION, UM, AT YOUR, AT YOUR TABLE. SO WE WOULD LOVE TO HAVE YOU ON THURSDAY, ON OCTOBER 30TH, WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU COME SEE THE RIBBON CUTTING, COME SEE THE ACTUAL, UM, POPUP CITY SO THAT YOU CAN HAVE A REALLY CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THAT MEANS FOR YOUR DISTRICTS AND IT WILL BE COMING TO YOU. SO PLEASE JOIN US. WE'LL MAKE IT QUICK AND YOU'LL GET A GOOD BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT. AND I HAVE A CERTIFICATE FOR YOU. OH, THANK YOU. SO WE HAVE A CERTIFICATE OF RECOGNITION PRESENTED TO JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT GREATER BATON ROUGE AND ACADIANA FOR BRINGING THE DISCOVERY MOBILE CENTER EXPERIENCE TO OUR YOUTH IN NORTH BATON ROUGE AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES. THROUGH FUN, EXPLORATORY, AND ENGAGING HAND-ON PRACTICES, OUR TEENS WILL GAIN A STRONG FINANCIAL MASTERY AND DEVELOP A HEALTHY RELATIONSHIP WITH MONEY ON, GIVEN THIS DAY OCTOBER 23RD, 2024. THANK YOU SO MUCH, PAULA. THANK YOU. WE APPRECIATE IT. GO RIGHT HERE. YES. THANK, SO MY NEXT PRESENTATION, UM, I I'M GOING TO BRING UP BRANDON AND SHAZA COLLINS, PLEASE. SO THIS IS A STORY I CAN TELL WITHOUT A SCRIPT. UM, ELLA, THEIR PARENTS, BRANDON'S PARENTS AND SHAZA PARENTS IN LAW IN LOVE, UM, OPENED UP A HARDING BOULEVARD IHOP AND THAT WAS THE MOST EXCITING NATIONAL BRAND TO COME TO OUR SCOTLANDVILLE COMMUNITY IN A VERY LONG TIME. UM, ELLA COLLINS IS A NATIVE OF SCOTLANDVILLE, GRADUATED FROM SCOTLANDVILLE HIGH SCHOOL, UH, AND HER PA HER PARENTS WERE ACTUALLY IMPACTED WITH THE EXPANSION OF THE BATON ROUGE AIRPORT AND THEY MOVED OFF ELM GROVE. BUT THIS FAMILY IS SO DEDICATED TO OUR SCOTLANDVILLE COMMUNITY. THE MOTHER INSISTED ON MOVING, UM, TO ANOTHER HOME CLOSER, UH, I MEAN ANOTHER HOME IN THE SCOTLANDVILLE COMMUNITY. AND WHEN LOCATIONS WERE BEING SOUGHT BY IHOP, ELLA WAS INSISTING THAT IT'D BE BROUGHT IN BACK TO HER COMMUNITY IN SCOTLANDVILLE. FAST FORWARD, ELLA AND HER HUSBAND JOHN, WHO IS A SHELL CHEMICAL, UH, RETIREE, HAVE BOTH RETIRED. AND IF THERE IS EVER AN EXAMPLE OF GENERATIONAL WEALTH AND THE TRANSFER [00:40:01] OF THOSE SKILLS TO YOUR, UM, YOUR CHILDREN AND YOUR OFFSPRING, BRANDON AND ALIZA ARE THAT, UH, EXAMPLE THAT WE ALL ARE VERY PROUD OF. AND TO FOLLOW, ONE LAST THING BEFORE WE LEAVE, I'LL BRING UP FRED AND DANTE BECAUSE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CONNECTIVITY AND WE JUST HAD A GRAND OPENING FOR THE, UH, SIDEWALKS ON ELM GROVE IN 2019 JUST BEFORE THE MOVE BEYOND TAX PA PASS, ELLA WAS ALWAYS CALLING ME THE MOTHER ABOUT, UM, PERSONS ON HOW BOULEVARD NOT BEING ABLE TO GET TO THE HARDING BECAUSE THERE WERE NO SIDEWALKS. AND SO IN 2019, THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST SIDEWALK PROJECTS, AND TODAY WE ARE CELEBRATING THE SECOND GENERATION OF IHOP OWNERS WHO HAPPEN TO BE NAMED A FRANCHISEE OF THE YEAR FOR THE NATIONAL IHOP CORPORATION. AND I DON'T WANT YOU ALL TO FAST CHECK THIS OR ANYTHING, BUT I THINK THAT'S DIRECTLY BECAUSE OF MY SIDEWALKS. HOW ABOUT THAT Y'ALL? SO WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I'LL BRING UP BRANDON AND SHALISA FOR COMMENTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, THANK YOU CHANA. WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE RECOGNITION. WE ARE KIND OF NEW TO RECOGNITION OF THIS CALIBER, UM, AS WELL AS THE SPEECHES THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW WE WERE GONNA GIVE. UM, BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT IS, IT IS VERY MUCH AN HONOR, UH, TO WIN THE AWARD, UH, OUT OF ALL THE FRANCHISEES, I BELIEVE OVER 700, UH, FRANCHISEES AND 1800 STORES IN THE NATION. UM, BUT WE ARE PROUD TO BRING IT HOME TO BATON ROUGE AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN BE NOMINATED AND POSSIBLY SPRING UP ANOTHER, UH, RESTAURANT OR TWO IN THE AREA AS WELL. THANK YOU. GO ANYWHERE. AND I DON'T WANNA MESS THIS UP, BUT THEY'RE, I THEY ALSO HAVE A DRIVE THROUGH. NOW I KNOW NONE OF YOU ALL HAVE SEEN AN IHOP DRIVE THROUGH, SO I THINK Y'ALL WERE THE WHAT NUMBER IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY Y'ALL WERE CHOSEN TO IN, IN FOR A DRIVE THROUGH LINE. UM, ACTUALLY WHEN WE ADDED IT, UM, I BELIEVE WE WERE THE ONLY IHOP TO REMODEL TO GET A DRIVE. I THINK WE WERE ONLY IHOP TO REMODEL, UH, TO HAVE ADD A DRIVE THROUGH. BUT I BELIEVE THERE'S ONLY THREE OR FOUR IN THE NATION. SO YEAH, OUR DR OUR, UH, TOGO BUSINESS IS ABOUT 50%. SO TRYING TO BALANCE DINE IN AND TOGO'S IS A REAL CHALLENGE, BUT WE'RE EXCITED TO DO SO. THAT'S WHY WE PUT IN THE DRIVE. ALRIGHT. UH, FRED, WOULD YOU JUST COME AND TAKE A PICTURE WITH US AND REPRESENT THE CITY? UM, WHO, IF IT WASN'T FOR US, THEY WOULDN'T BE. YES. . ALRIGHT. ALRIGHT. EVERYBODY LOOK THIS WAY FOR ME. ALRIGHT, GOOD. 3, 2, 1. ALRIGHT, ONE MORE. MIDDLE MAN. 1, 2, 3. SORRY. YEP. AND 1, 2, 3. GOT IT. THANK YOU. OKAY. 1, 2, 3. GOT IT. AND NOW WE'RE GONNA HAVE COUNCILMAN AARON MOGUE TO RECOGNIZE MARK LEBLA COUNCIL MEMBERS. THANK Y'ALL FOR, UH, BEING HERE TODAY, AGAIN TO THE PUBLIC FOR BEING HERE TODAY. I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE SOMEONE FROM CENTRAL THAT HAS, UH, STUDIED FLAGS, THAT HAS LOOKED AT THE DESIGN, THE MEANINGS AND EVERYTHING. AND ACTUALLY SOMETHING THAT, THAT I DIDN'T KNOW IS WE HAVE A CITY OF BATON ROUGE FLAG, BUT WE ACTUALLY DO NOT HAVE A EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH FLAG. SO AT THIS TIME, UNOFFICIALLY, YOU, NOW EACH ONE OF YOU HAVE A EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH FLAG IN FRONT OF YOU. IT IS SOMETHING THAT I REALLY THINK THAT WE NEED TO DELVE INTO IN CREATING ONE UNIFIED PARISH AND, AND FLYING UNDER ONE FLAG. BUT BEFORE WE DO THAT, AND BEFORE WE EVEN GET INTO THAT CONSIDERATION OF MAKING IT FROM UNOFFICIALLY TO POSSIBLE, NOT SAYING IT WILL BE ANYTIME SOON, BUT COULD BE OFFICIAL EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH FLAG, I'D LIKE TO CALL UP MR. MARK LEBLANC AND TELL US ABOUT HIS DESIGN ON THE FLAG. I AM MARK LELONG. I'VE WORKED FOR THE CITY FOR LIKE 36 YEARS, I GUESS, BUT, UH, I, I MAKE MY LIVING IN FINANCE, BUT [00:45:01] I ENJOY OLOGY OR THE STUDY OF FLAGS. SO, UH, I GUESS A FEW YEARS AGO I STARTED THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING FOR BATON ROUGE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH AS A WHOLE. WE, LIKE YOU, UH, COUNCILMAN MOOCH SAID, WE HAVE A CITY OF BATON ROUGE FLAG THAT WAS ADOPTED IN 1995, I BELIEVE, AND I WAS ON THE COMMITTEE THAT HELPED DESIGN THAT AND GET IT OFF, OFF THE, UH, BOARD. BUT, UM, THE PARISH NEEDS SOME, I THOUGHT. UH, IT'S KIND OF A NEW THING, COUNTIES, AND WE ONLY HAVE TWO PARISHES, I THINK IN LOUISIANA THAT HAVE A FLAG, UH, PLAQUE, PLAQUEMINES PARISH AND ST. BERNARD. UM, MAYBE ONE DAY EAST BATON ROUGE CAN JOIN THAT, THAT LIST. BUT THE, UM, BUT THE FLAG HAS SPECIAL MEANING TO ME. UH, THE BLUE CURVY LINE IS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER, WHICH WE ALL KNOW IT'S, UH, UH, IT'S HOW THE, THE FRENCH FOUND OR FOUND BATON ROUGE WITH THE RED STICKS OR THE BLOOD ON THE, UH, ON THE STICKS FROM, UH, YOU KNOW, IN THE NATIVE AMERICANS SACRIFICING THOSE AN, UH, ANIMALS OR JUST CLEANING THEM FOR FOOD. AND THEN WE HAVE THE RED STICK, WHICH, UH, GOES THROUGH THE SHIELD THROUGH THE RIVER. AND THEN WE HAVE THE THREE COUNTRIES ON THE FLAG THAT HELD THIS AREA AND INFLUENCED OUR CULTURE FOR MANY YEARS, THE FLORIDA OF, UH, FRANCE, THE SPANISH CASTLE, AND THE UNION JACK OF GREAT BRITAIN. SO I DID THIS FLAG, UH, AS A GIFT TO THE PARISH AND UM, I WANTED TO DISTRIBUTE TO Y'ALL AS REPRESENTATIVES OF THE PARISH TO HAVE A, A COPY. SO ENJOY IT, UH, DISPLAY IT AS YOU WISH, AND, UH, I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH MR. LEAL. WE, WE APPRECIATE THAT VERY MUCH. WE APPRECIATE YOU TAKING YOUR TIME TO, TO NOT ONLY STUDY IT, BUT TO, TO DO THE DIFFERENT REPRESENTATIONS AND EVERYTHING. AND UNOFFICIALLY WE REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU'VE DONE WITH THE FLAG. AND WE WILL UNOFFICIALLY DEFINITELY KEEP IT WITH US AND POSSIBLY OFFICIALLY MAYBE LOOK INTO SEEING WHAT WE CAN DO LATER ON TO, TO HAVE ONE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH UNITED FLAG. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. THAT CONCLUDES OUR, UM, RECOGNITIONS AND PRESENTATION, SO WE'LL BE ADJOURNED UNTIL FOUR O'CLOCK. HELLO EVERYBODY AND WELCOME IN. GOOD TO SEE ALL OF YOU AND HAVE YOU WATCHING OUR METROPOLITAN COUNCIL MEETING. AS ALWAYS, THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL, THEY ALL WANT YOU TO BE A PART OF OUR GOVERNMENT. AND SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TUNING IN ON VLA.GOV COX AT T FACEBOOK LIVE AND ON U2. IT'S OCTOBER 23RD, 2024. AND AT THIS TIME HERE IS THE MAYOR, PRESIDENT PRO TEM OF EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH. COUNCILMAN BRANDON NOBLE. COUNCILMAN. THANK YOU DENNIS. WELCOME EVERYBODY TO [CALL TO ORDER] THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL MEETING THIS OCTOBER 23RD, 2024. WE'RE GONNA HAVE THE INVOCATION THIS EVENING BY COUNCILWOMAN CAROLYN COLEMAN, FOLLOWED BY THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE BY DYLAN YOUNG, THE SEVENTH GRADE SEVENTH GRADER AT UNIVERSITY HIGH SCHOOL. YOU HAVE, AND I SAY GOOD AFTERNOON TO EVERYONE. AND SO, YES, YOU HEARD IT, DYLAN YOUNG. AND DYLAN IS A SEVENTH GRADER AT UNIVERSITY HIGH AND ALL AROUND ATHLETE WHO HAS DONE COMPETITIVE GYMNASTIC TRACK AND FEEL A LOVER OF ART AND ENJOYS DRAWING AND VISITING MUSEUM. AND SHE'S ALSO A PART OF THE STUDENT COUNCIL AT HER SCHOOL. SO, AND DYLAN WILL RECITE THE PLEDGE AFTER THE INVOCATION. AND SO IF WE BOW OUR HEADS, AND FATHER, WE THANK YOU FOR THIS DAY, FOR THIS IS THE DAY THAT YOU'VE MADE AND WE'RE GOING TO REJOICE IN IT. EPHESIANS FOUR AND 11 SAYS THAT HE EQUIPPED TO DO THE WORK OF THE MINISTRY. ISAIAH NINE AND SIX SAYS THAT, AND THE GOVERNMENT SHALL REST UPON HIS SHOULDERS. EPHESIANS FOUR AND ONE SAYS, WALK WORTHY OF THE VOCATION IN WHICH WE ARE CALLED. SO THEREFORE WE SHOULD BE EQUIPPED, WALK WORTHY AND REST IN THE ALMIGHTY. WE SHOULD IN NO WAY NO TIME, TAKE GOD'S PLACE FOR HE IS THE ALPHA, THE OMEGA, THE BEGINNING, THE END, OMNIPOTENT, OMNIPRESENT AND OMNISCIENT. AND YES, HE HAS THE WHOLE WORLD IN HIS HANDS. SO AS WE SUBMIT TO THE ALL POWER FOR ALL KNOWING AND [00:50:01] EVERYWHERE WE SUBMIT OUR WILL TO YOU ALMIGHTY, AS WE FORGE YOUR AHEAD, MAKING DECISIONS CONSCIOUSLY AND WE ASK THAT YOU PROTECT US IN EVERY AREA OF OUR LIFE AND SHOW US WHAT WE DON'T KNOW AS WE LEAN NOT TO OUR OWN UNDERSTANDING, BUT IN ALL OUR WAYS, ACKNOWLEDGE YOU AND YOU WILL DIRECT OUR PATH FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WE SERVE. AMEN. AMEN. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS ONE NATION UNDER GOD AND INVISIBLE WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. AND SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I GIVE DYLAN THIS CERTIFICATE HERE OF RECOGNITION FOR LEADING THE PLEDGE HERE AT THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL MEETING ON THIS OCTOBER 23RD AND SAY TO YOU THAT THE BEST IS YET TOUGH. LET'S TAKE THIS NICE PICTURE AND YEAH, THESE MY PEOPLE I GOT ALL RIGHT. NOW AS WE'RE CALLING MEETING ORDER, WE'LL HAVE A ROLL CALL. ASHLEY, DO WE HAVE A QUORUM? WE HAVE A QUORUM. MAY I HAVE THE UH, [ADOPTION AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES] ADOPTION APPROVAL OF MINUTES, APPROVAL AND ADOPTION OF THE MINUTES OF METROPOLITAN COUNCIL MEETING OF OCTOBER 9TH, 2024, THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL ZONING MEETING OF OCTOBER 16TH, 2024 BY THE COUNCIL, ADMINISTRATIVE TREASURER. WE HAVE A MOTION. HAVE A MOTION BY COUNCILWOMAN AMAROSA, SECOND BY COUNCILMAN HUDSON. ANY OPPOSED INTRODUCTIONS? [INTRODUCTIONS] ASHLEY, PLEASE READ. PLEASE READ THE INTRODUCTIONS. SECTION 2.12 INTRODUCTIONS NUMBER TWO, AMENDING THE PRELIMINARY CURRENT EXPENSE BUDGET AND CAPITAL BUDGET OF THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE IN PARISH EAST BATON ROUGE FOR THE YEAR 2025 SUBMITTED BY THE MAYOR, PRESIDENT AND ADOPTING THE FINAL CURRENT EXPENSE BUDGET AND CAPITAL BUDGET OF THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE IN PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE FOR THE YEAR 2025 BY THE MAYOR. PRESIDENT NUMBER THREE AMENDING THE ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET SO AS TO REALLOCATE 2,554,400, I'M SORRY, $748 AND 15 CENTS FROM THE PROCEEDS FROM THE LOCAL FISCAL RECOVERY FUNDS THROUGH THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT TO PROVIDE FUNDING FOR PROJECTS AND INITIATIVES AS FOLLOWS. 708,154 DO $158 AND 65 CENTS FOR STORMWATER. $690,232 AND 68 CENTS FOR CYBERSECURITY. $225,000 TOWARD THE BOYS AND GIRLS INSPIRATION CENTER. $290,000 FOR BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS, $130,000 FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM EVENTS. $100,426 AND 82 CENTS TO SUPPORT THE PUBLIC DEFENDER. $100,000 FOR HOMELESSNESS CLEANUP $100,000 TOWARDS UPDATING THE PLAN BR THREE $140,000 FOR COMMUNITY PROGRAMS. $45,930 FOR DOWNTOWN SIGNAGE AND $25,000 FOR THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY WITNESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM BY THE MAYOR. PRESIDENT NUMBER FOUR, CONDEMNATION INSTRUCTIONS. CALEB NIXON. 7 2 8 ABSET STREET COUNCIL DISTRICT TWO BANKS NUMBER FIVE, THE ESTATE OF HOLLIS JENKINS AND THE ESTATE OF MABEL BATIS JENKINS. 7 1 5 ABSET STREET COUNCIL DISTRICT TWO BANKS NUMBER SIX, THE ESTATE OF GEORGE SANFORD AND THE ESTATE OF PATRICIA SANFORD. 9 9 3 0 AVENUE C COUNCIL DISTRICT TWO BANKS, NUMBER SEVEN, ONYX SQUARE. LLC 1 3 5 0 SOA STREET COUNCIL DISTRICT TWO BANKS, NUMBER EIGHT. CARRIE BAILEY JOHNSON. 6 4 6 0 VINEYARD DRIVE. COUNCIL DISTRICT FIVE HEARST. NUMBER NINE. SYDNEY SHORTER ETAL 1 3 2 9 NORTH ACADIAN THREEWAY, WEST COUNCIL DISTRICT SEVEN DEZA NUMBER 10, LOA COLLINS LIVING TRUST. 2 7 6 9 CEDAR AVENUE COUNCIL DISTRICT 10 COLEMAN NUMBER 11, WILMA LEE OLIVER 2 0 7 EVERGREEN DRIVE COUNCIL DISTRICT 10 COLEMAN NUMBER 12, RW INVESTMENT PROPERTIES LLC 3 3 3 6 ALIQUIPPA STREET COUNCIL DISTRICT 10 COLEMAN ADJUDICATED PROPERTY INTRODUCTIONS NUMBER 13, LOT 11 SUBDIVISION FAIRLANE COUNCIL DISTRICT FIVE HEARST NUMBER 14, LOT B TWO SUBDIVISION. LIZZIE BARNES TRACK COUNCIL DISTRICT TWO BANKS NUMBER 15 LOT FIVE SQUARE FIVE SUBDIVISION NORTH SCOTLAND COUNCIL DISTRICT TWO BANKS NUMBER 16 LOT TWO SQUARE SIX SUBDIVISION ZACHARY HEIGHTS COUNCIL DISTRICT ONE KNOLL NUMBER 17 LOT 48 SUBDIVISION. DAWN WOOD COUNCIL DISTRICT FOUR MO NUMBER 18 LOT NORTHEAST CORNER OF BLUNT AND AVENUE E SUBDIVISION HIGHLAND FARMS COUNCIL DISTRICT TWO BANKS NUMBER 19 LOT UMV SQUARE 49 SUBDIVISION UNIVERSITY PLACE COUNCIL DISTRICT TWO BANKS NUMBER 20 LOT FIVE SQUARE 16 SUBDIVISION PROSPERITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 10 COLEMAN NUMBER 21 LOCK 16 PLUS SUBDIVISION HARDING HEIGHTS COUNCIL DISTRICT TWO BANKS NUMBER 22 [00:55:02] LOT 82 A SUBDIVISION, HARDING HEIGHTS COUNCIL DISTRICT TWO BANKS NUMBER 23 LOT 83 A AND 84 A SUBDIVISION, HARDING HEIGHTS COUNCIL DISTRICT TWO BANKS NUMBER 24 LOT 3 47 SUBDIVISION BELL FAIR HOMES COUNCIL DISTRICT SEVEN DRAZAN NUMBER 25 LOT EAST OF 51 SUBDIVISION LUGE METRO COUNCIL DISTRICT ONE NOEL NUMBER 26 LOT 1 67, 1 69 AND 1 71 SUBDIVISION COLONIAL HILL COUNCIL DISTRICT SEVEN DRAZAN NUMBER 28 LOT D ONE A ONE SUBDIVISION LR SCOTT TRACK COUNCIL DISTRICT ONE KNOLL NUMBER 28 LOT 2 55 SUBDIVISION CRYSTAL PLACE COUNCIL DISTRICT FOUR MOOC NUMBER 29 LOT THREE SQUARE F SUBDIVISION CRAWFORD EDITION COUNCIL DISTRICT SEVEN RAZAN NUMBER 30 LOT NINE PARTS SQUARE 20 SUBDIVISION NORTH BATON ROUGE COUNCIL DISTRICT TWO BANKS NUMBER 31 LOT 21 AND 22 SQUARE 13 SUBDIVISION BANKS COUNCIL DISTRICT 10 COLEMAN NUMBER 32 LOT 31 A SQUARE 15 SUBDIVISION BANKS COUNCIL DISTRICT 10, COLEMAN NUMBER 33 LOT 31 A SQUARE 15. SUBDIVISION BANKS COUNCIL DISTRICT 10 COLEMAN. ALL ITEMS REQUIRE READING HAVE BEEN READ IN A MOTION TO DELETE ITEMS 44 AND 52 AND INTRODUCE ALL OTHER ITEMS AS AN ORDER. SO MOVED BY COUNCILWOMAN COLEMAN, SECOND BY COUNCILWOMAN AMAROSA. ANY OPPOSITION? MOTION CARRIES. WE'RE GONNA GO TO OUR SEPARATE SHEET FOR CONDEMNATIONS. ALRIGHT, WE HAVE RECOMMENDATIONS [CONDEMNATIONS] TO PROCEED WITH ITEM 69, 71, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 89, 90 AND 91. UH, GIVEN 90 DAYS ON ITEM 70, 72 AND 88 AND DELETE ITEM 87. IS ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON ANY OF THESE ITEMS? SEE, NONE WILL GO TO COUNCIL. DO WE HAVE ANY COUNCIL MCC COLEMAN? YES. UH, 60 DAYS ON 74. 60 DAYS ON 75. HANG ON, WAIT, WE HAVE 60 DAYS, SO YOU WANNA GO TO DECEMBER 11TH? THAT'S GOOD. OKAY. ALRIGHT, GIMME THE NUMBERS AGAIN. I'M SORRY. 74. OKAY. 74 75. ALRIGHT, ONE MORE AND 89. 89 MM-HMM, 60 DAYS AND 90 DAYS FOR NUMBER 91. THANK YOU. MM-HMM? . I AM SORRY. OKAY, WE ALREADY HAVE 72, 73, 30 DAYS. OKAY. ANYBODY ELSE? 60 DAYS FOR 69 PLEASE. 60 DAYS. 60. I I NEED 30 DAYS FOR 76 PLEASE. SIX. ANYBODY ELSE? OKAY, WE ARE GOING TO PROCEED WITH ITEM 71, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 85, 86, AND 90, 30 DAYS FOR ITEM 73, 76, 83, 84, 60 DAYS ITEM 69, 74, 75, 89, AND 90 DAYS FOR ITEM 70, 72, 88 AND 91 AND DELETE ITEM 87. WE HAVE A MOTION. MOTION BY COUNCILMAN DUN JR. SECOND BY COUNCILWOMAN AMAROSA. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ALL RIGHT, ITEM 92. [92. 24-01288] SUPPLEMENTAL SALES TAX BOND RESOLUTION. AMENDING AND SUPPLEMENTING GENERAL SALES TAX BOND RESOLUTION NUMBER 5 4 4 3 0 [01:00:02] BY PROVIDING FOR THE ISSUANCE AND SALE OF MOVE EBR SALES TAX REVENUE BOND SERIES 2024, THE BATON ROUGE OF THE PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS DISTRICT PRESCRIBING THE FORM, FIXING THE DETAILS AND PROVIDING FOR THE PAYMENT OF THE PRINCIPLE OF, OF AND INTEREST ON SUCH BONDS AND FOR THE RIGHTS OF THE REGISTERED OWNERS THEREOF. AND PROVIDING FOR THE MATTERS RELATED THERETO BY THE BOND COUNSEL. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEAT NUMBER WILL GO TO COUNCIL MOTION BY COUNCILWOMAN ROCCA. WE HAVE A SECOND. SECOND BY COUNCILWOMAN COLEMAN. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM 93, AMENDING [93. 24-01291] 2024 CAPITAL BUDGET. SO AS TO APPROPRIATE 2024 ROAD AND STREET REFUNDING BONDS IN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $200 MILLION IN BOND PREMIUMS. ESTIMATED AT 23,200,000 FOR THE MOVE VR PROGRAM. AND PROVIDE FOR THE COST OF ISSUANCE BY THE TRANSPORTATION OF THE DRAINAGE DIRECTOR AND THE FINANCE DIRECTOR. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEE? NONE WILL GO TO COUNCIL. WE HAVE A MOTION. MOTION BY COUNCILMAN GOEY, SECOND BY COUNCILWOMAN ROCKA. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM [94. 24-01266] 94, RESCHEDULING THE JANUARY 22ND, 2025 REGULAR METROPOLITAN COUNCIL MEETING TO JANUARY 29TH, 2025 AT 4:00 PM BY COUNCILWOMAN LAURIE ADAMS. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NONE. GO TO COUNCIL MOTION BY COUNCILWOMAN ADAMS. SECOND BY COUNCILMAN DUNN, JR. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ALRIGHT, WE'RE GONNA TAKE 95 THROUGH [Items 95 - 98] 98 TOGETHER AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR, PRESIDENT, OR HER DESIGNEE ON BEHALF OF THE BATON ROUGE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO ACCEPT THE GRANT AWARD IN THE AMOUNT OF $91,357 TITLED PROJECT SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD 2021 BY THE POLICE CHIEF AUTHORIZING MAYOR, PRESIDENT, OR HER DESIGNEE ON BEHALF OF THE BATON ROUGE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO ACCEPT A GRANT AWARD IN THE AMOUNT OF $91,149 TITLED PROJECT SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD 2022 BY POLICE CHIEF AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR, PRESIDENT, OR HER DESIGNEE ON BEHALF OF THE BATON ROUGE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO ACCEPT A GRANT AWARD IN THE AMOUNT OF $95,411. TITLED PROJECT SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD 2023 BY THE POLICE CHIEF AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR, PRESIDENT, OR HER DESIGNEE ON BEHALF OF THE BATON ROUGE POLICE DEPARTMENT TO ACCEPT A GRANT AWARD IN THE AMOUNT OF $90,172. TITLED PROJECT SAFE NEIGHBORHOOD 2024 BY THE POLICE CHIEF. DO WE HAVE ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THESE ITEMS? SEE YOU NONE. GO TO COUNCIL. WE HAVE A MOTION. MOTION BY COUNCILWOMAN COLEMAN. SECOND BY COUNCILMAN HUDSON. ANYONE OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM 99 [99. 24-01270] AUTHORIZING MAYOR, PRESIDENT ON BEHALF OF THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT TO ENTER INTO A COOPERATIVE ENDEAVOR AGREEMENT WITH VISIT BATON ROUGE TO ACCEPT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR THE PLANNING, CONSTRUCTION, AND INSTALLATION OF SPECIALTY COLORED LIGHTING UNDER THE I ONE 10 UNDER I ONE 10 IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA BY DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT DIRECT DISTRICT DIRECTOR. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD. PENNY MAE LANDRY WEST CONTOUR DRIVE. I AM AM OPPOSITION TO ANY MONEY BEING SPENT FOR COLORED SPECIALTY LIGHTING. IF IT WERE FOR SECURITY MEASURES, I WOULD BE IN FAVOR. HOWEVER, I'M IN OPPOSITION TO THE ITEM AS STATED. THANK YOU. YES MA'AM. JENNIFER CARLE, 1855 OLD CARRIAGE LANE. AND I'M IN FAVOR OF THIS. UM, I SAT ON THE MAYOR'S, UH, SAFETY, I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS CALLED, BUT MY, UH, TEAM WAS ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN. AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE SAW IN OTHER CITIES IS THAT WHEN THEY DO LIGHTING IT, UH, IT HELPS CRIME, YOU KNOW, ELIMINATE CRIME. AND IN OTHER CITIES THEY HAVE COOL. IT'S NOT JUST LET'S PUT UP SOME LIGHTS, BUT THERE ARE COOL ARTISTIC LIGHTING THINGS AND IT'S COOL AND IT'S NEAT AND IT MAKES IT LOOK LIKE WE CARE AND WE'RE NEAT AND INTERESTING. AND I THINK, UH, IF WE'VE GOTTA SPEND MONEY ON LIGHTING, WHY NOT MAKE A COOL, INTERESTING LIGHTING, ESPECIALLY RIGHT BY DOWNTOWN. SO I'M ALL FOR IT. THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS? COUNCIL MEMBER? COUNCIL. COUNCIL MEMBERS, YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED, UH, THREE EMAIL COMMENTS ON THIS ITEM TWO IN SUPPORT, ONE IN OPPOSITION. ALL RIGHT, WE HAVE A MOTION BY COUNCILWOMAN ROCKA, SECOND BY COUNCILWOMAN COLEMAN. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM 100, AMENDING [100. 24-01289] THE 2024 CURRENT AND EXPENSE BUDGET FOR THE OFFICE OF THE PARISH ATTORNEY. SO HAS TO APPROPRIATE $15,000 FROM FUND BALANCE UNASSIGNED TO THE LEGAL SERVICES ACCOUNT FOR PAYMENT OF THE LEGAL EXPENSES INCURRED BY THE REGISTRAR OF VOTERS RELATED TO THE VOTING ASSIGNMENT FOR ANNEX PROPERTY. CURRENTLY IN LITIGATION AS REQUIRED BY LOUISIANA REVISED STATUTES. 1564 BY THE PARISH ATTORNEY. ANYONE HERE [01:05:01] WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEEN NONE WILL GO TO COUNCIL. WE HAVE A MOTION. MOTION BY COUNCILMAN DUNN, JR. SECOND BY CONSTABLE MADE, AND ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES ITEM 1 0 1, [101. 24-01301] RESCINDING AND DIRECTING THE CLERK OF COURT TO CANCEL NOTICE TO ATTEND RECORDED ON MAY 16TH, 2024. AND THE DECISION AND ORDER RECORDED ON JUNE 18TH, 2024 IN THE MATTER OF CITY OF BATON ROUGE V MARY LEE, WASHINGTON. 4 1 0 8 PROVOST STREET. REASON FOR SION, THE PROPERTY IS BEING RENOVATED BY COUNCILWOMAN RAZAN. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SCENE? NO. WILL GO TO COUNCIL. DO WE HAVE A MOTION? MOTION BY COUNCILMAN RAZAN. SECOND BY COUNCILWOMAN COLEMAN. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM 1 0 2, [102. 24-01267] AUTHORIZING MAYOR PRESIDENT TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE ON BEHALF OF THE OFFICE OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND OUR LADY OF THE LAKE ST. ANTHONY'S HOME FOR AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $91,000 BY THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NONE WILL GO TO COUNCIL. WE HAVE A MOTION. MOTION BY COUNCILMAN GOEY, SECOND BY COUNCILMAN DUNN, JR. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM 1 0 3 [103. 24-01268] AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR PRESIDENT TO ACCEPT A GRANT AWARD IN THE AMOUNT OF $152,340 AND 30 CENTS AND EXECUTE ALL DOCUMENTS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH UNDER THE STATE HOMELAND SECURITY PROGRAM BY THE HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DIRECTOR. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEE, NONE WILL GO TO COUNCIL. WE HAVE A MOTION. MOTION BY COUNCILWOMAN ADAMS. SECOND BY COUNCILMAN GOEY. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM 1 0 4, [104. 24-01269] AUTHORIZING MAYOR PRESIDENT TO ACCEPT A GRANT AWARD IN THE AMOUNT OF $75,750 AND 15 CENTS IN ALL AND EXECUTE ALL DOCUMENTS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH UNDER THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE GRANT BY THE HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DIRECTOR. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NONE WILL GO TO COUNCIL. WE HAVE A MOTION. MOTION BY COUNCILWOMAN ADAM. SECOND BY COUNCILMAN HURST. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM 1 0 5 [105. 24-01290] AUTHORIZING MAYOR PRESIDENT TO EXECUTE A COOPERATIVE ENDEAVOR AGREEMENT WITH THE BATON ROUGE SPONSORING COMMITTEE. TOGETHER BATON ROUGE IN THE AMOUNT OF $500,000 TO PARTICIPATE IN A PILOT SOLAR ENERGY PROGRAM THAT WILL PROVIDE PARTIAL FUNDING NEEDED FOR THREE COMMUNITY LIGHTHOUSES TO ASSIST THE CITIZENS OF EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH DURING WIDESPREAD POWER OUTAGES BY THE MAYOR, PRESIDENT HOMELAND SECURITY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS DIRECTOR. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? PENNY MAY. LANDRY WEST CONTOUR DRIVE. I AM OPPOSED TO THIS ITEM. PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD. MY NAME IS STEPHANIE LA PRAIRIE. I WORK FOR THE IBW UH, HERE IN BATON ROUGE, LOCAL 9 9 5. WE ARE IN SUPPORT OF THIS. UH, NOT ONLY DOES IT HELP THE COMMUNITIES IN THOSE TIMES AND NEED, BUT IT ALSO BUILDS THE COMMUNITY, UH, GETS CAREERS INTO THE, THE HANDS OF THOSE WHO DON'T HAVE A CAREER. WE HAVE AN APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM THAT THEY CAN GO THROUGH WHERE THEY CAN LEARN HOW THIS CAREER CAN HELP BUILD A FUTURE FOR 'EM. THANK YOU JENNIFER CALWELL. YOU'RE GONNA SEE ME TONIGHT. YAY. I'M HERE. UM, SO WHEN I MOVED TO BATON ROUGE IN 1992, I MOVED HERE RIGHT BEFORE HURRICANE ANDREW DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT HURRICANES AND LIKE WAS CAUGHT UNAWARES, BUT IT WAS VERY EXCITING BECAUSE MY NEIGHBORS ALL WERE LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE ALL LOST POWER. SO THE PERSON WHO HAD A GRILL, WE ALL BROUGHT OUT OUR MEAT FROM THE FREEZER AND WE GRILLED AND YOU KNOW, WE WERE SUPPORTIVE OF EACH OTHER AND HELPED PEOPLE GET THROUGH IT. HURRICANE GUSTAV CAME ALONG. THAT WAS TERRIBLE. IT WAS MUCH WORSE. PEOPLE WERE OUT OF POWER FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. AND I FEEL LIKE AFTER THAT IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, EVERYBODY'S GOT THEIR OWN GENERATOR. SO WHEN WE HAVE PROBLEMS NOW, NOBODY'S OUT HELPING EACH OTHER IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. OKAY. UH, BECAUSE WE'RE VERY LIKE, I GOT MINE, YOU GET YOURS, WHATEVER. A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN LAURA OR IDA OR WHICHEVER ONE CAME THROUGH THAT MESSED UP NEW ORLEANS, THE COMMUNITY SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT? WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. AND CAME UP WITH THIS IDEA ABOUT THESE LIGHT, UH, THE LIGHT, UH, THE LIGHTHOUSE THING WITH THE, WITH THE SOLAR PANELS. AND IT'S A GREAT IDEA TO HAVE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY, LIKE THESE ARE THREE PILOT SPOTS, BUT IT'D BE WONDERFUL IF EVENTUALLY WE'VE GOT THIS LIGHTHOUSE TYPE SITUATION WITH SOLAR PANELS AT ALL THE BRES OR THE LIBRARIES OR WHEREVER. SO THAT PEOPLE, WHEN YOU'RE IN A PICKLE, BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA BE IN ANOTHER PICKLE, MAYBE NOT NEXT YEAR, MAYBE IN FIVE YEARS, BUT WEATHER'S NOT GETTING BETTER, YOU KNOW? AND, AND I THINK THIS IS, UH, A GREAT WAY TO START BUILDING THIS PROGRAM. SO WHEN WE HAVE A PICKLE, WE'RE READY FOR IT. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS ROBIN MULDER, 92 65 BERMUDA AVENUE. UH, I RESIDE IN DISTRICT 11, UH, COUNCILWOMAN ADAMS. I WOULD HOPE AFTER THIS PROGRAM IS DONE THAT YOU CAN WORK TO GET ONE OF THESE LIGHTHOUSES FOR OUR DISTRICT. I WANNA SPEAK QUICKLY. I'M AN ENGINEER. THIS IS A PILOT PROGRAM, BUT THAT'S FROM AN ADMINISTRATIVE TECHNOLOGICALLY, THIS IS [01:10:01] OFF THE SHELF TECHNOLOGY. THERE IS NOTHING UNKNOWN OR UNPROVEN. ONE OF THE THREE SITES IS BEING PUT IN AN IBEW TRAINING FACILITY. DO YOU THINK THAT THE ELECTRICAL WORKERS WOULD BE INSTALLING SOMETHING THEY DIDN'T THINK WOULD WORK? THIS IS VERY SIMPLE OFF THE SHELF TECHNOLOGY. IT IS NOT A SCIENCE PROJECT. UH, EDGAR CAGE 4 3 0 2 MELBOURNE STREET IN BAKER, LOUISIANA. THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR BATON ROUGE TO SORT OF CATCH UP WITH WHAT HAS BEEN DONE IN NEW ORLEANS. THERE ARE 14 OPERATING LIGHTHOUSES IN NEW ORLEANS. NOW, NINE OF THEM CAME ONLINE AFTER THIS LAST STORM THAT, THAT NEW ORLEANS HAD TO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES TO THE, THE NEIGHBORHOODS. BUT IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT THE LIGHTHOUSE, IT'S ABOUT ENGAGING THE COMMUNITY. ALSO, THE LIGHTHOUSES WILL HAVE A TURF. THEY WILL HAVE AN AREA THAT THEY WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR TO ENGAGE THOSE CITIZENS BEFORE A STORM OR AN OUTAGE COMES. SO THEY KNOW WHERE THE MOST VULNERABLE ARE. THEY KNOW WHERE THE NEEDS THAT THEY HAVE TO, UH, ENGAGE SOMEBODY WITHIN THE FIRST 24 HOURS, BECAUSE THEY MAY BE ON, THEY MAY HAVE A MEDICAL DEVICE THAT REQUIRES THE POWER. WE WILL KNOW THAT AND WE WILL GO OUT TO THOSE PEOPLE TO ASSESS THEIR NEEDS WITHIN 24 HOURS OF A POWER OUTAGE, BECAUSE THE NEIGHBORS ARE YOU TRULY FIRST RESPONDERS. IT'S IMPORTANT. WE KIND OF, WE KIND OF DO THIS BECAUSE THIS IS SOME FEDERAL FUNDS THAT HAVE BEEN ALLOCATED FOR THIS PURPOSE. AND WHAT THE MONEY WE'RE ASKING YOU TO PUT UP IS JUST TO MATCH A MATCH FOR THOSE FEDERAL FUNDS. IF WE DON'T DO IT, SOMEBODY ELSE IN THIS DISTRICT, CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT WILL GET IT DONE. SO I WOULD LOVE TO SEE BATON ROUGE GET THIS MONEY THAT'S ALREADY BEEN ALLOCATED, AND THAT'S BEEN STATED BEFORE. THIS IS JUST THE START, THE POLL. WE PLAN TO HAVE LIGHTHOUSES, OUR VISION LIGHTHOUSES INTO EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD IN OUR, IN OUR PARISH. AND THERE ARE OTHER FUNDS THAT ARE COMING DOWN THE PIPELINE FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND THEY'RE SORT OF LOOKING AT HOW LOCAL GOVERNMENTS OR LOCAL AREAS RESPOND TO PROGRAMS LIKE THIS. SO WE COULD BE IN LINE FOR BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS, BUT RIGHT NOW WE WANNA FOCUS ON THE LIGHTHOUSE. WE CAN'T GET THE WHOLE PARISH IF YOU DON'T GET THIS FIRST THREE. SO THANK YOU. WE HAVE NINE OTHERS IN FAVOR, BUT NOT WISHING TO SPEAK. ANYONE ELSE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? NOW WE'LL GO TO COUNCIL. COUNCILMAN MO. UH, REAL QUICKLY, COUNCIL MEMBERS, YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED TWO EMAIL COMMENTS. ONE IN SUPPORT, ONE IN OPPOSITION OF ITEM 1 0 5. IS THERE A PARTICULAR CONTACT FOR THE ORGANIZATION, OR YOU CAN SPEAK ON THIS AND QUICKLY, CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE SELECTION THAT YOU MADE AND AND WHY THESE LOCATIONS? YES. UM, THESE ARE MOSTLY, ARE MEMBER INSTITUTIONS THAT WE STARTED WITH. UH, WE ARE, UH, BROAD BASED ORGANIZATIONS. SO WE HAVE, UH, OTHER CHURCHES AND, UH, UH, ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE MEMBERS OF TOGETHER BATON ROUGE. SO WE STARTED WITH OUR, UM, OUR MEMBERS. SO ST. MARK, MC IS A MEMBER OF TOGETHER, BATON ROUGE. IMMACULATE CONCEPTION IS A MEMBER OF TOGETHER BATON ROUGE. AND THE IVEW TRAINING FACILITY IS A MEMBER OF BATON ROUGE. AND, AND THEY'RE ALSO IN, UH, UNDERSERVED AREAS. SO WE PUT PRIORITY TOWARDS THE UNDERSERVED AREAS, SCOTLANDVILLE GLEN OAKS, AND THEN THE IBW TRAINING FACILITY JUST, UH, INCREASES THEIR CAPACITY FOR THEIR APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM AND TO BE ABLE TO, UH, BE LIKE A DISTRIBUTION HUB DURING THE TIME OF, UH, OKAY. WHERE, WHERE DID THE, UH, THE, THE COMMUNITY CENTERS, WHERE DID THOSE FALL UNDER SELECTION OR, OR WERE THEY CONSIDERED, OR IS THIS MAINLY A CHURCH PROGRAM? I SEE MCKINLEY ALUMNI CENTER ALSO, BUT, UM, WERE THERE COMMUNITY CENTERS THAT ARE ALREADY IN PLACE TO BE CONSIDERED TO BE UPGRADED AND WORKED WITH? UM, I BELIEVE THE MCKINLEY ALUMNI CENTER WAS THE, WAS THE ONE COMMUNITY CENTER WE HAD, UM, IN THE, IN THE PILOT PROGRAM. WE'RE STILL IN CON CONVERSATION ABOUT MAKING THAT, UH, A LIGHTHOUSE AS WELL. UM, BUT I WILL BE, YOU KNOW, I WOULD LOVE TO, UH, TALK, SIT DOWN WITH YOU ALL AND DISCUSS YOUR DISTRICTS AND UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, WHAT WOULD BE THE BEST PLACES TO PUT LIGHTHOUSES IN THE FUTURE IN YOUR DISTRICT AS WELL. OKAY. I MEAN, I REMEMBER SPEAKING ABOUT THIS, UH, MONTHS AGO. I THINK WHEN WE, WE FIRST STARTED THINKING ABOUT IT AND Y'ALL WERE, Y'ALL CAME BEFORE US AND WERE LOOKING AT PLACES AND EVERYTHING, AND I TOLD SEVERAL PEOPLE IN, IN, YOU KNOW, IN MY DISTRICT AND THERE WERE SEVERAL CHURCHES THAT THAT KEPT ASKING ME AND ASKING ME, AND I TOLD 'EM I'D GET 'EM THE INFORMATION WHEN I FOUND SOMETHING OUT AND I'VE GIVEN THEM THIS. BUT, UM, THAT'S WHY I GUESS, YOU KNOW, WITH THE PARISH ALREADY HAVING SO MANY COMMUNITY [01:15:01] CENTERS AND STUFF LIKE THAT, UM, I, I'D LOVE TO SEE ABOUT MAKING THEM, YOU KNOW, RESILIENT ALONG WITH THESE. I I KNOW THIS IS A PILOT PROGRAM AND I KNOW THERE'S OTHERS THAT COULD COME ONLINE, BUT WE HAVE AREAS IN THE PARISH THAT ARE NOT COVERED BY A COMMUNITY CENTER EITHER. MM-HMM. AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK THIS IS, I THINK THIS HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE A GREAT PROGRAM. UM, HOW MUCH, AS FAR AS THE, WHAT ARE WE GETTING IN FEDERAL DOLLARS WITH THIS 500,000 MATCHING TO DO THIS? YEAH, SO IT'S A ONE-TO-ONE MATCH. OKAY. UM, SO WE, UM, IN 2023, WE GOT 3.8, UH, MILLION DOLLARS FROM THE CONGRESS, UH, UH, CONGRESSMAN CARTERS ADMINISTRATION TO, UM, TO FUND LIGHTHOUSES IN HIS DISTRICT. SO PART OF THAT ALLOCATION WILL GO TO THIS, TO THIS, UH, FUNDING. SO WE HAVE THE CONGRESSMAN'S, UH, ALLOCATION, THEN WE HAVE SOME DOE FUNDING THAT'S GOING TOWARDS THIS. UM, THIS, THIS, HOW MUCH WAS THAT AGAIN? UH, THE CONGRESSMAN'S 3.8 MILLION ALTOGETHER. OKAY. AND SO IM, I'M, I DON'T HAVE THE EXACT FIGURES OF WHAT'S GOING THROUGH THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT, BUT IT'S, UH, UH, MIXED BETWEEN THE CONGRESSMAN'S ALLOCATION AND DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FUNDING, UH, THAT WE GOT THROUGH, UM, EQUITY FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE, UH, EQUITY FOR, UM, E FOUR SE. OKAY. SO OUT OF THAT, OUT OF THOSE MILLIONS, 500,000, YOU SAID IT'S A ONE FOUR MATCH. 500,000 IS BEING USED IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH AND WE'RE DOING THE $500,000 TO MATCH THAT? CORRECT. SO A MILLION DOLLARS? CORRECT. WE'RE GONNA DO 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. LOCATION? NO, THREE. THREE FOR THE FIRST, FOR THE FIRST FOR THE PILOT. OKAY. AND THAT'S THE IBEW TRAIN FACILITY ST. MARK UMC AND IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHOLIC CHURCH? YES, SIR. OKAY. ALRIGHT. OKAY. AS FAR AS THE EMERGENCY RESPONSE CENTERS AND EVERYTHING, UM, WHAT, GIMME A TYPICAL, WHAT'S GONNA BE PUT AT THESE LOCATIONS? ABSOLUTELY. SO THE WHOLE PLACE IS OUTFITTED WITH SOLAR ABSOLUTELY. AND BATTERY PANELS TO, TO RUN, BECAUSE WE KNOW SOLAR USUALLY JUST FEEDS INTO THE GRID. RIGHT. UM, BUT THIS WILL BE SOLAR AND BATTERY POWERED FOR FULLY SELF-SUSTAINABLE. RIGHT. AND HOW LONG IS IT EXPECTED FOR THESE TO SELF SUSTAIN? I KNOW THE NEXT DAY WHEN THE SUN COMES UP, IT'S GONNA CHARGE THE BATTERIES AND EVERYTHING. MM-HMM. WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT AS FAR AS STANDING UP SOME OF THESE LOCATIONS? IS IT PRETTY MUCH, AS LONG AS WE CAN GET SUPPLIES TO IT, ARE THEY PRE STOCKED WITH SUPPLIES? SO WE, WE WILL, WE'RE IN, UM, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EP AND WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING OUT HOW THAT PARTNERSHIP WORKS. AND WHAT THIS IS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A NETWORK. SO WE ARE IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR SISTER ORGANIZATION, NEW ORLEANS AND SHREVEPORT AND OTHER PLACES IN, IN THE STATE. AND THEN WITH OUR MEMBERSHIP, UH, WITH OUR ORGANIZATIONS HERE IN LOCALLY IN BATON ROUGE, WE WILL, UH, HELP TO SUPPLY THE, THE, THESE SITES WITH, UH, FOOD, WATER, UM, UM, OKAY. AND, AND WHAT I'M ASKING IS IS, AND I DON'T WANT MY SECOND TIME, THE INITIAL RESPONSE MM-HMM. OF A HURRICANE OR A LOCATION. MM-HMM. WHAT IS THE INITIAL SELF SUSTAINING TIME AS FAR AS STOCK OF SUPPLIES AND STUFF? OH, BEFORE OTHER PEOPLE CAN OR CANNOT GET TO YOU. I GOT YOU. I GOT YOU. SO, UM, SO SAY WHEN THE HURRICANE IS IN THE GULF, IN THE CARIBBEAN, WHEN WE KNOW THAT A HURRICANE'S IMMINENT, WE WILL START, AND THIS WAS ACTUALLY TRIED OUT AFTER FRANCINE IN NEW ORLEANS. SO WHEN THE HURRICANE WAS, WAS TWO OR THREE DAYS OUT WHEN FRANCINE WAS TWO OR THREE DAYS OUT, WE STARTED PLANNING BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT LIGHTHOUSES. OKAY. WHO'S GONNA GET THE WATER, FOOD? WHAT, WHAT? I GUESS, UH, LET ME CLARIFY AND I APOLOGIZE. I'M MY TIME'S OUT. ARE YOU, HURRICANE COMES IN MM-HMM. , HOW LONG ARE YOU SELF-SUSTAINABLE? WHEN THE STORM HITS? ARE YOU, ME? HOW LONG WILL THE, WILL THE BATTERY LAST TO BE ABLE TO STAND? NO. HOW LONG ARE YOU THERE WITH SUPPLIES YOU NEED WATER, FOOD. YOU NEED, I'M TALKING ABOUT THE SUPPLIES THAT SELF-SUSTAINED IN AN EMERGENCY. HOW LONG ARE YOU INITIALLY STOPPED TO OPERATE FOR UNTIL MORE SUPPLIES CAN GET TO YOU? I'M NOT, I'M NOT, I'M FEELING UNDERSTANDING THE QUESTION, BUT HOW LONG THE SUPPLIES LAST. YEAH. LIKE IN OUR EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTERS MM-HMM. , IF NO ONE CAN GET TO US, WE HAVE A WEEK'S WORTH OF SUPPLIES. I GOT YOU. UNTIL PEOPLE CAN GET TO US IN OUR EMERGENCY OPERATION CENTER, WE KNOW ABOUT HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL BE THERE AND HOW MANY SUPPLIES WILL COME TO US. MM-HMM. AND HOW LONG WE NEED TO SELF-RATE UNTIL SUPPLIES CAN GET TO US. IS THERE A TIME THAT YOU PLAN ON BEING SELF-SUFFICIENT WITH THOSE PEOPLE FROM THE COMMUNITY AT YOUR LOCATION TO BE ABLE TO OPERATE BEFORE SUPPLIES CAN GET TO YOU? UM, I THINK WE, WE, THAT'S PART WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT. THERE'S THE, THE, THE MASTER, THE, THAT'S RESPONSE SIDE OF IT THAT I THINK WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT, UM, HOW I, I CAN'T GIVE YOU EXACT DAYS HOW MANY DAYS WILL BE STOPPED PRIOR TO. OKAY. I, I GOTTA CUT THERE. 'CAUSE THANK YOU. NO, THANK YOU. I, I UNDERSTAND, UH, I JUST, I WANTED TO END MY TIME IN CASE I WANTED TO ASK QUESTIONS LATER, BUT WE'LL GET BACK TO IT. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. I'M GOING TO, I DID, I ASKED NOT TO USE. YEAH, NO, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT. KEPT TALKING. I DIDN'T GET, HE [01:20:01] KEPT TALKING COUNCILWOMAN BANKS. YES. I WAS JUST PULLING THE SHAUNA. THANK YOU. OKAY. UM, SO I THINK YOU ALL, AND I DID TALK TO EDGAR REGARDING, UM, THE, WHAT CAME BACK FROM AN, AN ENERGY EXPERT AS IT RELATES TO THIS, AND I, I HAVEN'T READ IT FULLY, BUT ONE THING THAT STANDS OUT, UM, THAT AT SOME POINT, UM, THERE IS GONNA BE A NEED TO REPLACE A BATTERY. NOW, UH, ON HERE, I'M NOT SURE I SEE SOMETHING ABOUT SEVEN YEARS AND SOMETHING 30 TO 40 YEARS. WHICH ONE, OR IS IT NEITHER OF THOSE? WHAT IS THE LIFESPAN OF A BATTERY, UM, FOR A LIGHTHOUSE? SO, UM, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, UM, THE BATTERY, UM, STARTS TO DECAY BY A CERTAIN AMOUNT AFTER MAYBE 15 TO 20 YEARS. OKAY. UM, BUT FOR 20 YEARS, WHICH IS THE LIFE SPAN OF A BATTERY. MM-HMM. . UM, WE HAVE A MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE CONTRACT WITH OUR, UH, PARTNERS, UH, SOLAR ALTERNATIVES. OKAY. TO MAINTENANCE, TO REGULAR, DO REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND, UH, TROUBLESHOOTING AND, AND KIND OF PROACTIVE MAINTENANCE, UH, OVER THE LIFETIME. OKAY. TWO THINGS. UM, IS THAT AN INSURANCE THAT YOU PAY OR IS THAT AUTOMATIC INCLUSIVE OF THE PURCHASE? IT'S INCLUSIVE. OKAY. WELL, WELL, WE HAVE INSURANCE AS WELL ON THE SYSTEMS, BUT THE MAINTENANCE CONTRACT IS WITH THE, WITH THE, WHO'S PAYING FOR THE INSURANCE. SO THE, UM, WE HAVE, UH, EACH LIGHTHOUSE WILL PAY A PORTION OF THEIR ENERGY SAVINGS. SO, YOU KNOW, DURING REGULAR TIMES WHEN CONNECTED TO THE GRID, THE SOLAR PANELS CREATE A SAVINGS. RIGHT. UTILITY SAVINGS. SO SAY, WE'LL TAKE 10 OR 20% OF THAT YEARLY SAVINGS AND PUT IT TO THE, TO, UH, THE SERVICE CONTRACTS TO KEEP THE, UH, SYSTEM BASIS WELL WAS THAT PAID IN, IN TO, IN TOTALITY? NO, IT'S PAID, UM, BY, WELL, YEARLY OR MONTHLY, HOWEVER THE, THE INSTITUTION WANTS TO, UH, SEE, OKAY, THIS IS SO COMPLICATED TO ME. UM, WHAT ABOUT THE, UM, HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO REPLACE A BATTERY? BECAUSE I KNOW EVEN WITH INSURANCE, I STILL HAVE MIGHT HAVE TO BUY A NEW REFRIGERATOR. THERE'S GONNA BE A DEDUCTIBLE AND I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE THE INFORMATION HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO REPLACE A BATTERY, BUT I CAN GET THAT TO YOU. OKAY. NOW, THE OTHER THING IS, UM, I THINK, SO ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT MY COLLEAGUES ASKED, SO AFTER, UM, AFTER THE FLOOD, THE, THE CITY COMMUNITY CENTERS ARE, HAVE BEEN, HAVE GENERATORS. MM-HMM. . SO THAT WE HAVE THESE HUGE GENERATIONS FOR MOST OF THE CITY BUILDINGS. AND WHERE IS THE, UM, WHERE IS THE LIGHTHOUSE IN DISTRICT TWO? AT WHAT AT THAT'S IMMACULATE CONCEPTION. CONCEPTION. OKAY. AT THE CHURCH. OKAY. THAT'S INTERESTING. UM, FIRST ONE. YEAH. SO SINCE IT'S AT IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, RIGHT BACK TO THOSE INITIAL QUESTIONS. SO THE CHURCH IS GOING TO PAY FOR THE INSURANCE. SO WE HAVE A COLLECTIVE FOR, FOR ALL OUR SYSTEMS, WE HAVE A SERVICE CONTRACT THAT COVERS ALL THE SYSTEMS. SO THINK OF THIS AS A NETWORK, AND THE MORE SYSTEMS WE ADD TO THE NETWORK, THE BIGGER THE NETWORK GETS. SO AS A NETWORK, WE PAY HAVE A SERVICE CONTRACT, A MAINTENANCE CONTRACT THAT COVERS ALL OF OUR, ALL THE LIGHT HOUSES IN THE NETWORK. OKAY. SO OUR CHURCHES PAY A PERCENTAGE OF THEIR SAVINGS. SO WE WANT THE CHURCH TO HAVE A NET BENEFIT AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, ENERGY SAVINGS. SO THEY'LL PAY A PERCENTAGE OF THEIR SAVINGS TO THEIR SERVICE CONTRACT TO MAKE SURE THE, UH, SYSTEM SAVE MAINTENANCE. SO THIS IS A REAL LIFE SITUATION THAT, UH, THAT BECAUSE OF WHAT, UM, THE 2016 FLOOD, UM, THE, IT, THE GEORGIA NEWMAN COMMUNITY CENTER OPENED UP AS A SHELTER BEFORE ANYBODY KNEW THERE WAS A FLOOD. BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE LEARNED AFTER ABOUT A WEEK, ONCE THE STATE REALIZED THERE WAS A FLOOD, THEY HAD A PLAN, AND THEIR PLAN IS TO, IS TO USE WHATEVER, UH, RED, RED CROSS MM-HMM. FACILITIES THAT THEY HAD APPROVED AND WHICH ONES THAT WERE ON THEIR LIST. IN MY COMMUNITY, IT WAS THE SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ACTIVITY CENTER. MM-HMM. . SO THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO DID NOT, WE, WE SPA THEM AT MY CENTER, BUT THEY HAD TO MOVE. THEY WEREN'T GIVEN A CHOICE. MM-HMM. , BECAUSE THAT, THAT IS THE WAY THE STATE FOR ONE, I GUESS THAT'S PART OF THE FEMA DEAL AND GETTING REIMBURSEMENTS. BUT THESE, SO I'M NOT SURE HOW WELL THOUGHT OUT THIS IS BECAUSE THAT IS, THEY'RE GONNA TRUMP, UH, LIGHTHOUSES BECAUSE THEY CANNOT, 'CAUSE THAT'S NOT THEIR MODEL. AND SO I'M CONCERNED, AND ALSO IF, IF I KNOW THAT IF THIS IS A LIGHTHOUSE, YES. BUT IF I HAVE KIDS AND I KNOW THAT AT THE STATE, THEY'RE [01:25:01] GONNA HAVE A GROUP COME IN THAT HAS A PLAYROOM AND PEOPLE TO HELP THE KIDS WITH THAT, ALL OF THAT'S GONNA GO AWAY. SO MY, MY CONCERN IS NOT THAT THIS ISN'T A GOOD IDEA NECESSARILY, BUT I THINK IN THE HAVING LIVED THIS LIFE, THIS, THERE, THERE'S GONNA BE NO RESPECT TO THESE LIGHTHOUSES IN THE, IN THE END OF A REAL DEAL. AND ALSO THEY'RE ABOUT TO BUILD A MEGA SHELTER. THERE'S ONLY ONE MEGA SHELTER, AND THERE'S A MEGA SHELTER THAT IS GONNA BE BUILT AT SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY AT THE AG CENTER OF GAN. WELL, LOOK, I'M SORRY, I'M JUST, I'M JUST LAYING IT ALL OUT. NOT IN A WAY THAT I'M JUST PLAYING NOT DEVIL'S ADVOCATE. MM-HMM. ANGEL ADVOCATE TO LET YOU KNOW THAT YEAH, THIS ALL SOUNDS REALLY, REALLY WONDERFUL IN A ROOM OF TOGETHER BATON ROUGE, BUT IN THE REAL FEDERAL SENSE, AND I UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE MONEY MIGHT GO AWAY, BUT I HATE THAT WE, WE, WE GO THIS FAR BASED ON AN APPLICATION THAT WE SHOULDN'T APPLY FOR UNTIL WE HAD THE MONEY, UNTIL WE KNEW WE HAD THE MONEY. SO THAT PART DOESN'T MOVE ME. AND I'M JUST SAYING THAT I'M NOT SURE THIS IS GONNA WORK THE WAY YOU THINK IT'S WELL, WE, WE'VE BEEN, IT IS BEEN TESTED IN NEW ORLEANS, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE, THERE ARE, THERE ARE, UM, SHELTERS, OTHER SHELTERS IN THE CITY. UM, BUT PEOPLE ALWAYS FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS. AND LEMME JUST SAY THIS, THIS IS TO BE ABLE TO GET TO PEOPLE THAT CAN'T GET NEW ORLEANS, NOT BATON ROU. I HEAR THAT. I HEAR YOU. AND, AND NEW ORLEANS MAY NOT HAVE THE FACILITIES. I MEAN, WE KNOW THAT THEY'RE NEVER GOING BACK TO THE SUPERDOME. I DON'T CARE WHAT HAPPENED. AND, AND SO THAT MIGHT BE WHAT THEY HAD TO DO. AND THEY HAVE MUCH LARGER BUILDINGS THAN, THAN WE HAVE. I'M JUST SAYING, YOU KNOW, I KNOW A LOT OF GOOD IDEAS MAY COME, BUT THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S NOT ENOUGH FOR US TO DO THIS. AND WHY DID YOU APPLY FOR IT IF YOU DIDN'T ALREADY KNOW YOU HAD TO MATCH? THIS IS FOR STATEWIDE. SO WE GOT THIS FROM CONGRESSMAN CARTER STATEWIDE. WE PRESENTED TO HIM. HE LOVED THE IDEA, SO HE PUT THE MONEY UP. BUT I KNOW, BUT WHY, WHY DIDN'T YOU ALL ALREADY HAVE YOUR MATCH IF YOU KNEW A CONDITION OF IT WAS A MATCH? THAT'S ALL I'M ASKING. I MEAN, WE'RE GETTING A MATCH. THAT'S WHY WE'RE IN FRONT OF Y'ALL. WE HAVE TO PROVE IT. WE'RE BUILDING IT. AND, AND LOOK, PEOPLE FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS. I DON'T, AND ANY, ANYTIME THERE'S SHELTERS, I KNOW THERE'S OTHER SHELTERS IN BATON ROUGE, BUT PEOPLE FALL THROUGH THE CRACKS AFTER THE FLOOD. NOT EVERYBODY WAS ABLE TO MAKE TO THE SHELTERS. PEOPLE ARE ON. I'M, I'M TELLING YOU, THEY THEY BUST THEM OUT. I'M NOT SAYING, I'M SAYING WHEN THEY MADE IT TO SMALLER AREAS, THE CITY CAME IN AND BUSTED THEM, BUST THEM OUTTA ALL THE SMALL, THE SMALLER SHELTERS. SO I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT PEOPLE FALLING THROUGH THE CRACK. MM-HMM. . I'M TALKING ABOUT THE WAY THE MANAGEMENT, THE OPERATION WORKS FROM THE FEDERAL AND THE STATE. AFTER A WHILE, I DON'T CARE HOW WONDERFUL THIS IS, THAT'S GONNA TRUMP EVERYTHING BECAUSE THEY TALKING ABOUT REIMBURSING AND THEY HAVE MORE MONEY THAN WE HAVE. SO THAT'S ALL I'M SAYING. YOU KNOW, I'M NOT TRYING TO DASH WATER ON IT, BUT THIS IS THE LIFE I LIVE AND I THINK I HAVE A FIDUCIARY RESPONSIBILITY TO TELL YOU THE REAL, AND, AND IF YOU, I MEAN, EVERYBODY APPROVE IT. HALLELUJAH. BUT I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW, UH, YEAH. COUNCILMAN HEAR. WELL, HEY, YOU KNOW, I MIGHT CALL YOU BACK. I'M GONNA CALL CLAY REEVES UP TO THE MIC, PLEASE. THANK YOU. SO CLAY, WE JUST HAD A SIDEBAR. CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO THE COUNCIL WHAT YOU EXPLAINED TO ME ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR ITEM? YEAH. SO FIRST I'M IN A HUNDRED PERCENT SUPPORT OF THIS, UH, THIS PROJECT. UM, SO WE LOOK AT ALL HAZARDS. SO THIS IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A SHELTER. THIS IS JUST TO ENHANCE OUR ABILITY AS A PARISH TO TAKE CARE OF OUR VULNERABLE CITIZENS. SO THIS MONEY, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, HAS ALREADY BEEN APPROPRIATED AND APPROVED BY THIS, BY THIS BODY. THIS IS JUST FOR THE COOPERATIVE ENDEAVOR AGREEMENT. OH, OKAY. THAT'S TOTALLY, SO ESSENTIALLY, WE'VE ALREADY APPROVED THIS ITEM, Y'ALL CORRECT. THIS IS JUST FOR CEA THAT'S GOING BEFORE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN TAKE THE NEXT APPROPRIATE STEPS AND HAVE AN AGREEMENT IN PLACE. CORRECT. BUT THE OTHER PART TOO, WHEN I TALKED TO MR. CAGE EARLIER, UM, THIS IS NOT ABOUT NECESSARILY A SHELTER. THIS IS ABOUT SOMEBODY WHO MAY NEED TO CHARGE THE OXYGEN MACHINE UP, THAT DOESN'T NEED TO GO TO SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY, OR SOMEBODY WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE THAT DOESN'T HAVE A CAR THAT WANTS AIR CONDITIONED FOR A FEW HOURS THROUGHOUT THE DAY TO GO BEFORE THEY GO BACK TO THEIR HOME. IT IS NOT NECESSARILY FOR SOMEBODY WHO NEEDS SHELTER. SO IT IS FOR SOMEBODY WHO WANTS TO ACCESS ELECTRICITY. AND I DO UNDERSTAND IT'S NO DIFFERENT THAN, UM, ANYBODY WHO HAS SOLAR PANELS AT THEIR HOME. IF YOU FEED BACK INTO THE GRID, THE ELECTRICITY COMPANY CAN WRITE YOU A CHECK. SO WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT HOW THE INCIDENTAL COSTS WILL BE PAID FOR, IT MADE 110% SENSE TO ME THAT, THAT IF I'M FEEDING BACK INTO THE GRID, WHICH MEANS THAT'S GOING INTO OTHER PROPERTIES, SAVING ENTERGY OR DEMCO MONEY, DEPENDING ON WHERE IT IS, THEY WRITE ME A CHECK BACK. I USE THOSE MONIES TO THEN [01:30:01] FUND THE MAINTENANCE AND INSURANCE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS. SO IT'S NOT AN ADDITIONAL COST. IT'S, UH, UM, SECURITY MEASURES BUILT IN THERE TO PROTECT US FROM ANYTHING THAT WOULD COME FORWARD. SO, UH, CLAY, THANK YOU SO MUCH. YOU ANSWERED IT AND I HOPE MY COLLEAGUES SUPPORT IT TO MOVE FORWARD. COUNCILMAN DON JR. EDGAR, COULD YOU COME UP AND, AND AS YOU COME, I WANT TO ALSO BRING CLARITY. UM, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THESE DOLLARS WAS ALREADY APPROVED LAST YEAR AND ACTUALLY WAS USED AS A PART OF THE APPLICATION TO GO GET THE FEDERAL DOLLAR. SO THE MATCH WAS, UH, SECURED PRIOR TO MAKING AN APPLICATION OR PRESENTING THE APPLICATION. UM, ALSO, UM, AS DARA MENTIONED, UH, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, MY UNDERSTANDING OF THIS LIGHTHOUSE IS TO PROVIDE THE, UH, ALTERNATIVE ENERGY IN SOLAR FOR THE FACILITY. I KNOW COUNCILMAN MOOCH WAS ASKING ABOUT SUPPLIES AND ALL OF THAT STUFF. THESE FACILITIES MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE SUPPLIES OR MAY OR MAY NOT BE A SHELTER. WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, IT JUST MAKES SURE THEY HAVE POWER TO DO WHATEVER, WHETHER THAT'S CHARGING OR, UH, UH, RESPIRATOR CHARGING A, A COMPUTER OR OPERATING A A A, UH, A SHELTER OR, OR JUST HAVING THAT POWER. UM, SO THE QUESTION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW LONG WOULD YOU HAVE, UH, WATER, FOOD, THINGS OF THAT NATURE, THAT WOULD BE A QUESTION FOR THE MCKINLEY ALUMNI CENTER, UH, RENEW, UH, ST. ST. MARY AND ALL THE OTHER, UM, POTENTIAL SITES. MM-HMM. , AM I RIGHT IN THAT? YOU'RE RIGHT. WE, THEY ARE RESILIENCE HUBS, NOT SHELTERS, RESILIENCE HUBS TO PROVIDE THAT POWER, LIKE YOU SAID, UH, WHEN POWER GOES OUT ON, ON THE GRID. AND ALSO, UH, WE TALKED ABOUT HOW LONG SOMETHING WILL BE. THERE ARE CONTROLS TO ACTUALLY MONITOR AND, AND, AND TO CHECK WHERE THE POWER WAS USED AND FOR HOW LONG. AND EVEN WHEN THE SUN IS NOT SHINING, THERE'S, THE BATTERIES ARE STILL BEING CHARGED NOT TO THE SAME LEVEL AS WHEN THE SUN SHINES, BUT THEY'RE STILL BEING CHARGED. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. AND JUST A POINT OF CLARITY, EDGAR, 'CAUSE, AND I KNOW YOU'ALL BEEN WORKING ON THIS FOR A LONG TIME, AND, AND THE PROJECT HAS EVOLVED AND CHANGED. UM, YOU MENTIONED AT THE PODIUM THREE PILOTS. UM, THE SUPPORTING DOCUMENT WE HAVE SAYS SIX. SO IF YOU CAN JUST CLARIFY THAT IT'S THREE OR IS THAT A PHASE IN AND WHAT THREE IS? BECAUSE WE GOT SIX LISTED HERE, BUT YOU MENTIONED IT'S GONNA START WITH THREE. CAN YOU TELL ME THOSE THREE? YEAH, THE, THE THREE PILOT LOCATIONS WE HAVE AS, UH, ABEL MENTIONED IS IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CATHOLIC CHURCH, ST. MARK'S UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, AND THE IBEW TRAINING FACILITY. NOW, WE, WE DID THE SIX. WE MAY HAVE BEEN VERY, VERY AMBITIOUS OR ASPIRATIONAL TOO. HOPEFULLY WE COULD, COULD HAVE SIX, BUT REALISTICALLY WE GOT THE FUNDING FOR THREE. SO THAT'S WHERE WE LANDED ON THE THREE. GOTCHA. ONE MORE QUESTION. UM, AGAIN, AS YOU GUYS HAVE MADE ADJUSTMENTS AND CHANGED, CAN YOU GET US A UPDATED DOCUMENT AFTER THIS TO KIND OF SHOW THE OVERALL, UH, SUPPORT AND FUNDING? LIKE THIS DOCUMENT WE HAVE HAS THE 3.8 FROM CONGRESS ARD, IT HAS CITY OF NEW ORLEANS, UH, $2 MILLION AS THE TECHNICAL SUPPORT FROM DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY. UM, EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH IS CONTRIBUTING 500,000, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S NOT LISTED HERE. AND I KNOW THIS IS THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT, BUT IF YOU CAN GET US A UPDATED DOCUMENT TO SHOW THE ENTIRE PROJECT AND ALSO A DOCUMENT TO SHOW THE SUPPORT AND FUNDING JUST IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH. SO WE, BECAUSE PEOPLE GONNA ASK US QUESTIONS. GOTCHA. AND WE WANT TO BE ACCURATE IN, IN WHAT WE TELLING AND THE INFORMATION THAT WE PUTTING OUT RIGHT NOW, YOU KNOW, WE GETTING SOME CONFLICTED INFORMATION BECAUSE OF THE CHANGES AND EVOLVING OF THE, OF THE SCOPE. YEAH. SO IF YOU CAN GET US SOME UPDATED DOCUMENT THAT WE CAN PUT OUT THAT, THAT HELP US BE CONSISTENT WITH WHAT'S ACTUALLY BEING DONE, THAT'D BE HELPFUL. WE CAN DO THAT. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN GODA. GENTLEMEN, THANK Y'ALL. IF YOU'LL STAY UP FOR JUST ONE MORE MINUTE. YOU, YOU JUST REFERENCED THE THREE THAT ARE THE PILOT. WHAT IS THE, WHAT IS THE QUICKEST PATH TO FOUR, FIVE, AND SIX AND MY INTEREST BEING FOUR, FOUR OR FIVE OR SIX. HOPEFULLY FOUR WILL BE IN THE GUARD COMMUNITY. ONE OF, YEAH, ONE OF THE SIX, BUT, BUT IT'S NOT ONE OF THE THREE. YEAH. UHHUH . AND SO, SO WHAT'S THE QUICKEST PATH TO GET TO, KINDA LIKE THE PROCESS WE'RE GOING THROUGH TONIGHT IS THE LOCAL FUNDING, THE MATCHES. YOU NEED ANOTHER HALF MILLION. THE THE MATCH. YEAH. FOR ANOTHER THREE IS WHAT WE WOULD NEED. IS THE 2.8 CARRYING IT, IT IS THE 2.8 EXHAUST. DO YOU NEED ADDITIONAL FEDERAL DOLLARS IN ADDITION TO A LOCAL MATCH? YES. AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO RAISE FEDERAL DOLLARS. YEAH. OKAY. TO, TO, YEAH. OKAY. THANK YOU. THAT'S WHAT I NEED. THANK Y'ALL VERY MUCH. OKAY. [01:35:01] AGAR, YOU HAD A COUPLE OF COMMENTS THAT WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SPEAKER. DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING FURTHER TO ADD? I'VE GOT A LITTLE MORE TIME IF YOU NEED TO. NO, I'M, I'M GOOD. I'M PERFECT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SHANA YARDI WENT INTO YOU A SECOND BANK, BUT I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU ON MY TIME, SO JUST HANG TIGHT. THANK YOU. I I JUST WANTED TO, HANG ON, HANG ON, HANG ON. OH, COUNCILMAN HUDSON. OH, SEAN, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU. OH, NO, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO SAY ? I, I JUST WANTED TO SAY I GOT A BETTER UNDERSTANDING IN JUST BETWEEN THERE TWO COMMENTS AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT IS, IT IS A GREAT IDEA. BUT, AND I KNOW YOU ALL TOGETHER, BAT ROUGE IS MOSTLY VOLUNTEER, BUT I JUST WANNA KNOW, TELL YOU, EDGAR, YOU DID NOT DO A GOOD JOB OF PRESENTING THIS TO ME, BUT THANK YOU. AND I DO SUPPORT THE ITEM . OH, NOW I GOT A QUESTION FOR EDGAR. I'M JUST, I'M JUST JOKING. I'M JUST JOKING AHEAD A TIME. RON. , COME ON. YOU'RE NOT GONNA RESPOND TO ME, ARE YOU? YES. YOU PUT IT OUT THERE, YOU OPEN THE DOOR AND I'M GONNA TRY TO CLOSE IT. NO, NO, YOU ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. BECAUSE WE HAD NOT HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SIT DOWN AND DISCUSS. YOU SENT AN EMAIL YEAH. WITH SOMETHING WHERE SOMEBODY GOT SOME INFORMATION FROM. I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW WHERE. YEAH. AND I GOT A RESPONSE TO, I KNOW FROM WHERE. YEAH. BUT WHERE THEY GOT THE, THE FACTUAL DATA FROM. I DON'T KNOW. 'CAUSE THERE WAS SOMETIMES VERY LITTLE IN THERE. BUT I GAVE YOU WHAT I, SO THE INFORMATION YOU GAVE ME TODAY WAS GREAT. I WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT OVERALL LIKE IN THE LAST 30 DAYS OR WHATEVER, THAT WAS ALL WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK. THAT'S, THAT'S WHY I HAVE NO, NO, THAT WAS ALL FURTHER. I WAS READY. OKAY. I HAVE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS FOR EITHER OF YOU. THANK YOU . UH, CLAY, IF YOU WOULD, JUST FOR A SECOND. SO, SO MY MAIN POINT OF CONTENTION OR CONCERN WITH THIS ITEM WAS MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE COVERED AS FAR AS LONG-TERM OBLIGATIONS. AS I UNDERSTOOD THE COOPERATIVE ENDEAVOR AGREEMENT, IT'S A FIVE-YEAR AGREEMENT AND WE HAVE TWO MAJOR OBLIGATIONS. ONE, PROVIDING THIS LOCAL MATCH. UH, AND THEN ALSO YOUR OFFICE, I THINK WILL BE OFFERING SOME TRAINING. BUT, UM, MOVING FORWARD, IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT REPLACING OF BATTERIES OR REFER REFURBISHMENT OF, UH, SOLAR PANELS AND THAT KIND OF THING, WE WE'RE NOT ON THE HOOK FOR THOSE THINGS LONG TERM. CORRECT. YEAH. OKAY. UM, THAT, THAT'S ALL, THAT'S THE MAIN QUESTION I HAD. UM, THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT I'LL ADD, AND THIS IS JUST A, A, A MESSAGE I GUESS TO TOGETHER BATON ROUGE, UM, IS I, I UNDERSTAND THE, YOU KNOW, TO FIRST LOOK INTO YOUR OWN NETWORK FOR, FOR PLACEMENTS. UH, I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE YOU THAT, UM, THERE MAY BE OTHER REALLY GOOD NON-MEMBER SPOTS, UH, FOR SOME OF THESE TO TAKE PLACE. AND SO I DON'T THINK THAT MEMBERSHIP IN TOGETHER BATON ROUGE BE A, SHOULD BE A LITMUS TEST FOR WHO GETS, UH, PLACEMENT AND, AND THAT KIND OF THING. AND IF YOU WANNA RESPOND TO THAT, I'M, I'M CERTAINLY GLAD TO LET YOU, I JUST WANNA SAY, UH, I, I A HUNDRED PERCENT AGREE WITH YOU AND I, I REALLY WANT TO GET WITH Y'ALL AND LET ME KNOW WHO'S WHO IN Y'ALL'S COMMUNITY, WHO IN Y'ALL DISTRICT, UH, WOULD REALLY DO A GREAT KNOCKOUT JOB WITH PROVIDING RESILIENCE HUBS FOR COMMUNITIES. SO YES, IF Y'ALL HAVE ANYBODY AT ANY, UH, INSTITUTION THAT YOU WANT TO PRESENT AND PROPOSE, I'M ALL EARS PLEASE. AWESOME. THANK YOU. APPRECIATE YOU. COUNCILMAN DUNN, JR. EDGAR, QUICK QUESTION. UH, BOTH OF Y'ALL CAN COME IF YOU WANT. I JUST WANT TO GET AN UNDERSTANDING OF YOUR CONVERSATION AND OUR AGREEMENTS WITH SOME OF THESE, UM, HOST SITES OR WHAT ARE WE CALLING PILOT SITES AND ANY, ANY EXPECTATIONS FROM THEM, FINANCIALLY MAINTENANCE, ANY, ANYTHING LIKE THAT? SO THE, UM, THEY HAVE TWO MAIN, MAIN, UH, LET ME GET A LITTLE ROOM HERE. UH, THEY HAVE TWO MAIN OBLIGATIONS. UM, ONE IS, IS THE FINANCIAL OBLIGATION. IT'S PRETTY MUCH A NET ZERO COST TO THEM. IT'S REALLY GONNA BE A NET BENEFIT. THEY'LL PAY TOWARDS THE MAINTENANCE SERVICE CONTRACT THAT I MENTIONED, UH, THAT KEEPS THE, KEEPS THE PANELS AND THE BATTERY SERVICED, UM, OUT OF THEIR UTILITY SAVINGS. RIGHT? UH, SO IF THEY SAVE, I DON'T KNOW, A THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR ON UTILITY SAVINGS, THEN THEY MAY CONTRIBUTE $200. AND THAT'S JUST AN EASY MATH, UH, FIGURE TO THE MAINTENANCE. AND THEN THE OTHER ONE IS TO BUILD A TEAM OF VOLUNTEERS WITHIN THEIR INSTITUTION THAT WILL GO OUT, CANVAS THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UNDERSTAND THE NEEDS, AND BE THERE TO MAN THE MAN THE, UH, THE LIGHTHOUSE. SO IS YOU GUYS EVALUATION A ESTIMATION THAT THERE WILL BE A DEFINITELY NET SAVINGS FOR THEM? ABSOLUTELY. UM, IS, IS THERE SOMETHING IN THE AGREEMENT THAT THEY SIGNED THAT YES. THAT GUARANTEES THAT IT WON'T BE AN EXPENDITURE? YES. OKAY. YEAH, WE HAVE A ALL CASH FLOW ON THE, AND EVERY AGREEMENT THAT THEY SIGN THAT SHOWS THEIR SAVINGS, HOW MUCH OF THAT WILL BE PART OF IT, AND THEN WHAT THE NET, UM, VALUE WILL BE. THANK YOU SIR. ALRIGHT. COUNCIL MORAGA, I JUST WANNA PIGGYBACK ON SOMETHING THAT COUNCILMAN GODDE SAID. UM, THE GUARD AREA, IT, IT SHARES BASICALLY A LINE WITH DISTRICT 12. SO IF YOU ARE LOOKING IN THAT AREA, I'D STRONGLY AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO EXPLORE THAT AREA. [01:40:01] DISTRICT 12 FULLY SUPPORTS THAT, UM, AS WE ARE VERY, VERY CLOSE NEIGHBORS AND WOULD BOTH BENEFIT FROM THAT FACILITY. AND I'M SORRY FOR, FOR THIS, FOR EVERYONE, BUT, UM, AARON, DID YOU HAVE SOMETHING MORE YOU WANTED TO SHARE? A VALUE? I WANNA MAKE SURE, UH, IT WAS ON, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE PUBLIC UNDERSTAND. CLAY, CAN YOU COME UP FOR A SECOND? I WANNA MAKE SURE THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS. I, I KNOW WE DISCUSSED WHETHER THESE ARE SHELTERS OR NOT SHELTERS, BUT SOMEONE WHO HAS NOT ONLY WORKED WITH CLAY, BUT WORKED IN EMERGENCY OPERATIONS THAT HAS WORKED DIFFERENT LOCATIONS AND EVERYTHING DURING STORMS. PEOPLE GET AN, AN IMPRESSION OR, OR A THOUGHT THAT THESE BECOME CERTAIN THINGS AND THEY, THEY HAVE AN EXPECTATION OF WHEN THEY GET THERE. AND WHAT I JUST LIKE IS, IS JUST SOME CLARITY, NOT ONLY JUST TO ME, BUT TO THE PUBLIC. SO THROUGH THE EP OR THROUGH THE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS, WHEN THESE THINGS FIRE UP, DO THEY BECOME ON A LIST OF MONITOR THINGS? DO THEY GET A STATION AT EP FOR SOMEONE TO REPORT? IE OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER, ST. GEORGE BAKER, ZACHARY, WE ALL HAVE LOCATIONS THAT OUR LOCAL AREA COMMUNICATES WITH EP AND A REPRESENTATIVE TO DIRECTLY COMMUNICATE WITH YOU ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON AND WHAT'S NEEDED IN THAT AREA. IF PEOPLE START CONGREGATING AT THESE PLACES, ARE WE GONNA HAVE DIRECT COMMUNICATION WITH THEM OR DO THEY STAY ON THE RADAR THROUGH EAST BAT ROU PARISH? AND THIS IS ONLY THREE RIGHT NOW. AND AS WE FIRE ALL THESE UP, AND I UNDERSTAND THAT THEY'RE NOT JUST GONNA BE USED IN FULL BLOWN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. WE MIGHT HAVE POWER OUTAGES AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND I KNOW THAT'S NOT AS MUCH OF AN EMERGENCY, BUT PEOPLE GET AN EXPECTATION THAT WHEN THESE THINGS ARE HERE AND WE'VE PAID FOR THEM TO BE SUPPOSEDLY EQUIPPED OR WHAT THEY THINK SHOULD BE EQUIPPED, THAT THEY CAN GO TO, ARE THEY ON THE RADAR FOR EP TO KEEP AN EYE ON AND, AND, AND WATCH DURING A SITUATION LIKE THAT? ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. SO THAT'S THE REASON WHY THE TRAINING, WE, WE, UH, WE'VE SPOKE ABOUT EP WILL, UM, OVERSEE THE, THE TRAINING TO PROVIDE EITHER FEMA OR WHATEVER AGENCY THAT WOULD, WOULD, WOULD HELP THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THEIR CAPABILITIES FIRST. OKAY. AND WE DON'T SET 'EM UP FOR FAILURE. AND THE SECOND PIECE IS WE'LL KEEP IN CONSTANT COMMUNICATION. 'CAUSE IF THEY EXHAUST THEIR RESOURCES AT ONE OF THESE CENTERS, THEN I WOULD COME IN AS MOST UP AND SET UP ANOTHER CENTER. OKAY. AND THAT TAKES ME BACK TO, AND, AND VOLUNTEERING IS GREAT AND WONDERFUL AND, AND WE'VE BEEN THROUGH THIS BEFORE. WE'VE TRIED TO FIRE UP QUICK EMERGENCY CENTERS FOR PEOPLE TO GO TO. UH, THE VOLUNTEER PART COMES IN, SO THESE ARE KNOWN AS, AS POINTS FOR PEOPLE TO GO TO POSSIBLY IN AN EMERGENCY OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. IS THERE, IF, IF A STAFF OR VOLUNTEERS OR THE ORGANIZATION CAN'T GET SOMEONE TO IT, DOES EP THEN SEND SOMEONE OVER THERE TO BRING IT ONLINE? SO THAT'S WHAT WE'VE, WE'VE SPOKE ABOUT. SO THEY DON'T HAVE THE AGREEMENTS WITH THE, UM, FROM TOGETHER BATON ROUGE WITH THE, UH, ENTITY THAT, WHERE THEY GONNA PLACE THESE AT YET, BUT THAT WILL BE PART OF IT. OKAY, GREAT. THEY WOULD BE, WE WOULD BE ABLE TO SEND EITHER VOLUNTEERS FROM OUR CERT TEAM OR HAVE ORGANIZATIONS THAT COULD HELP THEM SUPPORT THAT. OKAY. GREAT. AND LIKE I SAID, I, WHEN I GO TO EXPLAIN THIS, AND I'VE TALKED TO SEVERAL CHURCHES WHEN WE FIRST DID THIS BEFORE AND, AND, AND, AND THE FUNDING AND WE HAD THIS DISCUSSION AND EVERYTHING, I'VE GOT A LOT THAT ARE INTERESTED THAT, THAT WILL PUT THEIR TIME AND ENERGY AND EFFORT AND, AND, AND I THINK IT'S GREAT AS FAR AS SELECTING CHURCHES BECAUSE THEY USUALLY ARE THE ONES THAT WILL FIRST OPEN IN A LOCAL AREA TO GET THESE THINGS DONE. SO, UM, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WHEN THEY DO BECOME ALLOCATED POINTS THAT THEY DO FALL UNDER AND THEY WILL BE, THEY, THEY WILL BE FIRED UP CORRECTLY AND THEY WILL BE WATCHED BY EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, WHICH PEOPLE I THINK WILL THINK THAT THEY ARE A PART OF OUR EMERGENCY OPERATIONS DIRECTLY AND THEY WILL HAVE AN EXPECTATION. AND THAT'S WHY I WAS ASKING ABOUT THE, WILL THEY BE STOCKED FOR X AMOUNT OF TIME JUST IN CASE MAYBE FOR TWO OR THREE DAYS TO, FOR 30, 40 PEOPLE. UH, WILL IT BE A WEEK FOR 10 PEOPLE? YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S THE REASON I WAS ASKING THOSE QUESTIONS AND HOW THEY FELL UNDER EMERGENCY OPERATIONS. AND I APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT WE'RE NOT CLASSIFYING THEM AS SHELTERS, BUT THEY WILL BE POINTS OF EMERGENCY FOR PEOPLE TO HEAD TO, UH, THAT THEY MIGHT NOT COULD GET BACK TO THEIR PLACE OR WHATEVER. SO. RIGHT. I APPRECIATE ALL THE INFORMATION. I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT Y'ALL HAVE DONE IN PUTTING THESE TOGETHER. AND I HOPE, UH, THIS PILOT PROGRAM IS REALLY SEEING QUICKLY RAMPED UP QUICKLY SO THAT WE CAN SEE WHAT THE BENEFIT OF IT IS AND START EXPANDING INTO OTHER PARTS OF THESE PARISH. THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. ALL RIGHT, COUNCIL, WE HAVE A MOTION, MOTION TO APPROVE BY COUNCILWOMAN COLEMAN, SECOND BY COUNCILMAN MOAT. DO WE HAVE ANY OPPOSITION? MOTION CARRIES [01:45:02] AT 1 0 6 [106. 24-01292] AUTHORIZING MAYOR PRESIDENT TO AMEND THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH NEUROCO FROM 75,000 TO A NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT OF $127,200 TO PROVIDE BY WAY OF SELF HOPE, SAFE, HOPEFUL, HEALTHY, THE PLANNING, SYSTEMIZATION MANAGEMENT AND ACTIVATION OF THE PEACE OVER EVERYTHING. COMMUNITY OUTREACH KIOSK BY THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? COUNCIL MEMBERS, YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED ONE EMAIL, COMMENT AND OPPOSITION TO ITEM 1 0 6 SAYING NONE. WE'RE GONNA GO TO COUNCIL COUNCILMAN HURST. I JUST WANNA KNOW WHAT KIOSK IS. JUST WHAT IS THE KIOSK? SO THERE ARE TWO ITEMS ON THE AGENDA TONIGHT FOR SAFE, HOPE FOR HEALTHY, AND IF YOU'VE SEEN ANY OF OUR, UH, SAFE HOPE FOR HEALTHY ACTIVATIONS, UH, WE DO COME OUT WITH A TEAM OF FOLKS, UH, SPECIFICALLY OUR HIGH RISK INTERVENTIONISTS THAT COME OUT, DO, UH, COMMUNITY SPONSORED EVENTS, ENGAGE WITH MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, TRY TO GET, UM, SURVEYS BASED ON NEEDS ASSESSMENTS AND WHAT'S GOING ON IN THOSE COMMUNITIES. AND WHEN, IF AND WHEN POSSIBLE DO INTERVENE IN, UM, UH, INTERPERSONAL CONFLICTS. SO I'M SAYING THE KIOSK IS THAT ACTUAL MACHINE IS OUT THERE? YEAH, SO THE TABLES THAT THEY DO WHEN THEY GO OUT THERE TO THESE EVENTS, WHEN THEY HAVE THESE TABLES SET UP AND THEY HAVE THE TEAM OF INDIVIDUALS OUT THERE REPRESENTING SAFE FOFA HEALTHY, AND YES, THEY DO HAVE THE ACTUAL DIGITAL. OH, SO YOU'RE CONSIDERING THE WHOLE THING. YES, SIR. I JUST, SIR, I DIDN'T, IF IT WAS A NEW PIECE OF TECHNOLOGY. THAT'S WHAT I WAS ASKING. I'M NOT AGAINST IT. JESSICA DID EMAIL US. I JUST SAW THE WORD KIOSK AND IT UNDERSTOOD. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANYONE ELSE? MOTION TO APPROVE BY COUNCILMAN DUN JR. SECOND BY COUNCILMAN HURST. ANY OPPOSITION? MOTION CARRIES ITEM 1 0 7, [107. 24-01293] AUTHORIZING MAYOR PRESIDENT TO AMEND THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICE AGREEMENT WITH LINE FOR LINE FOR LINE FROM $38,533 TO A NOT TO EXCEED AMOUNT OF $80,000 TO PROVIDE BY WAY OF SELF SAFE HOPEFUL HEALTH. I SAY THAT EVERY TIME. SAFE, HOPEFUL, HEALTHY, THE SERVICE OF HIGH RISK INTERVENTIONALISTS TO ACTIVELY ENGAGE WITH INDIVIDUALS AT HIGH RISK OF INVOLVEMENT IN GUN VIOLENCE AND RELATED ACTIVITIES BY THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? COUNCIL MEMBERS, YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED ONE EMAIL, COMMENT AND OPPOSITION TO ITEM 1 0 7. SAME. NONE WILL GO TO COUNCIL MOTION BY COUNCILMAN GOEY. SECOND BY COUNCILMAN MOOCH. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM 1 0 8, AUTHORIZING [108. 24-01298] MAYOR, PRESIDENT ON BEHALF OF THE DIVISION OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND SERVICES HEAD START PROGRAM TO AMEND THE PROJECT PERIOD OF ONE TIME FUNDING RECEIVED FROM THE COVID-19 CARES ACT FUNDING AND EXTENDING UNTIL DECEMBER, 2024 AND AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF ALL DOCUMENTS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH BY THE HUMAN SERVICES DIRECTOR. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? BEING NONE. WE WILL GO TO COUNCIL. WE HAVE A MOTION. MOTION BY COUNCILMAN DOUG JR. SECOND BY COUNCILMAN HURST. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM 1 0 9 [109. 24-01299] AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR PRESIDENT TO EXECUTE AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN ASCENSION PARISH GOVERNMENT, EAST ASCENSION, CONSOLIDATED GRAVITY, DRAINAGE DISTRICT NUMBER ONE IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH IN IBERVILLE PARISH IN CONNECTION WITH THE BAYOU MANCHAC RESTORATION IN WARTS CREEK REALIGNMENT PROJECT, AND THE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $30 MILLION BY THE TRANSPORTATION AND DRAINAGE DIRECTOR. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NONE WILL GO TO COUNCIL. COUNCILMAN GODDE. I'M GONNA JUST ASK FRED IF HE'LL COME AND TALK THROUGH THIS. IT'S A PRETTY MAJOR, UH, ITEM IN TERMS OF OUR, UM, STORM WATER. YES, SIR. THANK YOU. YEAH, WE DID HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECEIVE A WATERSHED INITIATIVE GRANT THROUGH THE AMIT RIVER BASIN COMMISSION, WHICH I AM ONE OF THE BOARD MEMBERS AND CERTAINLY I DO LOVE MY PARISH VERY WELL, SO I LIKE TO MAKE SURE WE GET AS MUCH MONEY AS WE CAN IN OUR PARISH. UM, THIS, THIS AGREEMENT THAT WE HAVE HERE IS UNDER THE WATERSHED AND IT'S ACTUALLY RECEIVED ABOUT A HUNDRED MILLION. AND WE ASKED TO, TO SPLIT IT UP TO ABOUT 30 MILLION TO FINISH UP THE WARDS CREEK REALIGNMENT AND ALSO TO BAYOU MAN CHECK SOME OF THE WORK THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE IN REGARDS TO FROM A DRAINAGE ASPECT, UH, THE PARISHES, UH, ARE INVOLVED BECAUSE WE ALL ARE IMPACTED AS EBR, UH, EVER, BILL PARISH AND ASCENSION. UH, THE AGREEMENT THAT YOU, Y'ALL HAVE TOGETHER IS FOR ALL THREE PARISHES TO COMMIT TO MEETING SOME OBLIGATIONS. AND, AND THE ONE THING I DID MENTION, I DID NOT MENTION, WHICH I SHOULD HAVE, UH, WE'RE NOT PUTTING UP $10 MILLION, WE'RE PUTTING UP AROUND $60,000 TO FINISH UP THE HYDRAULIC STUDY THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO BE SUBMITTED FOR THE GRANT. SO EACH PARISH IS GONNA BE COMMITTING $60,000 TO FINISH UP THE ACTUAL MODEL ITSELF TILL WE CAN SUBMIT AS PART OF THE, UH, GRANT APPLICATION THROUGH THE STATE, UH, OFFICE OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. UH, IT IS SOMETHING, UH, THAT IS VERY NEEDED, UH, THAT WE KNEW WHEN WE FINISHED UP THE PORTION OF WARDS CREEK WHAT, WHAT WE NEEDED TO DO. WE'RE WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH BRECK ALSO FOR AN OPPORTUNITY TO, TO [01:50:01] RE REALIGN THE WARDS CREEK STILL WILL CONTINUE TO FLOW WHERE IT IS, BUT TO ALSO REALIGN AND GET WATER OUTTA THERE MUCH QUICKER TO GET INTO THE, TO, TO BAYOU MANCHAC AND GET OUT OF THE AMIT RIVER. AND THOSE THINGS ARE WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON CURRENTLY WITH BRECK AND ALSO, UH, WITH THE PLD, WHICH IS A PONIT TRAIN LEVY DISTRICT ALSO. SO IT IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR US IN REGARDS TO, UH, MOVE OUR PARISH FORWARD. AND WHILE IT MAY SOUND LIKE IT'S ONLY DOWN IN THE SOUTH, THIS AREA HERE, ALSO REWARDS CREEK DRAINS A A GOOD PORTION OF PARISH. SO I THINK IT'S IMP IMPAIRED TO PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT. WHILE I DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO THINK WITH JUST ONE, TWO COUNCIL DISTRICTS, IT'S, IT'S A GOOD PORTION OF THE PARISH ALL THE WAY UP TO EDEN PARK AND WHERE, UH, UH, CATHOLIC HIGH, ALL THAT WATER FROM ALL THIS AREA ULTIMATELY ENDS UP DOWN AT THE SACK, WHICH IS CRITICAL. SO THE MORE THAT WE CAN GET DONE, THE BETTER, UH, THE, THE FLOW OF WATER. SO I'LL ANSWER ANY OTHER QUESTIONS THAT YOU MAY HAVE. A MOTION BY COUNCILMAN HUDSON. SECOND BY COUNCILMAN GOEY. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM ONE 10 AUTHORIZING MAYOR [110. 24-01300] PRESIDENT TO EXECUTE SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT NUMBER ONE TO THE CONTRACT FOR ENGINEER SERVICES WITH GEC INCORPORATED IN CONNECTION WITH THE TERRACE STREET DRAINAGE PUMP STATION RENOVATIONS PROJECT, AND AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $267,650 BY THE TRANSPORTATION AND DRAINAGE DIRECTOR. ANYONE HERE WISH TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? NONE WILL GO TO COUNCIL. WE HAVE A MOTION. MOTION BY COUNCILMAN MOGUE. SECOND BY COUNCILMAN DUN, JR. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM ONE 11, [111. 24-01302] AUTHORIZING MAYOR PRESIDENT TO EXECUTE A CONTRACT FOR TITLE REVIEW SERVICES WITH MILESTONE TITLE INC. FOR SERVICES ASSOCIATED WITH THE EAST BATON ROUGE FLOOD RISK REDUCTION PROJECT, AMY RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES WATERSHED FLOOD MANAGEMENT PROJECT, AND ON AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $175,000 BY THE TRANSPORTATION AND DRAINAGE DIRECTOR. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEE KNOWN? GO TO COUNCIL. WE HAVE A MOTION. MOTION BY COUNCILMAN HURST. SECOND BY THE CHAIR. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM ONE 12, AUTHORIZING [112. 24-01303] MAYOR PRESIDENT TO EXECUTE A CONTRACT FOR TITLE REVIEW SERVICES WITH, WITH DAGEL FISHING PERCENTAGE FOR SERVICES ASSOCIATED WITH THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH FLOOD RISK REDUCTION PROJECT. AMY RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES WATERSHED FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PROJECT IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $175,000 BY TRANSPORTATION AND DRAINAGE DIRECTOR. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NONE GO TO COUNCIL. WE HAVE A MOTION. MOTION BY COUNCILMAN HURST. SECOND BY THE CHAIR. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM ONE 13 [113. 24-01304] AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR PRESIDENT TO EXECUTE A CONTRACT FOR TITLE REVIEW SERVICES WITH THE MAYHILL, FRE AND BLAZE LLC FOR SERVICES ASSOCIATED WITH THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH, EAST BATON ROUGE FLOOD RISK REDUCTION PROJECT, AMY RIVER AND TRIBUTARIES WATERSHED FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT PROJECT AND NOT TO EXCEED $175,000 BY THE TRANSPORTATION AND DRAINAGE DIRECTOR. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS THEME KNOWN? GO TO COUNCIL MOTION BY COUNCILMAN HUR. SECOND BY THE CHAIR. AND ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM ONE 14 [114. 24-01305] AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR PRESIDENT TO EXECUTE A CONTRACT FOR ENGINEERING DESIGN SERVICES WITH MAYOR ENGINEERS LIMITED FOR SERVICES ASSOCIATED WITH MOVE VR ENHANCEMENT PROJECT GLASGOW AVENUE SIDEWALKS HIGH 10TH AVENUE TO PERKINS AVENUE AND AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $269,174 AND 82 CENTS BY THE TRANSPORTATION DRAINAGE DIRECTOR. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? COUNCIL MEMBERS YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED ONE EMAIL, COMMENT AND OPPOSITION TO ITEM ONE 14. SEEING NONE, GO TO COUNCIL MOTION BY COUNCILMAN HUR. SECOND BY COUNCILWOMAN ADAMS. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM ONE 15, AUTHORIZING [115. 24-01306] MAYOR PRESIDENT TO EXECUTE A CONTRACT FOR CONSTRUCTION INSPECTION SERVICES WITH RICHARD C. LAMBERT CONSULTANTS, LLC FOR SERVICES ASSOCIATED WITH THE MOVE VR ENHANCEMENT PROJECT, BATON ROUGE BUS, RAPID TRANSIT, AND THE AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED 566,000 BY TRANSPORTATION AND DRAINAGE DIRECTOR, ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? COUNCIL MEMBERS YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED ONE EMAIL COMMENT IN OPPOSITION TO ITEM ONE 15 AND NO ONE WILL GO TO COUNCIL. WE HAVE A MOTION. MOTION BY COUNCILMAN HURST, SECOND BY COUNCILWOMAN COLEMAN. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM ONE [116. 24-01307] 16 AUTHORIZING MAYOR PRESIDENT TO EXECUTE A SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES WITH URA CONSULTING SERVICES LLC FOR ADDITIONAL SERVICES ASSOCIATED WITH MOVE BEYOND ENHANCEMENT PROJECTS. BLUEBONNET MIDBLOCK PEDESTRIAN CROSSING IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $35,434 AND 50 CENTS BY THE TRANSPORTATION AND DRAINAGE DIRECTOR. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? COUNCIL MEMBERS YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED ONE EMAIL, COMMENT AND OPPOSITION TO ITEM ONE 16. SEEING NONE WILL GO TO COUNCIL MOTION BY COUNCILWOMAN ADAM. SECOND BY COUNCILMAN GOEY. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM ONE 17 [117. 24-01309] AUTHORIZING MAYOR PRESIDENT TO EXECUTE A SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENT FOR PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES WITH GO TECH CONSULTING ENGINEERS INC. FOR FINAL PLAN SERVICES ASSOCIATED WITH MOVE VR ENHANCEMENT PROJECT, SHARP ROAD, FLORIDA BOULEVARD TO OLDHAM AND HIGHWAY AND AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $845 500 840 $5,528 55 CENTS BY THE TRANSPORTATION AND DRAINAGE [01:55:01] DIRECTOR. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEE NOW WE'LL GO TO COUNCIL MOTION BY COUNCILWOMAN ADAMS. SECOND BY COUNCILMAN HURST. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM ONE [118. 24-01311] 18 AUTHORIZING MAYOR PRESIDENT TO EXECUTE A CONTRACT FOR TRAFFIC SIGNAL CONSTRUCTION INSPECTION SERVICES WITH VECTORIAL CONSULTING SERVICES LLC FOR SERVICES ASSOCIATED WITH THE MOVE VR ENHANCEMENT PROJECT, BATON ROUGE BUS, RAPID TRANSIT, AND THE AMOUNT, NOT, AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $157,250 BY THE TRANSPORTATION AND DRAINAGE DIRECTOR. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? COUNCIL MEMBERS YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED ONE EMAIL, COMMENT AND OPPOSITION TO ITEM ONE 18. COME ON. NO WAY. SEE NONE. WILL GO TO COUNCIL MOTION BY COUNCILMAN GODES. SECOND BY COUNCILMAN HURST. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM ONE 19 [119. 24-01317] AUTHORIZING MAYOR, PRESIDENT TO ENTER INTO A COOPERATIVE ENDEAVOR AGREEMENT WITH CAPITAL CITY FAMILY HEALTH CENTER INCORPORATED DB DOING BUSINESS AS CARE SOUTH IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $400,000 TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW GERIATRIC AND PHYSICAL THERAPY FACILITY IN BATON ROUGE TO ADDRESS THE GROWING DEMAND FOR SPECIALIZED CARE FOR ELDERLY PATIENTS. FUNDED BY THE ARPA GRANT BY THE MAYOR, PRESIDENT. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? COUNCIL MEMBERS YOU SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED ONE EMAIL, COMMENT AND OPPOSITION TO ITEM ONE 19. SEEING NONE WILL GO TO COUNCIL MOTION BY COUNCILMAN DUNN, JR. SECOND BY COUNCILMAN HURST. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM ONE 20, [120. 24-01316] AUTHORIZING PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE AND THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE TO NAME THE CITY PARISH OWNED PROPERTY KNOWN AS THE OLD FIRE STATION NUMBER 16, LOCATED AT 1 1 5 5 ROSENWALD ROAD AS THE SCOTT SCOTLANDVILLE MULTI-PURPOSE CULTURAL CENTER BY COUNCILWOMAN BANKS. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM SAYING NONE WILL GO TO COUNCIL? UH, YES. UM, MOTION TO APPROVE BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE RECEIVED IS, UM, SEVERAL NONPROFITS THAT ARE INTERESTED IN, UM, MAKING THE, HAVING THIS GO TO ITS ORIGINAL USE, WHICH WAS TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY. AND SO, UM, BEING ABLE TO START WITH AN INCLUSIVE NAME. UM, SOME OF THE NONPROFITS INCLUDE THE BATON ROUGE, UM, THE BATON ROUGE FOOD BANK, UM, ROSEBUD TRAINING CENTER, EAST BATON ROUGE SCHOOL SYSTEM FOR ADULT EDUCATION. SO BASICALLY JUST BEING ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD, UH, WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF HAVING THOSE SERVICES, UM, FOR THE COMMUNITY. WE HAVE A MOTION, UH, CONSTABLE MCC COLEMAN. I HAVE A QUESTION REGARDING THAT. WHO WILL OWN THIS NOW SINCE WE'VE TAKEN IT FROM THE SCOTLANDVILLE, UH, ALUMNI WHO WILL OWN THIS AND, UH, WHEN YOU SAY WHAT'S THE TIMEFRAME FOR THEM TO DO WHAT WAS EXPECTED OF THE ALUMNI CENTER AND YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO KNOW. OKAY. SO, UM, EVEN WHEN IT WAS UNDER THE OPERATION, IT WAS ALWAYS OWNED BY THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE AND THAT'S STILL THE CASE. IT IS OWNED AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN OWNED BY THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE. THE CEA WAS TO ALLOW A NONPROFIT TO PUT IT INTO USAGE FOR THE COMMUNITY. SO WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH IS, UM, I THINK AARON JUST GOT BACK FROM VACATION OR HE WAS OFF, BUT WE ARE WORKING IN GETTING ALL THE NONPROFITS THAT ARE INTERESTED, UM, INTO THE BUILDING. ONE OF THE REASONS A NAME CHANGE WAS TO, UM, BEGIN TALKING AS IT RELATES TO CA CA A AGREEMENTS ALSO, UM, MAKING SURE THAT THOSE STRAIGHT, THOSE, A LOT OF THE COMMENTS, UM, THAT WERE BROUGHT BEFORE THAT ON TIMELINES WHAT'S GONNA BE EXPECTED. YES. UM, INTENT. AND YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THOUGHT IS THAT WE SHOULD HAVE WHOMEVER COME BEFORE THE COUNCIL WITH THE ANNUAL UPDATE. SO, UM, I THINK THAT WE SHOULD BE, UM, FINANCIAL REPORTS SHOULD BE THERE. I THINK THERE SHOULD BE A STRATEGIC PLAN. SO THOSE ARE THE CONVERSATIONS THAT, UM, MYSELF AND AARON AND SOME OF THE NONPROFITS HAVE BEEN ENGAGING IN. SO WE SHOULD HAVE SOMETHING SOON. AND I THINK ALL OF THAT IS GREAT. MM-HMM. BUT THAT WAS NOT A PART OF THE CONTRACT THAT WAS PUT BEFORE RIGHT. THE ALUMNI. AND SO THAT IS MY CONCERN HERE NOW. SO THE CONTRACT DID NOT SAY THIS FOR THE SCOTLANDVILLE ALUMNI. AND, AND SO NOW ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE GOING TO BE PLACED IN HERE IN ORDER TO GET ALL OF THESE NON-PROFITS UNDER THE ROOF HERE. AND SO THAT, THAT, THAT'S MY BIGGEST CONCERN ABOUT THIS. [02:00:01] YEAH. AND WE ALSO, UM, MADE HAVE, UH, SEVERAL TIMES SPOKEN, REACHED OUT TO THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION AND THE ORIGINAL, AND THEY HAVE DECLINED TO BE PART ANY FURTHER. ALSO, YOU GOTTA REMEMBER THIS 10 YEARS AGO IS BASED ON THE WAY THE CITY HAS ALWAYS DONE IT. AND SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES IT SOMEONE INTERESTED IN, UM, WHEN WE, THAT WE HAVE ACCOUNTS, SO THE REASON WHY WE ARE CONSTANTLY EVOLVING IS A LOT OF TIMES THE WAY WE FIX THINGS IS WHEN WE DISCOVER THERE'S A PROBLEM, EVOLUTION IS GREAT. THAT'S IT. EVOLUTION. EVOLUTION IS GREAT. MM-HMM. . BUT GOING BACK TO REVISIT THAT WHICH WE EXPECT FROM ORGANIZATIONS. SO YEAH. THAT'S, THAT'S MY CONCERN HERE. YEAH. COUNCILMAN MOOCH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT RENAMING THE BUILDING. ARE WE RENAMING THE BUILDING FOR AN ORGANIZ? AND, AND PLEASE, I APOLOGIZE IF I'M GONNA START SHUTTING YOU OFF OR WHATEVER, BUT ARE WE REORGANIZING, RENAMING THE BUILDING FOR A PARTICULAR ORGANIZATION THAT WILL BE MANAGING THIS? YES OR NO? SO RIGHT NOW, OKAY. BUT I JUST WANTED TO TELL YOU IT HAD NO NAME. OKAY. WE, WE DON'T HAVE AN, WE DON'T HAVE AN ORGANIZATION THAT IS MANAGING THE BUILDING OR ANYTHING RIGHT NOW OR SIGNED THE CONTRACT OR GETTING THE CONTRACT. RIGHT. RIGHT NOW WE DO NOT HAVE ANYONE LINED UP RIGHT NOW. NO. THAT HAS TO BE APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL. AND THAT'S THE CONVERSATION I ALLUDED TO WITH, UM, BUT WE DON'T HAVE AN ORGANIZATION RIGHT NOW TO DO ANYTHING WITH THIS BUILDING TO MANAGE THESE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS. WE DO OR RUN THIS FACILITY. WE DO, WE DO. BUT, AND WHAT, WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE ORGANIZATION? OKAY, IF YOU DON'T MIND. WE HAVE BEEN IN CONVERSATIONS FOR, FOR 30 DAYS, BUT WE CANNOT, IT'S UP TO THE COUNCIL. SO THE COUN, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN BEFORE IS THAT WE HAD NO, I MEAN WE, WE GAVE THEM WHAT WE WANTED BASED ON WHAT OTHER PEOPLE, THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO DO IT. SO ONE OF THE THINGS THIS COUNCIL, INCLUDING YOU HAVE SAID IS HOW IMPORTANT IT IS THAT WE BE MORE SPECIFIC. I CANNOT AS ONE PERSON ON THE COUNCIL COME AND SAY WHAT IS GOING TO BE, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PARTICULARLY, UM, THE, THE, UH, THE FOOD BANK SAID IS THAT THEY, THEY DON'T WANT I GUESS THE NEGATIVITY THAT FELL OUT OF IT. THEY DON'T WANT THAT TO BE PART OF IT ITSELF. I I UNDERSTAND THAT. WHAT MY QUESTION IS, WE, WE REMOVED IT FROM THE SCOTLANDVILLE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION. THEY HAD NO NAME THAT IS AN ORGANIZATION THAT WAS GOING TO MANAGE THE BUILDING AND DO STUFF IN IT AND EVERYTHING ELSE. WE REMOVED IT FROM THAT ORGANIZATION. THEY HAD A CONTRACT THAT, THAT WE STOPPED WHO AND WHAT ORGANIZATION IS GOING TO HANDLE THE NEW CONTRACT THAT WE WERE GOING TO SUPPOSEDLY MAKE IT MORE SPECIFIC, HAVE SET GOALS AND EVERYTHING ELSE. WHAT ORGANIZATION, IF WE RENAME THIS BUILDING, IS GOING TO MANAGE AND DO THAT CONTRACT FOR THE SCOTLAND HILL MULTI PULPER CULTURAL S CENTER. THIS IS, THIS IS JUST ABOUT A NAME CHANGE THAT I UNDERSTAND THAT, BUT I DON'T WANT TO GO NAME AND CHANGES AND, AND GOING INTO ALL THIS DOWN THIS ROAD WHEN WE DON'T EVEN HAVE AN ORGANIZATION YET THAT'S GOING TO USE THE FACILITY OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. RIGHT NOW IT'S JUST THE OLD SCOTT LAKEVILLE FIRE STATION. RIGHT. AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE TRYING TO GIVE IT AN IDENTITY. SO WHY, WHY DON'T WE FIND AN ORGANIZATION TO RAN, RUN AND MANAGE THIS FACILITY AND THAT'S GONNA WORK A CONTRACT WITH US. AND MAYBE IN THAT CONTRACT THEN WE COULD STATE IN THE CONTRACT THAT IT WILL BE RENAMED THE SCOTLANDVILLE MULTICULTURAL CENTER. SO WE COULD DO THAT. BUT IF YOU THINK ABOUT SEAN SHAATH OH, I'M SORRY. I ASK YOU A QUESTION. THAT'S FINE. THAT'S WHAT I JUST, I JUST THINK HERE WE ARE, WE'VE JUST PULLED IT FROM THE, THE, THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION IS STILL FRESH. IT IS STILL EVERYTHING ELSE. AND NO ONE HAS PRESENTED A FULL PLAN TO US TO COUNCIL OF WHAT THE BUILDING IS NOW GOING TO BE USED FOR. I KNOW YOU HAVE IDEAS AND THINGS LIKE THAT AND WHAT I TOLD YOU WHAT BUILDING THAT'S BEEN ON VACATION. WE WANNA RENAME THE BUILDING BEFORE WE EVEN START WORKING WITH ANOTHER ORGANIZATION OR HAVE A CONTRACT OR REDO THE CONTRACT TO START LOOKING FOR SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT. THAT'S MY ONLY CONCERN. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN DUNN JR I JUST WANNA MAKE A POINT OF CLARITY. UH, MY COLLEAGUE COUNCILMAN MOOCH IS SPEAKING FRENCH WHEN HE USED THE TERM, WE REMOVE THIS, UH, BUILDING AND, AND WE REMOVE THIS AGREEMENT FROM THE SCOTLANDVILLE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION. WE DID NOT DO THAT. WE DID, UH, COUNCILWOMAN BANKS AND, UH, COUNCILMAN MO AND OTHERS DID THAT. SEVERAL OF US VOTED AGAINST THAT HAPPENING. UH, I THINK YOU AND COUNCILWOMAN COLEMAN ASKED SOME VALID QUESTIONS. I DO THINK WE NEED TO HAVE AN ORGANIZATION IN MIND AND GET THEIR INPUT ON THE NAMING AND RIGHTS BEFORE WE CHANGE THE NAME. UM, AND TO COUNCILWOMAN [02:05:01] COLEMAN'S POINT, YOU KNOW, WE ALL WANTED REQUIREMENTS, EXPECTATIONS OF NOT ONLY THE SCHOLAR, THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, BUT ANYBODY WHO RECEIVED A BUILDING, UM, FROM THE CITY PARISH. AND I THINK THOSE REQUIREMENT AND EXPECTATIONS SHOULD BE, UH, MADE AVAILABLE AND, AND ADHERED TO BY WHOEVER THE ORGANIZATION IS THAT'S GONNA MANAGE AND OPERATE THIS FACILITY. UM, THAT'S MY INPUT. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN HURST. HEY, WHAT I THINK WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IS BEING EXTREMELY PREMATURE. AND I SAY, I KNOW THAT YOU'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS, YOUR DISTRICT, I BELIEVE IT'S GOING HAPPEN, RIGHT? HOWEVER YOU WANT IT TO HAPPEN, IF YOU WANT IT TO HAPPEN THAT WAY. BUT WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THAT AS WE GET INTO CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS WITH THESE FOLKS, IF SOMEBODY SAYS, I DON'T WANT TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MAINTENANCE OR ANY OTHER THING, AND THEY BACK OUT OF IT, I DON'T WANT TO PAY THE INSURANCE REQUIREMENT, THEN WHILE IT'S A GREAT IDEA AND THERE IS A PLAN, THERE'S NO EXECUTION OF THAT. SO FOR THAT REASON, I AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUE MOOCH ON THIS ONE, THAT AS A NEW CONTRACT, NEW CONTRACT COMES INTO, UH, FRUITION, THEN THE NAMING RIGHTS SHOULD BE IN THAT SPECIFIC PLACE BECAUSE THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, LIKE I KNOW IT'S LIKE, UM, IN ANYTHING, EVERYBODY SUPPORTS YOU UNTIL IT'S TIME TO SHOW UP. RIGHT? AND SO, AS YOU MIGHT HAVE 20 ORGANIZATIONS THAT WANNA BE A PART NOW, AND THEN WHEN YOU PUT THE CONTRACT IN PLACE BASED ON RESPONSIBILITIES AND DIVVYING UP A MONEY, WHATEVER THEY MAY WANT TO DO, 20 TURNS INTO TWO A ZERO. SO I'M NOT AGAINST THE RENAMING OF IT, I JUST THINK THAT WE SHOULD FIND AN ORGANIZATION LIKE MO SAID FIRST AND MAKE IT A PART OF THE CONTRACT. I ACTUALLY AGREE WITH THAT BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT HAPPENS AT THE NEGOTIATION TABLE AND THEN, THEN A SPECIFIC ORGANIZATION, IF IT BOILS DOWN TO ONE, THEY MAY WANT TO NAME IT SOMETHING ELSE BECAUSE IT IS A REFLECTION OF WHAT THEY DO AND HOW THEY SERVE THE COMMUNITY. SO, UM, I I MAY ASK THAT IT BE DEFERRED 60 DAYS. THAT WAY YOU CAN FIND AN ORGANIZATION OR WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO AT THAT POINT, AND THEN INCLUDE IT IN THE AGREEMENT. SO I, I SUPPORT MO IN THAT COMMENT. AND I, AND I HAVE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION FOR SIX AND EVERY DEFERRAL MAY I COUNCIL BANKS? YEAH. SO FIRST OF ALL, IT WASN'T, IT'S AN ONLY AN INTRODUCTION, SO IT'S NOT A ITEM THAT'S NUMBER ONE. IT'S ONLY AN INTRODUCTION, RIGHT? ISN'T THAT RIGHT, ASHLEY? NO, THIS IS ON FOR, UM, ADOPTION. OH, I DIDN'T MEAN, OH, OKAY. OKAY. WELL, LET ME , BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT I WAS ASKING YOU. BUT ANYWAY, YOU JUST, OKAY. I SENT TO SEE NO FILE. SO FIRST OF ALL, UM, IN, IN CONSULTATION WITH ATTORNEY WILLIAM AARON, UH, WE HAVE BEEN IN, HE'S BEEN ON VACATION. HE JUST GOT BACK TUESDAY. BUT THE REASON WHY HE, FIRST OF ALL THE BUILDING CANNOT, IT IS JUST LIKE THE GEORGIA J NEWMAN COMMUNITY CENTER. WE HAVE SEVERAL CAS, BUT BATON ROUGE PRIMARY CARE COULD NOT NAME THE GEORGIA J NEWMAN COMMUNITY CENTER. THE BATON ROUGE PRIMARY CARE COLLABORATIVE, THE BATON ROUGE, UM, WHAT ELSE? WE HAVE, THE COUNCIL ON AGING DOES NOT CHANGE THE CITY BUILDING TO THE COUNCIL ON AGING. SO WHAT WE ARE DOING IS CHANGING THE NAME BECAUSE WE HAVE TO DO A CEA WITH ALL THE ORGANIZATION. YES, THERE WILL BE A LEAD ORGANIZATION, YOU ALL. SO WHEN WE, WHERE WE ARE SETTING DOWN, DOING AN ORGAN, DOING A CEA, WE CAN'T PUT THE OLD FIRE STATION. I MEAN, WE COULD, BUT THAT'S NOT THE NAME OF IT. IT'S FIRE STATION, I THINK NUMBER 16, WHERE IF YOU GOOGLE SCOTLANDVILLE FIRE STATION NUMBER 16, IT GIVES YOU THE NEW BUILDING. THIS ONE DOESN'T HAVE IT. THE SCOTLAND, FOR 10 YEARS, THE SCOTLANDVILLE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION DID NOT NAME THE BUILDING, AND THEY DID NOT HAVE THE RIGHTS TO, NO ONE SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHTS TO RENAMING A CITY PARISH BUILDING THAT THEY DON'T OWN WITHOUT GOING BEFORE THIS COUNCIL. SO WE ARE DOING OUR DUE DILIGENCE SO THAT WHEN, SO THAT IN BRINGING THE PEOPLE TOGETHER, WE'RE ABLE TO REFER TO THE BUILDING. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH ANYTHING ELSE. NOBODY CHANGES THE NAME OF THE RIVER CENTER BECAUSE CHICK-FIL-A IS IN THERE. THAT DOES NOT EVEN MAKE SENSE. SO THAT'S ALL THE REASON THEY'RE, I DON'T MEAN TO HUH? RAISING I KNOW, BUT IT'S RAISING CANE. BUT IF, BUT IT'S NOT CHICK-FIL-A I KNOW, BUT IF CHICK-FIL-A MOVING IN, WE NOT GONNA CHANGE IT TO RAISING CANE. SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT MINDSET, BUT THIS IS SO THAT WE CAN HAVE, AND YOU DON'T PUT THE NAME OF A BUILDING IN A CA FOR JUST USAGE. NO, Y'ALL MISSING A POINT. AND THAT THE BIG, SO YOU DON'T CHANGE A NAME. YOU DON'T PUT THE NAME OF A CITY PARISH BUILDING IN A TEMPORARY CA PEOPLE. SO THAT IS WHAT, UM, [02:10:01] WHAT THIS ITEM IS ABOUT. IT'S SO THAT WHEN WE COME BEFORE YOU, WE ARE ABLE TO SAY NONPROFIT A, B, C, UH, AND THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE TO USE THE SKYVILLE MULTICULTURAL CENTER. THAT'S ALL. IF Y'ALL HAVE A BETTER NAME, I DON'T CARE. I WAS JUST TRYING TO MAKE IT MAKE SENSE, BECAUSE WE DO WANT IT TO BE MULTIPURPOSE. AND WHEN I GOOGLED IT, THAT WAS ONE OF THE NAMES WE COULDN'T CALL IT, WE DIDN'T WANNA CALL IT ANOTHER COMMUNITY CENTER. I'M SAYING WE, SO THAT'S WHERE THAT CAME FROM. UH, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT WAS A BIG OLD DEAL. UM, BUT IT'S JUST SO TOGETHER. AND I KNOW IF YOU DON'T HAVE A COMMUNITY WHERE IDENTIFYING PLACES ARE IMPORTANT, BUT FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND SCHOLARLY, BEING ABLE TO IDENTIFY BUILDINGS IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK THAT ANY PREDOMINANTLY, ESPECIALLY BLACK, UH, COMMUNITY, WE WOULD WANT OWNERSHIP IN NAMING YOUR BUILDINGS AND NOT LETTING IT BE OUT THERE LIKE A IDOL. SO I MAKE A MOTION, UM, TO APPROVE. OH, THAT'S WHERE I AM. COUNCILMAN MO. YEAH. I, I JUST AS MY ESTEEMED COLLEAGUE, COUNCILMAN DUNN LIKES TO CLARIFY THINGS, WE AS A COUNCIL DID VOTE TO TAKE IT BACK FROM THE SCOTLANDVILLE ASSOCIATION. SOME OF MY ESTEEMED COLLEAGUES MIGHT NOT HAVE VOTED DIRECTLY FOR IT. SO, BUT WITH THAT BEING SAID, SEAN, I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO DO. I THINK YOU'VE WORKED HARD ON THIS, THIS LOCATION AND EVERYTHING ELSE. I JUST FEEL THAT IT, IT'S PREMATURE. UM, I AGREE WITH THE DEFERRAL. I, I THINK I, I WOULD LIKE TO ACTUALLY, I KNOW WE'VE ALREADY MADE MOTIONS AND EVERYTHING TO, TO DELETE IT OR, OR REMOVE IT UNTIL WE ACTUALLY GET WHAT WE WANT IN A CONTRACT THAT WE WANT TO SEE SOMEBODY NEW COMING UP TO SIGN AND TAKE OVER IT, AND THEN GO OUT LOOKING FOR THOSE PEOPLE AND THEN COME UP WITH THE NAMING THAT THEY MIGHT WANT TO DO. SO I, I'LL, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY SECONDED THE, THE MOTION TO DEFER OR NOT, BUT THAT'S, I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO GO AHEAD AND DO. SO YOU DID UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE DOING IT THOUGH, RIGHT? YOU CAN'T DO IT IN THE CEA JOHNNA. OKAY. SO I ACTUALLY, I, I THINK, I DON'T THINK THIS IS PREMATURE. UM, IF I UNDERSTAND IT CORRECTLY, AND, AND SHAUNA, YOU CAN CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE REASON FOR NAMING IT, THE SCOTLANDVILLE MULTIPURPOSE CULTURAL CENTER, IS TO TRY TO SET A VISION, AND THAT'S WHAT YOU AND OR YOU AS A REPRESENTATIVE. SO THE COMMUNITY IS TRYING TO SET A VISION FOR WHAT YOU WANT IT TO BE, AND WHO COMES IN, WHETHER IT'S ONE OR MULTIPLE GROUPS, UM, WOULD IDEALLY FIT UNDER THAT NAME, BECAUSE THAT'S THE VISION SET OUT FOR, SO I DON'T THINK IT'S PREMATURE. UH, COULD IT BE DONE AFTERWARDS? ABSOLUTELY. BUT I DON'T THINK IT'S A PROBLEM TO DO IT BEFORE. IS THAT ACCURATE? OKAY. THAT'S, THAT'S, SO I, I, I SEE NO PROBLEM. I SECONDED YOUR MOTION, BY THE WAY. UH, COUNCILWOMAN COLEMAN. CLEAR. ARE YOU IN THE HOUSE OR ANYBODY FROM, ALL RIGHT. MY QUESTION IS THIS. SEE, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, I, I NEED, WE, I LIKE TO LOOK AT THE LEGALITY COMPONENT OF A THING. THAT GROUP HAD A CONTRACT IN THAT CONTRACT. NOTHING WAS IN THERE THAT SAID SPECIFICALLY, Y'ALL NEED TO DO THIS, THIS, AND THIS BY THIS, THIS, THIS TIME. AM I CORRECT? I SAY, BILLY, BILLY, BILLY COUNCILWOMAN. WE HAD, WE HAD, THIS IS ALL WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT IS A NAME CHANGE, NOT THE TERMINATION OF A CONTRACT THAT OCCURRED BEFORE. BUT ALL OF THAT IS WRAPPED AROUND, SEE, DON'T TRY TO CAUSE ME TO CHANGE MY OPINION OR MY VOTE ON THIS. THESE ARE MY FIVE MINUTES. I, I'M, I'M, I'M NOT. I JUST, AND SO WHAT I AM ASKING IS TIE TO A NAME CHANGE WHEN YOU MOVE TO MAKE A CHANGE, SINCE THEY WANT THE WORD CHANGE TO BE IN THERE, WHEN YOU MOVE TO MAKE A CHANGE, AND YOU MOVE IN FROM A CONTRACT THAT THE FOLK HAD, AND YOU HELD THEM RESPONSIBLE FOR SOMETHING THAT WAS NOT IN THAT CONTRACT. ARE YOU FOLLOWING ME? I THINK SO, YES. OKAY. AND SO IF WE'RE HOLDING THEM RESPONSIBLE FOR SOMETHING THAT WAS NOT EVEN IN THAT CONTRACT, THEN HOW CAN WE MOVE IN ANY WAY TO CHANGE WHAT IT WAS WHEN THEY DIDN'T BREAK THE CONTRACT? AND THEN WE ARE HOLDING, WE WILL, WE WE'RE PUTTING OURSELF IN A BIND, BECAUSE HERE WE ARE ROLLING OUT HERE CHANGING WHAT WAS, BUT THERE WERE NO STIPULATIONS [02:15:01] IN THAT CONTRACT FOR THAT ORGANIZATION. SO WE ARE MOVING AHEAD JUST LIKE WE ARE. RIGHT. AND WE ARE NOT. WELL, I BELIEVE THE CEA, IN MY OPINION, HAD STIPULATIONS THAT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN AS SPECIFIC. AND COUNCILMAN DUNN SUGGESTED THINGS, AND Y'ALL ALL HAVE, WAS IT WRITTEN CORRECT IN THERE ABOUT TIMELINE THERE? NOW, THE LAST TIME WE MET, NO. MY, MY POINT IS THE CEA HAD SOME THINGS IN THERE TO DO. THE ARGUMENT WAS THAT THOSE THINGS WEREN'T DONE. SO THE COUNCIL ULTIMATELY VOTED TO TERMINATE THAT CEA. NOW, AS FAR AS THE NAME GOES, AGAIN, THAT IS A SEPARATE ISSUE. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SCOTT LOUISVILLE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION. THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHO MAY BE COMING IN, HOW IT DOES AND WHEN. THIS IS WHERE THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION WAS. WELL, AND I, I GUESS I'M NOT SURE ABOUT WHAT THE ARGUMENT IS. THOSE FOLKS HAVE BEEN INSTRUCTED TO LEAVE. ULTIMATELY, THEY MAY OR MAY NOT. THEY STILL HAVE A FEW DAYS LEFT ON THAT 30 DAYS. BUT THE IDEA, WHETHER WE NAME IT THE SCOTLANDVILLE MULTICULTURAL PERSON, DOESN'T MATTER WHO WOULD BE COMING IN IN THE FUTURE, IF THIS COUNCIL WANTS IT TO, TO HAVE THAT NAME, THEN THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE VOTING ON TONIGHT. SO THE CEA THAT WAS IN PLACE, WE YOU AUTHORIZE THE CITY, THE PARISH ATTORNEY'S OFFICE TO ASK THOSE FOLKS TO TERMINATE THAT AGREEMENT AND THEN FOR THEM TO MOVE OUT. THAT'S WHAT'S GOING ON. NOW, I DON'T MEAN TO CONFUSE THE ISSUE, BUT, BUT, BUT YOU'RE NOT CONFUSING ME. I KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT. OKAY. NOPE. YOU, YOU MM-HMM. YOU'RE NOT CONFUSING ME. OKAY. ALL RIGHT. WE HAVE A, A MOTION THAT'S BEEN, AND WE HAVE A SUBSTITUTE MOTION. SUBSTITUTE. MOTION WAS TO DEFER FOR 60 DAY, 60 DAYS. COUNCILMAN HURST. THAT WAS SECONDED BY COUNCILMAN MO. WE'RE GONNA VOTE ON THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION FIRST, JUST TO CLARIFY, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UM, THERE IS NO MEETING IN 60 DAYS THAT THE, IT'LL BE DEFERRED TO DECEMBER 11TH. I DON'T HAVE COUNCILMAN HURST THAT. OKAY. AND I THINK COUNCILMAN MOOCH, UH, SECONDED IT. MM-HMM. . OKAY. VOTE ON MACHINES. YEAH. VOTE ON MACHINES. MACHINES ARE OPEN ON THE SUBSTITUTE MOTION TO DEFER TO DECEMBER 11TH. MOTION FAILS. WE'RE GONNA VOTE NEXT ON THE ORIGINAL MOTION TO APPROVE. MACHINES ARE OPEN ON THE MOTION TO APPROVE. MOTION FAILS. ALL RIGHT. MOVING ON. WE'RE GONNA TAKE, UH, ADJUDICATED PROPERTIES. [ADJUDICATED PROPERTIES] WE COULD TAKE ITEM 1 21 TO ONE 40 TOGETHER LOT 59 SQUARE 11 SUBDIVISION SOUTH BATON ROUGE METRO COUNCIL, DISTRICT 10 COLEMAN HIGH BIDDER PENNYWELL INVESTMENT PROPERTIES LLC $100 LOT 1 0 2 SUBDIVISION. GLEN OAKS METRO COUNCIL, DISTRICT FIVE HEARST HIGH BIDDER CLARK FAMILY HOMES LLC 30 $36,000. LOT ONE SQUARE 59 SUBDIVISION NORTH BATON ROUGE METRO COUNCIL. DISTRICT TWO BANKS HIGH BIDDER. KEVIN WILLIAMS, $7,400 LOT LOT 18 SQUARE 10 SUBDIVISION STANDARD HEIGHTS METRO COUNCIL DISTRICT 10 COLEMAN HIGH BIDDER KEVIN WILLIAMS, $13,200 LOT 67 SUBDIVISION. LINCOLN HEIGHTS METRO COUNCIL. DISTRICT TWO BANKS HIGH BIDDER. DION FRANCOIS, $100 LOT. FOUR A, FOUR B AND FIVE A SUBDIVISION. SWART METRO COUNCIL. DIS METRO COUNCIL DISTRICT 10 COLEMAN HIGH BIDDER. MCKAYLA JONES, 9,500 LOT. 26 POINT SQUARE 43 SUBDIVISION SOUTH BATON ROUGE METRO COUNCIL DISTRICT 10 COLEMAN HIGH BIDDER JAMELE SMITH, $500 LOT 10 SQUARE 41 SUBDIVISION. SOUTH BATON ROUGE METRO COUNCIL DISTRICT 10 COLEMAN HIGH BIDDER. LEONA MURRAY MURRAY, $100 LOT 35 SQUARE 15 SOUTH BATON ROUGE METRO COUNCIL. DISTRICT 10 COLEMAN HIGH BIDDER JAFFER ODOMS $100 LOT THREE SQUARE THREE. SUBDIVISION UNIVERSITY CITY METRO COUNCIL. DISTRICT TWO BANKS, HIGH BIDDER NAKIA WHITE, $15,000 LOT. 12 SQUARE SIX SUBDIVISION BAKER TOWN SITE METRO COUNCIL. DISTRICT TWO BANKS, HIGH BIDDER, WHITMORE AND WHITMORE ENTERPRISES, LLC $7,600. LOT FOUR. SUBDIVISION GB ANDERSON TRACK METRO COUNCIL, DISTRICT ONE, KNOLL HIGH BIDDER WHITMORE WHITMORE ENTERPRISES, LLC $28,100 SUBDIVISION. ZACHARY METRO COUNCIL DISTRICT ONE, KNOLL HIGH BIDDER. HR THREE PRODUCTIONS, LLC $30,000 LOT 32 SQUARE 31. [02:20:01] SUBDIVISION GREENVILLE EXTENSION METRO COUNCIL, DISTRICT SEVEN DEANNE. HI BIDDER. DEBRA KS BRILEY. $500 LOT 42 SQUARE 34. SUBDIVISION BANKS METRO COUNCIL DISTRICT 10 COLEMAN HIGH BIDDER IDA. GUY SMITH, $2,500 LOT. 12 SQUARE 86. SUBDIVISION IS SCREW METRO COUNCIL. DISTRICT 10 COLEMAN HIGH BIDDER. NADIA K JOHNSON. NADIA K JOHNSON, $300 LOT ONE POINT SQUARE 12 SUBDIVISION PROGRESS PARK METRO COUNCIL. DISTRICT SEVEN, DEANNE HIGH BIDDER KEVIN WILLIAMS II $11,000 LOT TWO 30 SUBDIVISION BELFORT METRO COUNCIL. DISTRICT SEVEN DRAZAN HIGH BIDDER TARBELL GAR. AND $22,100 LOT 17 SQUARE 15 SUBDIVISION EAST FAIRFIELD METRO COUNCIL DISTRICT SEVEN DRAZAN HIGH BIDDER. ISIS. RIGHT. $10,500. LOT FOUR SQUARE TWO SUBDIVISION GOODWOOD HOME SITES METRO COUNCIL DISTRICT SIX DON JR. HIGH BIDDER JOSEPH FUR, $36,000. WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE ITEMS 1 21 THROUGH ONE 40. OH, SORRY. ANYONE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THESE ITEMS? SEE NONE. SO TO COUNCIL, MOTION TO APPROVE BY COUNCILMAN HURST. SECOND BY COUNCILWOMAN AMAROSA. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. OKAY. SEE YOU [ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS] SET STREET SHEET FOR ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS. A RECEIVING A REPORT FROM THE SCOTLANDVILLE FOOD ACCESS COMMISSION ON GROCERY STORE PROJECT BY COUNCILWOMAN SHAUNA BANKS. THE REASON IS THE ITEM BEING REQUESTED IS ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS TO ALLOW THE REPORT TO BE GIVEN ON NOVEMBER 13TH. BA RESOLUTION NAMING THE OUTDOOR PAVILION AT THE JEWEL J NEWMAN COMMUNITY CENTER IN HONOR OF FORMER METROPOLITAN COUNCIL MEMBER ULYSSES Z ADDISON JR. BY COUNCILWOMAN SHAUNA BANKS, REASONS BEING REQUESTED AS ADMINISTRATIVE MATTER IS TO ALLOW THE ITEM TO BE APPROVED ON NOVEMBER 13TH, ITEM C, AUTHORIZATION OF THE MAYOR, PRESIDENT, AND OR CHAIRMAN OF THE AIRPORT COMMISSION TO EXECUTE A NON-FEDERAL REIMBURSEMENT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, AND THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE AND PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE ON BEHALF OF THE GREATER BATON ROUGE AIRPORT DISTRICT IN THE AMOUNT OF $314,401 AND 48 CENTS BY THE AVIATION DIRECTOR. IT'S BEING, UH, REQUESTED AS ADMINISTRATIVE MATTER AS INITIAL DEADLINE. FOR THE AGENDA PASS, WE NEED A MOTION TO WAIVE THE RULES TO ALLOW THE ITEMS TO BE INTRODUCED. MOTION. WE'RE GONNA HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING ON A MOTION TO WAIVE THE RULES. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON A MOTION TO WAIVE THE RULES? SEEING NONE NEED A MOTION? DOES ANYBODY, ANYBODY OPPOSE TO WAIVING THE RULES? ANY OPPOSITION TO WAIVING THE RULES? SEEING NONE ITEMS ARE INTRODUCED. HMM, WE DID THAT. THERE WAS NO OPPOSITION TO INTRODUCE HIM. NEED A MOTION TO INTRODUCE THE ITEMS? MOTION BY COUNCILMAN DUN, JR. SECOND BY COUNCILMAN HURST. ANY OPPOSED ITEMS ARE INTRODUCED? ADMINISTRATIVE MATTER NUMBER D, LETTER D AUTHORIZING MAYOR PRESIDENT TO EXECUTE AN AGREEMENT WITH B TWO G NOW ON BEHALF OF PURCHASING DIVISION IN AN AMOUNT NOT TO EXCEED $83,275 FOR AN INITIAL TERM OF ONE YEAR TO ENHANCE THE DOCUMENTATION AND DATA ANALYSIS RELATED TO PURCHASING AND SUPPLIER DIVERSITY INITIATIVES, WHICH REQUIRED THE CONTRACT EFFECTIVE DATE IS OCTOBER 31ST, 2024. NEED A MOTION TO WAIVE THE RULES? WE HAVE A MOTION. MOTION BY COUNCILMAN HEARST. WE HAVE A SECOND BY COUNCILWOMAN AMAROSA PUBLIC HEARING ON THE MOTION TO WAIVE THE RULES. ANYONE WANNA SPEAK ON THE MOTION TO WAIVE THE RULES? SEEING NONE NEED A VOTE ON THE MOTION TO WAIVE THE RULES. MOTION BY COUNCILMAN S SECOND BY COUNCILWOMAN AMAROSA. ANY OPPOSED? NOW WE'RE GONNA CALL FOR A PUBLIC HEARING ON THE ITEM. ANYONE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NONE WILL GO TO COUNCIL MOTION BY COUNCILMAN HURST. DO WE HAVE A SECOND? SECOND BY COUNCILMAN GOEY? ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ALL RIGHT. APPOINTMENTS. [Items 141 - 143] VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT. FIRE DISTRICT THREE, BROWNSFIELD CONSIDERATION OF REAPPOINTING OR REPLACING GEORGE KELLY, WHOSE TERM EXPIRES ON DECEMBER 31ST, 2024. CURRENT BALLOT. GEORGE KELLY THOMAS WILLISTON. ITEM 1 42, THE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT. FIRE DISTRICT THREE, BROWNSFIELD CONSIDERATION OF REAPPOINTING OR REPLACING THOMAS WILLISTON, WHOSE TERM EXPIRES ON SEPTEMBER 31ST, 2024. CURRENT BALLOT. GEORGE KELLY THOMAS WILLISTON. ITEM 1 43, VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT, BOARD OF COMMISSIONER, FIRE DISTRICT FOUR, CENTRAL CONSIDERATION OF REAPPOINTING OR REPLACING SCOTT BROWNING [02:25:02] KE BALLOT. SCOTT BROWNING. DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO REAPPOINT, UH, ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THESE ITEMS? SEEING NO ONE GO TO COUNCIL? DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO REAPPOINT GEORGE KELLY THOMAS WILLISTON AND SCOTT BROWNING. MOTION BY COUNCILMAN HURST. SECOND BY COUNCILWOMAN ADAMS. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. CHANGE [144. 24-01387] ORDERS RENOVATIONS TO THE SCOTLANDVILLE BRANCH LIBRARY. RESTART. PHASE ONE ARCHIVES BUILDING CONTRACTOR RATCLIFF RATCLIFFE CONSTRUCTION CHANGE ORDER AMOUNT, $27,864 AND 23 CENTS. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEE NONE. GO TO COUNCIL MOTION BY COUNCILMAN HURST. SECOND BY CHAIR. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. I'M GONNA TAKE 1 45 [Items 145 - 147] THROUGH 1 47 TOGETHER. 1 45 AHU AND V CONTROL UPGRADES AT LOUISIANA ARTS AND SCIENCE MUSEUM. CONTRACTOR JOHNSON CONTROLS FINAL COST $59,000. 1 46. INSTALLATION OF NEW EVAPORATIVE COOLING TOWER AT UNITED WAY BUILDING CONTRACTOR, CORPORATE MECHANICAL CONTRACTOR. FINAL COST $140,000. ITEM 1 47, UPGRADE, TTO EXISTING IT ROOM AHU FOR EMERGENCY COOLING AT CITY HALL BUILDING CONTRACTOR, CORPORATE MECHANICAL CONTRACTOR. FINAL COST. $70,000. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THESE ITEMS? STATE KNOWN. GO TO COUNCIL. WE HAVE A MOTION. MOTION BY COUNCILMAN GOEY. SECOND BY COUNCILWOMAN ADAMS. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ACCEPTANCE [148. 24-01341] OF LOW BIDS. ITEM 1 48 BRPD TRAINING ACADEMY RENOVATIONS, LOW BIDS, CENTURION CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT, LLC $2,270,000. DO WE HAVE ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEE KNOWN? GO TO COUNCIL MOTION BY COUNCILMAN GOEY. SECOND BY COUNCILWOMAN ADAMS. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ALL RIGHT. WE'LL GO TO REPORTS [149. 24-00986] RECEIVING A REPORT FROM SAFE B BY COUNCILWOMAN LAURIE ADAMS AND COUNCILWOMAN JEN ROCKA. THERE'S BEEN A REQUEST TO DELETE THIS ITEM. DO WE HAVE ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? NOW? I'M GO TO COUNCIL. DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO DELETE? MOTION BY COUNCILWOMAN ADAMS? SECOND BY COUNCILMAN MOOCH. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. ITEM BEEN DELETED. ITEM ONE 50, RECEIVING [150. 24-00245] A THIRD QUARTER 2024 REPORT FROM THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH COMMUNICATIONS DISTRICT BY COUNCILMAN RODDY. GOD DAY, WE'RE GONNA HIT A REPORT AND THEN WE'LL HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING. GOOD AFTERNOON. UM, JUST TO TOUCH ON A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT, UH, THAT WE STILL HAVE GOING ON. UH, THE NORTH TOWER PROJECT, WHICH IS, UH, JUST OUTSIDE OF ZACHARY, UH, THAT WOULD, UH, ADD ADDITIONAL COVERAGE IN THAT AREA FOR BOTH, UM, THE EMERGENCY RESPONDER RADIOS. AND WE ALSO LOOK AT HAVING, UH, CELL SITES ON THAT SAME TOWER. SO PROVIDE BETTER CELL SERVICE IN THERE FOR THE ABILITY OF PEOPLE. DIAL 9 1 1. UH, THAT PROJECT IS MOVING ALONG PRETTY NICELY, UH, AT THE BACKUP CENTER THAT WE, UH, CREATED. UH, WE NOW HAVE OUR, UH, COMPUTER AIDED DISPATCH SYSTEM UP AND OPERATIONAL THERE. UH, WE'RE STILL BRINGING IN THE 9 1 1 STUFF TO MOVE FORWARD FOR IT TO BE FULLY OPERATIONAL. UH, BESIDES THAT, THAT'S, THAT'S BASICALLY WHAT I GOT. THANK YOU. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. WE'RE GONNA HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING. ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM BEING KNOWN? GO TO COUNCIL COUNCILMAN, GO THERE, SEND ME DETAILS, SEND ME DETAILS IF YOU WOULD, ON THAT BACKUP LOCATION. AND THEN WE'VE TALKED ABOUT A TOWER IN SOUTH BATON ROUGE. 'CAUSE SOME OF THOSE 9 1 1 CALLS ARE GOING TO IBERVILLE PARISH. JUST ANY UPDATE ON THAT? UH, NOT REALLY. NOT UNTIL, UH, WE ACTUALLY MOVED FROM THE E 9 1 1 TO NG 9 1 1 ACROSS THE ENTIRE PARISH. UH, ONCE THAT HAPPENS, UH, WHEN 9 1 1 CALLS THAT ARE, UH, MADE THAT ARE CROSS JURISDICTIONAL LINES LIKE THAT, UH, CURRENTLY IT'S WHERE THAT TOWER SITS. SO IF IT'S HITTING A TOWER, WHATEVER, UH, WHATEVER CARRIER IT IS, IF IT'S IN A DIFFERENT PARISH THAT IT'S GONNA GO TO THAT 9 1 1 CENTER. ONCE WE FULLY GO TO NEXT GENERATION 9 1 1, IT ACTUALLY USES THE DEVICES GPS LOCATION AND IT WILL GET YOU TO WHEREVER THAT, WHEREVER YOU'RE AT, WHEREVER THAT, UH, 9 1 1 CENTER IS. DO WE, DO WE HAVE A PROCESS WORKED OUT WHERE IF IBERVILLE RECEIVES THAT CALL, BUT IT'S AN EBR EMERGENCY? THERE'S A, AN AN IMMEDIATE ROUTE. IT'S NOT A TRANSFER. LIKE YOU'RE NOT TELLING HOLD ON ONE SECOND. I'LL TRANSFER YOU THAT. YOU ARE TELLING THAT. YEAH. THAT THAT'S HOW IT, THAT'S HOW IT CURRENTLY WORKS. UM, AND, BUT THEY ARE VERY WELL AWARE OF DOWN THERE AROUND UCL, UH, THAT THERE IS THAT TOWER THAT THEY, ONE OF THE CELL PROVIDERS PUT UP JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LINE. AND, AND THAT'S WHERE, UH, FOR THAT PARTICULAR CELL, THEY'RE RALLY TO COMPANY. THAT'S WHY THOSE CALLS GO DOWN THERE TO IBERVILLE FIRST. OKAY. THANK YOU, MA'AM. THANK YOU FOR STAYING TO GIVE THE REPORT. NO [02:30:01] PROBLEM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. ITEM 1 51, RECEIVING [151. 24-01287 ] AN UPDATE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES AND THE ADMINISTRATION REGARDING THE NEXT STEPS IN FURTHERANCE OF THE CASE STUDY, INCLUDING CONSOLIDATION OF POSITIONS AND RESTRUCTURING BENEFITS BY COUNCILMAN DARRO HURST. WE WILL HAVE A REPORT AND THEN WE'LL HAVE THE PUBLIC HEARING, I BELIEVE. GOOD EVENING. I JUST WANNA CLARIFY, DO YOU WANT A REPORT FROM HR AT THIS TIME OR RETIREMENT? OKAY. HOW YOU DOING? JAMES MACK, UH, DIRECTOR OF BATON ROUGE RETIREMENT SYSTEM. I, UM, I'M NOT SURE E EXACTLY THE EXTENT OF THE REPORT THAT, UH, YOU WANT TO SHARE. WANT ME TO SHARE WITH THE COUNCIL? UM, I CAN SHARE A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PENSION PLAN SPECIFICALLY AND WHERE WE ARE AND, UM, WHAT OUR GOALS ARE. UM, WELL, CAN YOU JUST GIVE THE 10 MINUTES, LET'S START OFF WITH MS. PEARSON REAL QUICK. KIND OF GO WITH OVERALL PLAN BECAUSE IT'S BIGGER THAN JUST PENSION, HOW IT ALL TIES TOGETHER. AND THEN TALK ABOUT THE DISCUSSION THAT WE HAD AND LIKE THE, THE NICKEL TOOL, NOT THE TWO HOUR FROM THE SEPTEMBER 25TH COUNCIL MEETING. YOU ASKED FOR A REVIEW OF THE RETIREMENT BENEFITS STRUCTURE AND ALSO OUR MEDICAL BENEFIT STRUCTURE. UM, SINCE THAT TIME HAS HAPPENED, THERE HAS BEEN TWO MEETINGS WITH HUB INTERNATIONAL, AND HUB WAS RECENTLY SELECTED AS THE CITY PARISH EMPLOYEE BENEFITS CONSULTANT. AND SO THEY ARE CURRENTLY IN CONVERSATION AND IN COMMUNICATION WITH BLUE CROSS AND OUR OTHER CARRIERS TO GET INFORMATION TO PROVIDE A STRATEGIC PLAN THAT WOULD INCLUDE COST SAVING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE CITY. SO THAT'S THE LATEST ON THE, UM, THE MEDICAL SIDE OF THE, THE BENEFITS REVIEW. OKAY. AND THEN, UH, SO LET, LET ME MAKE THIS VERY CLEAR. THIS WAS NOT MY RECOMMENDATION. THIS WAS, I KEEP FORGETTING THE GUY'S NAME. UH, DR. RUSSELL CAMPBELL, DR. CAMPBELL'S RECOMMENDATION DO CONSOLIDATION TO LOOK AT RESTRUCTURING BENEFITS AND TO LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY IN CITY PARISH. SO AS A NEXT STEP, WHAT I DID WAS REACH OUT TO, UH, MS. PEARSON AND SAID, HEY, HOW CAN WE LOOK AT THE BENEFITS PORTION OF IT? WHAT OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE? UM, FROM A MEDICAL SIDE, WE STARTED LOOKING AT THE NUMBERS. WHEN HE SAID THAT WE WERE IN THE 45 PERCENTILE, I REACHED OUT TO MR. MACK, WHO HAD ALREADY BEEN REACHED OUT TO PRIOR TO AND SAY, WHAT, IF ANY OPTIONS WERE AVAILABLE FOR US TO REDUCE BOTH SHORT AND LONG TERM FROM THE RETIREMENT STANDPOINT. AND THEN WE ALSO REACHED OUT TO, UH, TO ERIC ROMERO ABOUT HOW WE CAN LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY WITHIN CITY PARISH TO STOP REPLICATION, AS WELL AS HOW DO WE USE IT TO IMPROVE EFFICIENCIES AND WHAT WE DO TO MAKE PRODUCTIVITY IN OUR WORKFORCE BETTER. SO IT IS A THREE PART DEAL. UM, BUT EACH ONE OF THEM ARE BREAKING DOWN THEIR PART BECAUSE I'M GETTING SO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT WHERE ARE WE, WHAT ARE WE DOING? THE BOTTOM LINE PEOPLE WANNA KNOW IS, WHEN AM I GETTING MORE MONEY IN MY PAYCHECK? RIGHT? AND SO THE WHOLE POINT OF DOING THIS EXERCISE WAS NOT NECESSARILY NUMBER ONE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU SHOULD GET PAID. WE'VE GOTTEN TO THAT POINT. NUMBER TWO IS HOW DO WE GET TO THOSE NEXT STEPS WITHOUT HAVING AS MUCH OF AN IMPACT ON THE TAXPAYER BY GOING MILLAGES, WHETHER IT BE REDIRECTION OF MILLAGES, WHETHER IT BE, UM, NEW MILLAGES, WHATEVER IT MAY BE, UM, TO, TO GET TO THE POINT OF, OF RAISING THAT PAY TO THE, UH, THE 32 MILLION THAT WAS SUGGESTED TO PUT US AT A LIVABLE WAGE. SO THE PART THAT WE DID WITH THE MEETING WITH, WITH SPRS, WHICH IS THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM THAT JAMES MACK IS OVER, IS, UM, BRING 'EM IN THE ROOM TO DISCUSS THE OPTIONS THAT WERE AVAILABLE, WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE, BOTH IN THE SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM. AND THIS IS NOT A GO-TO END ALL, BE ALL, BUT WHAT THIS IS, IS AN OPTION TO DETERMINE WHAT'S AVAILABLE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN, IN OUR WORKFORCE, AND HOW WE CAN MAKE PEOPLE HAVE BOTH A LIVABLE WAGE AND A GREAT RETIREMENT AT THE SAME TIME. SO, UH, MS. PEARSON DID HER FIRST PART OF GOING TO THE MEDICAL SIDE OF BENEFITS, AND THEN MR. M BROUGHT THE ACTUARY INTO A MEETING, UM, TO DISCUSS WHAT THAT PENSION PORTION WOULD LOOK LIKE OR IF WE EVEN NEED TO DO ANYTHING WITH IT. AND SO, [02:35:01] I WANNA SAY THIS ON A PUBLIC RECORD. I'M NOT AGAINST, UH, PENSION. I'M NOT FOUR 401K. I'M FOR WHATEVER ALLOWS OUR EMPLOYEES TO LIVE WELL AND RETIRE WILL. AND WITHOUT DOING THE, THE DUE DUE DILIGENCE AND GETTING THE DATA, WE DON'T HAVE THAT INFORMATION. AND SO THIS IS JUST EXPLORATORY, UM, OPTIONS TO SEE WHAT THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE. AND IF IT'S NOT GREAT FOR CITY PARISH, WE GO IN A DIFFERENT DIRECTION. IF IT IS GREAT FOR CITY PARISH, THEN IT REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF MILLAGE THAT WE NEED TO PUT IN PLACE, WHETHER IT BE REDIRECTED OR DIRECTED ON THE TAXPAYERS. SO, UM, THIS IS KIND OF YOUR WHOLE BABY. SO I'M, I'M I'LL TO LET THE, LET YOU TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU AND SEE HOW YOU WANT TO INTRODUCE MR. MACK. UM, BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO MR. MACK, YOU MENTIONED THIS WAS A, A THREE PART REVIEW, THE MEDICAL SIDE, THE RETIREMENT SIDE AND POSITION CONSOLIDATION. WELL, REALLY FOUR PART POSITION CONSOLIDATION AND THEN TECHNOLOGY WITH ERIC ROMERO, WHICH I'VE ALSO HAD DISCUSSIONS WITH AS WELL. I DO WANT TO CLARIFY THAT I DID CONTACT DR. CAMPBELL REGARDING THE POSITION CONSOLIDATION. UH, WE DID DISCUSS BEFORE THAT IT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE ORIGINAL STUDY. DR. CAMPBELL'S FEEDBACK IS THAT HE DOES NOT RECOMMEND POSITION CONSOLIDATION. UM, HIS SPECIFIC WORDS WERE THAT, UM, PAST EXPERIENCES SHOW EMPLOYEES VALUE TITLES AS MUCH AS MONEY AND GENERALLY DEPARTMENTS ARE NOT SUPPORTIVE OF MATH CLASS CONSOLIDATION. ON THE HR SIDE, WE USE A DIFFERENT LEVELS OF POSITIONS AS A TRAINING SERIES AND ALSO AS A CAREER LADDER. SO TO CONSOLIDATE POSITIONS, IT WOULD ELIMINATE THE ABILITY TO HIRE WITH NO EXPERIENCE AND ALLOW THEM TO GAIN EXPERIENCE AND PROMOTE THEM TO DIFFERENT CAREERS WITHIN THE CITY. OBJECTION. SO I GOT IT. AND LOOK, I'M ONLY DOING WHAT HE, WHAT I THOUGHT HE SAID AS THE NEXT STEP. OKAY. SO IF WE'RE NOT GOING THE ROUTE, I'M OKAY WITH THAT. OKAY. AND I JUST WANTED TO, ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. I JUST WANTED GET TO END GOAL OF HOW DO WE GET LIVABLE WAGES IN BETTER RETIREMENT. MM-HMM. THANK YOU, MR. THANK YOU. UM, I WILL TRY TO BE BRIEF AND NOT TRY TO BORE YOU ALL TOO MUCH WITH A LOT OF ACTUARIAL FIGURES AND, AND DATA, BUT I THINK THE BOTTOM LINE IS THE COUNCILMAN WAS CONCERNED WITH, UM, THE EMPLOYER COST OF THE PENSION PLAN AS IT CURRENTLY EXISTS. SO I JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU GUYS, UH, JUST SOME DATA ON THAT. UM, SO RIGHT NOW, UM, THE SPRS PLAN IS ABOUT 67% FUNDED. UM, THE AVERAGE HERE IN LOUISIANA IS AROUND 75% FUNDED. UM, JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME PERSPECTIVE. SO IN OTHER WORDS, UH, WE HAVE ABOUT 1.3 BILLION IN ASSETS AND AROUND 2 BILLION IN TOTAL LIABILITIES. SO THAT'S WHERE WE ARE FROM A FUNDING PERSPECTIVE. AND HOW THAT WORKS IS QUITE SIMPLY, UH, WE HAVE WHAT'S CALLED OUR, OUR BENEFITS AND THEN THE ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES TO RUN THE PLAN ON THIS END. AND THEN YOU HAVE CONTRIBUTIONS FROM EMPLOYEES AND EMPLOYERS AND THEN INVESTMENT RETURNS. SO WHEN THOSE THINGS EQUAL OUT, UM, YOU DON'T, YOU, YOU HAVE WHAT'S CONSIDERED A 100% FUNDED PLAN AND YOUR ASSETS EQUAL YOUR LIABILITIES. PRETTY SIMPLE. UM, FOR US, UH, WE HAVE CLOSE TO $700 MILLION IN WHAT'S CALLED AN UNFUNDED ACCRUED LIABILITY. IN OTHER WORDS, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THAT 1.3 BILLION IN ASSETS AND 2 BILLION IN LIABILITIES IS, UM, ABOUT 700 MILLION. THAT'S UNFUNDED. AND SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS, RIGHT NOW FOR NEXT YEAR, THE EMPLOYER COSTS FOR THE PLAN IS 35.5%. THAT'S WHAT THE EMPLOYER IS PAYING, AND THAT'S A PERCENTAGE OF PAYROLL. SO THAT'S WHAT IT COSTS, UM, TO FUND THE PLAN NEXT YEAR. HOWEVER, THAT COST IS BROKEN UP INTO TWO BUCKETS. THE NORMAL COST, WHICH IS THE COST TO ACTUALLY FUND THE RETIREMENT, THE BENEFITS, AND THEN THE UAL, THE UNFUNDED ACCRUED LIABILITY, THE $700 MILLION THAT I JUST MENTIONED. SO OF THOSE COSTS, IT'S ABOUT 6.5% TO ACTUALLY FUND THE, THE BENEFITS OF THE RETIREMENT PLAN NEXT YEAR. [02:40:02] BUT IT'S 29% TO COVER THE UAL. THE $700 MILLION ESSENTIALLY IS A RETIREMENT DEBT, A $700 MILLION DEBT. SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT WHY ARE EMPLOYER COSTS SO EXPENSIVE, THE VAST MAJORITY OF THAT IS THIS UNFUNDED ACCRUED LIABILITY THAT HAS ACCRUED OVER DECADES AND DECADES. UM, THIS IS, THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT POPS UP OVERNIGHT. AND SO I WAS ANSWERING, UH, THE COUNCILMAN'S QUESTIONS IN TERMS OF, WELL, CAN WE HAVE A DIFFERENT PLAN? HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE LOWER THESE EMPLOYER COSTS? AND EVEN IF YOU CHANGE PLANS, YOU STILL HAVE THIS HUGE 700 MILLION UAL THAT'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE. AND RIGHT NOW IT'S, UM, IT'S BEING PAID OUT OVER A 21 YEAR PAYMENT STRUCTURE, WHICH IS TYPICAL FOR PENSION PLANS. TYPICALLY, THEY PAY THEIR ALS OVER ANYWHERE BETWEEN 10 YEARS AND 30 YEARS. UM, BECAUSE YOU OBVIOUSLY CAN'T PAY A LUMP SUM PAYMENT LIKE THAT AT ONCE. SO, UM, THAT'S THE NATURE OF WHERE WE ARE AS A PLAN IN GENERAL. UM, IN TERMS OF TAKING A LOOK AT WHAT WE CAN DO TO THE PLAN TO LOWER SOME OF THE ONGOING COSTS, UH, WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF WHAT'S CALLED AN EXPERIENCE STUDY RIGHT NOW. SO MOST PENSION PLANS DO THIS EVERY THREE TO FIVE YEARS. AND WHAT AN EXPERIENCE STUDY IS, IS YOU TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR ACTUARIAL ASSUMPTIONS THAT YOU MADE, AND THEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE PREVIOUS THREE OR FIVE YEARS OF ACTUAL DATA, AND THEN YOU FIGURE OUT WERE YOUR ASSUMPTIONS, UH, CLOSE TO WHAT THE ACTUAL DATA WAS. UM, SO YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE IMPACT OF ANY CHANGES TO YOUR PLAN, WHETHER THAT'S GOING TO LOWER YOUR COST OR INCREASE YOUR COST, AND YOU TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT THAT IMPACT WILL DO TO THE UAL. SO WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF, UM, AN EXPERIENCE STUDY RIGHT NOW THAT WE SHOULD HAVE, UM, I HAVE MY ACTUARY HERE, BUT I BELIEVE IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF NEXT YEAR, WE SHOULD HAVE THE RESULTS OF THAT EXPERIENCE STUDY, IF NOT A LITTLE BIT SOONER. AND IT TAKES A LOOK AT EVERYTHING. IT TAKES A LOOK AT WHAT SALARY INCREASES DUE TO YOUR COST, UH, MORTALITY CHANGES. IT TAKES A LOOK AT THE RATE AT WHICH PEOPLE ARE RETIRING OR WITHDRAWING FROM THE SYSTEM. IT TAKES A LOOK AT WHAT WE DO WITH OUR CONVERTED LEAVE. UM, SO IT TAKES A LOOK AT THE PLAN HOLISTICALLY AND SAYS, OKAY, WE'RE ON PAR WITH WHERE WE THOUGHT WE WOULD BE FIVE YEARS AGO BASED ON OUR ASSUMPTIONS, OR WE'RE WAY OFF AND WE NEED TO MAKE SOME CHANGES. SO, UM, HOPEFULLY ONCE WE GET THE RESULTS OF THAT EXPERIENCE STUDY, I'LL BE HAPPY TO SHARE THEM WITH THE THE COUNCIL OVERALL. BUT, UM, DO YOU ALL HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ON THE PLAN? I'LL BE GLAD TO ANSWER THEM. WELL, WE'RE GONNA GO AHEAD AND HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING. OKAY. AND THEN COUNSEL, IF ANYBODY HAS A QUESTION. SO IS ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THE PRESENTATION SCENE? NONE. WE'LL GO TO COUNCIL. COUNCILMAN HURST. HEY JAMES. STAY UP THERE FOR ME. SO LOOK, THIS IS MORE OF AN EXPLORATORY THING, LIKE WE TALKED ABOUT AND WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT INITIALLY AT A HIGH LEVEL IS THAT IT WOULD NOT HAVE A DIRECT IMPACT TODAY, BUT IT WILL STOP THE BLEEDING SO THAT 30 YEARS DOWN THE ROAD WE'RE MAKING THE DECISION THAT DATA DOESN'T AFFECT THE CITY LONG TERM. RIGHT. WHATEVER THAT MAY BE. SO CAN YOU PLEASE PUT ON THE RECORD SOME OF THE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE'VE HAD ABOUT HOW ANY CHANGES WOULD AFFECT CURRENT PEOPLE WITHIN THIS PLAN? SURE, ABSOLUTELY. ESPECIALLY SOME OF THE PROJECTED FOLKS. YEAH. RIGHT. SO THERE ARE, THERE ARE A FEW DIFFERENT WAYS THAT YOU CAN ADDRESS CHANGES TO A A PENSION SYSTEM PLAN. UM, ONE OF 'EM IS YOU CAN CREATE DIFFERENT TIERS. SO LET'S SAY WE GET THE EXPERIENCE STUDY BACK AND IT INDICATES THAT SOME OF THE PROVISIONS IN OUR PLAN ARE PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT MORE GENEROUS THAN THEY NEED TO BE. OR MAYBE WE NEED TO PUSH THE RETIREMENT DATE BACK A YEAR OR TWO TO SAVE COSTS, SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THEN YOU CREATE A SECOND TIER, WHICH, UM, THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM DID IN 2015. SO WE HAVE WHAT'S CALLED NOW, UM, WE HAVE EMPLOYEES THAT WERE HIRED PRE 2015 AND THEN POST 2015 EMPLOYEES. AND THE, THE BENEFITS THAT THEY HAVE ARE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FOR THOSE HIRED PRIOR TO DATE, THAT DATE THAN THOSE HIRED AFTER THAT DATE. UM, AND THAT'S PRETTY STANDARD FOR PENSION SYSTEMS. AS THEY, UH, REVIEW THEIR PLAN OVER YEARS AND DECADES, THEY REALIZE SOME CHANGES MAY NEED TO BE MADE, SOME COST SAVINGS. UM, AND SO YOU CAN'T REDUCE THE BENEFIT OF SOMEONE WHO'S ALREADY VESTED IN YOUR PLAN. SO THAT'S WHY YOU HAVE TO CREATE A NEW TIER FOR [02:45:01] NEW EMPLOYEES HIRED AFTER A CERTAIN DATE. THAT LAST STATEMENT, YOU CANNOT TO DO WHAT? THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. LET ME, LET ME REPHRASE IT. IT'S NOT THAT YOU CAN'T CHANGE THE BENEFIT STRUCTURE FOR MEMBERS THAT ARE ALREADY VESTED IN PLAN, BUT YOU CANNOT REDUCE THEM. SO YOU CANNOT LEGALLY REDUCE THE BENEFITS FOR SOMEONE WHO'S ALREADY VESTED IN THE PLAN. THANK YOU. SURE. AND QUESTION IS, IF WE WERE TO STILL, IF WE WERE TO CHANGE IT, LET'S HYPOTHETICALLY SAY WE DID GO 401K FOR WHATEVER REASON, WHICH WE KNOW AT THIS POINT THERE PROBABLY IS NOT THE OPTION, BUT IF WE DID GO THAT ROUTE, HOW WOULD THAT AFFECT PEOPLE WHO ARE CURRENTLY ON THE FUTURE PLAN BASED ON THE LEGAL STATUTES THAT WE TALKED ABOUT? RIGHT. SO WHAT YOU WOULD BE TALKING ABOUT IS BASICALLY CREATING A SECONDARY PLAN. UM, AND WITH TWO OPTIONS, EITHER SHUTTING DOWN THE PENSION PLAN FOR NEW EMPLOYEES, ANDFOR THEM ALL INTO SOME ADDITIONAL PLAN LIKE A A 401K PLAN OR A 4 57 PLAN, UM, OR HAVING TWO PLANS RUN SIDE BY SIDE AND GIVING NEW EMPLOYEES THE OPTION TO GO INTO ONE OR THE OTHER, UM, THAT'S ALWAYS AN OPTION AS WELL. UM, MY QUESTION IS ALWAYS, I ALWAYS ASK THE QUESTION IS, UM, WHY, WHY ARE WE MAKING A CHANGE? SO IF YOU SAY, UH, LET'S ADD AN ADDITIONAL PLAN LIKE A 401K, I SPECIFICALLY WANT TO KNOW IF SOMEBODY'S IN A RETIREMENT PLAN AND WE CHANGE IT, DOES IT AFFECT THEIR ABILITY TO RETIRE? YES OR NO BASED ON THAT TRUCTURE NO. THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I WANTED FOR THE RECORD. AND I WILL SAY I'M, I'M, I'M GOOD, GOOD WITH YOU. THAT'S, THAT WAS MY MAIN POINT I WAS GETTING TO. HEY, MS. PEARSON, ONE LAST QUESTION, PLEASE. IS THAT ANOTHER QUESTION I WANT TO PUT ON THE RECORD ABOUT DROP? I SPOKE TO ANGIE ABOUT IT AND SHE KIND OF EXPLAINED HOW IT PLAYS INTO OUR RETIREMENT, BUT IF WE CHANGED ANYTHING, SOMEBODY WHO'S CURRENTLY ON DROP, WOULD THEY BE AFFECTED BY ANY CHANGES THAT IS STILL KIND OF RETIREMENT RELATED? OKAY, I'LL GO BACK TO JAMES. SORRY ABOUT THAT. NO, THANK YOU. THAT'S ALL I NEED TO HEAR. THANK YOU. COUNCILWOMAN ROCK. I AM NOT SURE WHO NEEDS TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS, BUT JUST PLEASE STAY CLOSE BY. UM, DR. RUSSELL HAD INTIMATED TO ALL OF US THAT WE WERE FAR, WE FAR EXCEEDED THE BENEFITS OVER 70% AND THAT THE ESTIMATED VALUE FOR A BENEFIT STRUCTURE AND PLAN DESIGN FOR MUNICIPALITIES RANGE BETWEEN 30% AND 38%. HE ALSO VERY ELOQUENTLY AND DELIBERATELY STATED THAT NOT ONLY WAS OUR RETIREMENT SYSTEM ANTIQUATED, IT WAS BROKEN. UM, AND WE'VE LOOKED AT THESE COMPENSATION STUDIES AND IF WE WERE, AND I DON'T, I'M NOT SAYING THAT WE ARE, BUT IF WE WERE SHORTSIGHTED ENOUGH TO INCREASE WAGES AND SALARIES CURRENTLY AS SUGGESTED AND RECOMMENDED BY THAT CURRENT, THAT CURRENT STUDY, UM, WOULD THAT BE OVERBURDENSOME ON OUR CURRENTLY ANTIQUATED AND BROKEN RETIREMENT SYSTEM? OKAY. UM, THE FIRST THING I'LL SAY IS THAT I, UH, VEHEMENTLY DISAGREE WITH THE GOOD DOCTOR THAT OUR SYSTEM IS ANTIQUATED AND BROKEN. IT'S AN ACTUARILY SOUND SYSTEM, AND I HAVE MY ACTUARY HERE THAT WILL GIVE YOU AS MUCH DATA AS YOU NEED TO BACK THAT UP. UM, SO THE SYSTEM ITSELF IS NOT BROKEN. UM, I THINK WHAT THE DOCTOR WAS REFERRING TO IS OUR BENEFIT STRUCTURE AS A WHOLE AND HOW PERHAPS THERE MAY BE SOME PROVISIONS IN OUR SYSTEM THAT ARE A BIT GENEROUS, UM, MORE SO THAN SOME OF THE PEERS IN HIS STUDY GROUP. UM, I DID REACH OUT AND ASK FOR MORE GRANULAR INFORMATION ON HOW HE CAME ABOUT SOME OF THE DATA. UM, AND I HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED THAT INFORMATION BACK, BUT OKAY. SO LET ME ASK YOU ANOTHER QUESTION. SURE. BASED UPON WHAT YOU KNOW TODAY AND THE CURRENT CHANGES THAT ARE FOCUSED AROUND OUR CITY AND OUR PARISH, YOU HAVE, YOU HAVE NO APPREHENSION WITH REGARD TO FUNDING THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM DECADES FROM, FROM TODAY? NO. OKAY. SO LET ME ASK YOU ANOTHER QUESTION. IF WE DID MOVE TO A TIERED PROGRAM WHERE PEOPLE HAD THE OPTION OF ELECTING A 401K OR CONTINUING WITH OUR CURRENT RETIREMENT SYSTEM, HOW IT'S PLACED, DOES THAT, UM, INHIBIT THE FUNDING IN ANY WAY IF THEY'RE CONTRIBUTING TO THE 401K RATHER THAN CONTRIBUTING TO THE CURRENT PROGRAM? [02:50:02] SO IT'S NOT EXACTLY A, A BLACK, WHITE ANSWER. WHAT I CAN SAY IS THAT I CAN LOOK AT HISTORY AND HOW OTHER STATES AND MUNICIPALITIES HAVE FARED ONCE THEY INTRODUCED A SECOND PLAN. UM, IN FACT, UM, OUR ACTUARY HERE, UM, ALSO, UH, WORKED FOR LASERS AND TEACHERS HERE IN THE STATE. AND, UM, ONE OF THOSE SYSTEMS HAS A 401K STYLE PLAN THAT THEY ADDED A WHILE BACK. SO SHE CAN SPEAK SPECIFICALLY TO THAT PIVOT. THE FUNDING, DID IT INHIBIT THE FUNDING? THEY DIDN'T CLOSE THE ORIGINAL PLAN, SO RIGHT. IF YOU DON'T CLOSE, CLOSE THE ORIGINAL PLAN, UM, IT MAY LIMIT THE NUMBER OF MEMBERS THAT COME INTO THE SYSTEM. SOME MAY CHOOSE TO GO INTO THE OTHER PLAN. UM, BUT NO, IT DIDN'T, IT WOULDN'T, IT WOULDN'T INHIBIT THE FUNDING. OKAY. IT WOULD BE A COMPLETELY SEPARATE PLAN. SO I DO, I I UNDERSTAND WHAT SEPARATE PLANS LOOK LIKE. SURE. AND THANK YOU. PLEASE SHUT UP. BUT ANYWAY, SO, UM, I UNDERSTAND WHAT THE SEPARATE PLANS LOOK LIKE. WHAT I'M OH, RESPECT. MAYBE WELL QUIT SPEAKING WHENEVER I'M TALKING. RESPECT. THAT'S RESPECT. RESPECT, LEARN SOME. NO, YOU LEARN SOMETHING. YOU DO, SIR. ANYWAY, SO I UNDERSTAND WHAT THE SEPARATE PLANS LOOK LIKE. I'M VERY AWARE OF WHAT THAT IS. OKAY. BUT THE FUNDING COMES FROM TWO DIFFERENT MECHANISMS. CORRECT. IT CHANGES WITH REGARD TO HOW THE FUNDING IS TAKEN FROM, FROM AN EMPLOYEE OR HOW THAT EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTES, CORRECT. RIGHT. SO LIKE I MENTIONED IN THE BEGINNING, YOU HAVE THE CONTRIBUTIONS FROM BOTH THE EMPLOYEE AND EMPLOYER, AND THEN YOU HAVE YOUR INVESTMENT GAINS. THAT'S HOW YOU FUND THE PENSION PLAN MOVING FORWARD. SO YOU MAY HAVE A DEDUCT A DROP OFF IN TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE PLAN, BUT YOU'D ALSO HAVE A DECREASE IN NUMBER OF MEMBERS IN THE PLAN AS WELL. RIGHT. OKAY. AND SO IF WE'RE LOOKING AT MOVING OUR PLAN FORWARD, BUT WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT RAISING COMPENSATION, AND AGAIN, LIKE WE SAID OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THERE'S NO WAY THAT WE CAN FORCE AN EMPLOYEE OUT OF ONE PLAN ONTO ANOTHER. CORRECT. CORRECT. BUT IF THEY'RE MOVING, IF WE'RE MOVING ORGANICALLY AND THEY ARE OP, THEY'RE CHOOSING THE OPTION TO MOVE ONTO A 401K RATHER THAN THE CURRENT PLAN AND SYSTEM IN PLACE. COLE, YOU WANNA EXTRA TIME? YES, PLEASE. UM, TO THE CURRENT SYSTEM THAT WE HAVE IN PLACE, LIKE FOR EXAMPLE, MILLENNIALS, THEY WOULD RATHER GET PAID MORE AND THEY WOULD RATHER, UM, AND CARE LESS ABOUT BEING HERE 20 YEARS AND GETTING THE MASSIVE RETIREMENT BENEFITS. UM, IF WE'RE DOING THAT, DOES THAT SAVE US ANY, DO WE, WHAT BENEFIT DOES THE CITY HAVE MOVING TOWARDS? WHAT ARE THE POSITIVE OUTCOMES OF TRANSITIONING TOWARDS THAT PIECE? REALLY THE ONLY, I, THE ONLY BENEFIT I WOULD SEE WOULD BE JUST THE, THE CHOICE, THE SELECTION TO NEW EMPLOYEES HAVING A SECOND OPTION. UM, I CAN'T DEFINITIVELY SAY THAT IT WOULD BE LESS EXPENSIVE ON THE EMPLOYER. UH, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW OUR CITY PARISH EMPLOYEES DON'T PAY INTO SOCIAL SECURITY. RIGHT. SO AS AN EMPLOYER, YOU WOULD BE PAYING THAT 6.2% INTO SOCIAL SECURITY FOR THOSE THAT CHOSE THAT OPTION. AND RIGHT NOW, THE NORMAL COST, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, TO FUND OUR PLAN IS 6.5%. SO SO YOU'RE SAYING IT'S A WASH PRETTY MUCH. THERE ARE NO, SO BECAUSE YOU'RE STILL GOING TO HAVE THAT $700 MILLION UAL UNFUNDED LIABILITY THERE, REGARDLESS OF HOWEVER MANY NEW PLANS YOU DECIDE TO BRING ON. OKAY. SO IN, IN THAT CASE AND IN THOSE SCENARIOS, WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS FOR MOVING FORWARD AND, AND TRYING TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION? BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, IT'S NOT SHORTSIGHTED. I KNOW IT'S A LONG TERM COHESIVE PLAN, BUT IF ABSOLUTELY, IF ALL OF THOSE THINGS AREN'T SAVING, AND THOSE ARE THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT OUR CONSULTANT MADE THAT CAME BEFORE US. IF NONE OF THOSE THINGS, IN YOUR OPINION, WORK WHAT WORKS? SO I WOULD GO BACK TO, AGAIN, WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF AN EXPERIENCE STUDY AND US AN EXPERIENCE STUDY IS ESSENTIALLY, UH, TAKING A MICROSCOPE TO YOUR PLAN, TAKING A LOOK AT THE PROVISIONS OF YOUR PLAN AND THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH IT, AND FIGURING OUT, SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO MAKE SOME MORE HARD CHOICES IN TERMS OF, UM, THE ACCRUAL RATE THAT YOU UTILIZE IN YOUR PLAN IN TERMS OF HOW MUCH OVERTIME IS, IS, UH, CREDITED IN A PLAN, HOW MUCH TIME SOMEONE CAN SELL AND USE FOR SERVICE CREDIT IN A PLAN. THOSE ARE ALL PROVISIONS OF A PLAN, AND THERE'S DOZENS OF THEM. SO YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THEM AND ANY ONE OF THOSE MAY NOT, MAY ONLY HAVE AN INCREMENTAL CHANGE IN COST OF A PLAN, BUT, UM, WHEN YOU MAKE SOME CHANGES TO, YOU [02:55:01] KNOW, HALF A DOZEN OF THOSE, IT CAN BE SIGNIFICANT, ESPECIALLY OVER 20, 30 YEARS. AND IF THERE'S AN INCREASE IN COMP, AN INCREASE IN COMPENSATION, UM, PARISH WIDE MM-HMM. , DOES THAT OVERBURDEN YOUR RETIREMENT SYSTEM AT ALL? HOW, HOW DO YOU MOVE THAT? IS THAT INCREMENTALIZED? HOW, HOW DOES THAT BENEFIT? AND HOW DO YOU, HOW DO YOU MOVE FORWARD WITH YOUR RETIREMENT SYSTEM AND WHAT WE'RE PAYING OUT AND RETIREMENT BENEFITS TO? HOW DO WE KEEP UP WITH THAT? SO TYPICALLY, AND I'LL, I'LL ASK, UH, MY ACTUARY TO COME UP. SHE MAY HAVE A LITTLE MORE COLOR ON THAT, BUT, SO TYPICALLY YOU HAVE ACTUARIAL ASSUMPTIONS BASED ON A NUMBER OF THINGS, HOW LONG YOU'RE GOING TO LIVE, BUT PART OF THAT IS ALSO WHAT SALARY EXPECTATIONS ARE, ARE GOING TO BE. SO IF YOU HAVE SALARY INCREASES THAT ARE ABOVE WHAT YOUR ASSUMPTIONS WERE, THEN TYPICALLY THAT'S GONNA BE A COST TO THE SYSTEM, RIGHT? SO THAT'S GOING TO INCREASE THE, THE LIABILITIES TO THE SYSTEM. UM, IT MAY, IT MAY ONLY INCREMENTALLY INCREASE THE NORMAL COSTS FOR THE BENEFITS, BUT IT'LL DEFINITELY INCREASE, UM, THE LIABILITIES THAT YOU HAVE. UM, SO WHAT YOU WOULD'VE TO DO IS GO BACK, UM, AND REDO THOSE ASSUMPTIONS AND ACCOUNT FOR THOSE SALARY INCREASES. OKAY. UM, I, I THINK YOUR ACTUARY CAME UP TO ADD, DO YOU WANNA ADD SOMETHING TO THAT PLEASE? DID I GET THAT RIGHT, SHELLY? YEAH. OKAY. SHELLY JOHNSON. I'M THE ACTUARY FOR THE SYSTEM. I THINK YOUR QUESTION WAS HOW DOES SALARY INCREASES IMPACT THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM? YES, MA'AM. THANK YOU. OKAY. IT, IT IMPACTS IT IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS, AND JAMES DID A GOOD JOB OF EXPLAINING IT. UM, IT, IT WILL INCREASE THE COST OF THE ACCRUING BENEFIT, THE, THE NORMAL COST. IT'S AC THE COST OF THE ACCRUING BENEFIT TODAY, BUT IT ALSO INCREASES THE UNFUNDED ACCRUED LIABILITY BECAUSE IF SALARY INCREASES OR HIGHER THAN WE ORIGINALLY ANTICIPATED WITH PAST FUNDING, AND THAT UAL BECOMES AN EXPENSE TO THE EMPLOYER AS WELL. AND SO EVEN IF YOU CHANGE BENEFITS THAT UAL STILL HAS TO BE PAID AS, AS, UH, JAMES HAS ALREADY EXPLAINED. SO HOW DO WE KEEP UP WITH THAT, UH, THAT ACCRUING THE UAL, THE, THE LARGER NUMBER OF THE BIGGER NUMBER? UM, HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE MANAGE THAT? THERE'S SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS THAT YOU CAN HANDLE PAYING THE UAL, AND JAMES AND I HAVE ALREADY STARTED TO SPEAK ABOUT SOME OF THOSE THINGS. UM, THE PROBLEM IS THAT YOU CAN CHANGE BENEFITS AND IT DOES NOT CHANGE THE FACT THAT THE UAL STILL HAS TO BE PAID, RIGHT? YOU CAN EXTEND THE, THE TERM OF PAYING IT SORT OF LIKE, YOU COULD THINK OF THE UAL SORT OF AS LIKE YOUR MORTGAGE ON YOUR HOUSE. AND SO IF YOU, YOU CAN REFINANCE IT AND EXTEND THE TERM THAT YOU'RE PAYING IT, BUT THEN YOU'RE PAYING A LOT MORE IN INTEREST. AND SO THE QUESTION BECOMES, IF YOU'RE WANTING TO CUT COSTS, YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW THE PARAMETERS. WHERE ARE YOU WILLING TO BEAR THE IMPACTS OF THOSE DECISIONS? AND I, I THINK WE'RE, I THINK THAT'S MY TIME. COUNCILWOMAN , COUNCILMAN MO COUNCILWOMAN ROCK, IF YOU HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION TO ASK, PLEASE. THANK YOU, SIR. SO I, I THINK THAT'S WHERE I'M GETTING BACK, KIND OF CIRCLING ALL THE WAY BACK AROUND. WHAT ARE THE ORGANIC, UM, SOLUTIONS FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD WHERE WE DON'T HAVE AN EXTREMELY LARGE IMPACT ON OUR EMPLOYEE POPULATION, BUT WE MOVE FORWARD WITHOUT OVERBURDENING OUR CURRENT UAL OUR CURRENT RETIREMENT SYSTEM. UM, AND HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE MAKE THAT HAPPEN? AND WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE IF IT IS THE TIERED OPTIONS, IF IT IS, UM, IF WE'RE NOT CREATING ANY FUNDING ISSUES WITH TIERING FOLKS OUT AND MOVING FORWARD, IS THAT THE PIECE OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT Y'ALL STILL WORKING ON BASED UPON THE STUDY THAT HE'S, THAT HE REFERENCED EARLIER? YEAH, SO A LARGE PART OF THAT IS FROM THE EXPERIENCED STUDY THAT WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF. SO, UM, IF THE DATA COMES BACK, IT'S, AND UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A SEVEN PERSON, UH, BOARD OF TRUSTEES THAT GOVERNS THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM. SO, UH, THAT'LL BE THE CHOICES THAT THEY'LL BE MAKING WHEN WE STUDY. UM, THE RESULTS OF, OF THE EXPERIENCE STUDY IN THAT STUDY OR JUST IN YOUR EXPERIENCE, IS THERE A POSSIBILITY FOR SOMEONE, LET'S SAY, THAT'S BEEN WITH THE CITY FOR SEVEN YEARS AS A YOUNGER PERSON, THEY CARE ABOUT MORE INCREASE IN PAY RATHER THAN THE LONG TERM RETIREMENT BENEFITS? IT, WILL THERE BE AN OPTION FOR THEM TO BUY THEMSELVES OUT OF THE CURRENT PLAN TO MOVE INTO A 401K PLAN TO TRANSITION THEIR FUTURE AND THEIR PAY STRUCTURE IF WE WERE LOOKING INTO THOSE TRANSITIONS? OR WOULD THEY BE STUCK IN THE CURRENT SYSTEM AS IT, AS IT AS WE HAVE IT? I DO NOT HAVE THE ANSWER TO THAT. QUE I'D HAVE TO LOOK AT IT LEGALLY. UM, 'CAUSE THEY WOULD HAVE TO SEVER EMPLOYMENT WITH AN EMPLOYER IN OUR SYSTEM TO GET A RETURN TO CONTRIBUTIONS IN WHICH THEN THEY COULD REINVEST. [03:00:01] TYPICALLY WHEN SOMEONE, RIGHT, WHEN SOMEONE LEAVES, UM, IF THEY'RE, IF THEY DON'T HAVE AT LEAST 10 YEARS, WHICH IS 10 YEARS TO VEST, THEN THEY GET A RETURN TO CONTRIBUTIONS AND THEY CAN TYPICALLY ROLL THAT. IF THEY GO INTO A JOB THAT HAS A 401K, THEY CAN ROLL THAT OVER INTO ANOTHER QUALIFIED PLAN. SO IS IT POSSIBLE TO INCENTIVIZE THEM IN ANY WAY? AND I, I DON'T EXPECT YOU TO HAVE THESE QUESTIONS, BUT THESE ARE THE QUESTIONS THAT INCENTIVIZE THEM. I WOULD UNLIKELY, UH, AGAIN, ONLY BECAUSE I SAY THAT BECAUSE, UM, I'LL, MY, MY BIGGEST CONCERN, WHAT, WHAT KEEPS ME UP IS A $700 MILLION UNFUNDED LIABILITY. AND SO I'M VERY WARY ABOUT ANYTHING THAT WOULD ADD TO THAT NUMBER. I UNDERSTAND THAT. BUT TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION, THERE ARE WAYS, AND THERE ARE MUNICIPALITIES OF OUR SIZE AND OTHER, UM, PUBLIC ENTITIES OF OUR SIZE THAT HAVE TRANSITIONED AND SUCCESSFULLY MOVED PEOPLE FROM THESE PROGRAMS. SO THEY DON'T HAVE AN OVERBURDENED RETIREMENT SYSTEM. SO I THINK THAT WE'D BE VERY INTERESTED IN SEEING WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE TO HAVE SOMEONE MOVE OFF OF OUR, OUR PLAN INTO A PRIVATIZED 401K TYPE PLAN TO SEE IF, OR WHATEVER PLAN THAT WE COULD OFFER TO KEEP OUR OTHER PLAN MOVING AND SUCCESSFULLY MOVING FORWARD. BUT ALSO BEING ABLE TO SUPPORT THE LARGE AMOUNT OF RETIREES. BECAUSE WHENEVER YOU LOOK AT OUR NUMBERS, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 4,000 EMPLOYEES THAT WORK FOR THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE AND APPROXIMATELY 2000 RETIREES THAT THAT WILL BE COLLECTING. WE HAVE ABOUT 3,500 IN EACH BUCKET. IN EACH. OKAY. SO THAT'S, THAT'S CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE THE LAST TIME I LOOKED AT IT. SO WE HAVE 3,500 EMPLOYEES THAT ARE SUPPORTING 3,500 RETIREES CURRENTLY. YEAH, THOSE ROUGHLY. AND THAT'S GONNA BE A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT ON US. CORRECT. THAT'S WHERE THE 700 MILLION UAL COMES FROM. UH, THE 700 MILLION UAL COMES FROM, UH, HAVING ESSENTIALLY NOT HAVING YOUR ASSETS KEEP UP WITH YOUR LIABILITY, BUT THIS IS, THIS IS OVER DECADES I WANNA SAY. UH, THE UAL WAS 170,000,020 YEARS AGO. SO IT'S, IT'S BALLOON QUITE, QUITE A BIT. QUITE A BIT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND I APPRECIATE ALL YOUR ANSWERS. THANK YOU, AARON. THANK YOU. UM, SO MY QUESTION IS, I WANT TO FOCUS ON THE STUDY THAT YOU'RE DOING NOW. THIS IS AN INTERNAL IN-HOUSE STUDY. IT'S DONE BY OUR ACTUARIAL FIRM. YES, SIR. INTERNALLY, OKAY. I MEAN, THEY'RE AN OUTSIDE FIRM. OUTSIDE FIRM. OKAY. SO THIS IS SOMEONE LIKE THAT, SOMEONE THAT DID THE PAY STUDY. THIS IS AN OUTSIDE FIRM THAT IS DOING THIS STUDY HERE AS FAR AS WHAT CAN AND CAN'T BE DONE. CORRECT. CAN YOU COME UP TO SPEAK ON ABOUT THE STUDY, UM, WHAT WHAT ARE WE TO BE EXPECTING FROM THIS STUDY? IS THIS STUDY NOW THIS ONE'S DONE ON A REGULAR BASIS, BUT BASED ON THIS SITUATION AND THE, THE, UH, EMPLOYEE PAYMENT STUDY, I FEEL LIKE THERE THERE SHOULD BE SOME, POSSIBLY SOME DEFINED ASPECTS OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. AND REAL QUICKLY, IF YOU COULD, WHAT EXACTLY IN THIS STUDY IS THIS ONE DOING? IS THIS JUST THE REGULAR STUDY THAT'S DONE EVERY SO OFTEN IT SAYS, OKAY, WE NEED TO KIND OF CHANGE UP A LITTLE BIT OR SO ON AND SO FORTH, OR DO YOU NEED DIRECTION TO REDO THIS STUDY OR RESTART THIS STUDY TO GIVE US WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR? AND WHAT I MEAN BY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IS WHEN YOU REPORT BACK TO US THE FINAL STUDY, I WANT OPTIONS. I WANNA KNOW, I WANNA KNOW WHAT THE OPTIONS ARE, WHAT IT'S GOING TO COST US, WHAT, WHO HAVE YOU SPOKEN WITH? AND DURING THIS STUDY, SPEAKING WITH THE EMPLOYEES, SPEAKING WITH THE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS ABOUT WHAT THEY SEE, WHAT THEY EXPECT AND SO ON AND SO FORTH, THAT'S THE KIND OF EXTERNAL STUDY THAT I WOULD BE TO EXPECT. UM, YOU KNOW, IT IT, WE'RE LOOKING TO FUNDAMENTALLY CHANGE THE STRUCTURE. I DON'T THINK IT'S JUST A REGULAR QUARTERLY OR HOWEVER MANY YEAR STUDY IS THE RIGHT THING RIGHT NOW. I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE THE STUDY DONE OF WHAT OPTIONS CAN WE TAKE, WHAT WILL THE EMPLOYEES TOLERATE, WHAT OPTIONS WOULD THEY LIKE TO SEE AND COMMUNICATE WITH THEM. OH, AND I UNDERSTAND THIS IS SOMETHING THAT CAN'T BE JUST DONE IN, IN, IN, IN A MONTH OR TWO, BUT THAT'S WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE. AND THEN BASED ON YOUR COMMUNICATION WITH WHAT THEY SEE, UM, AND TRENDS AND EVERYTHING ELSE, THEY COME BACK TO US WITH SEVERAL OPTIONS. OKAY. IF WE CONTINUE LIKE [03:05:01] WE ARE, THIS IS WHAT IT'S GONNA COST, THIS IS HOW IT'S GONNA BE, AND WE JUST GO FORWARD. IF YOU GO WITH THIS OPTION, THIS IS WHAT YOU CAN SAVE. THESE MANY EMPLOYEES CAN OPT OUT, THIS MANY CAN SO ON AND SO FORTH CHANGE. AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT ALL LEGALLY THEY CAN AND CAN'T DO OR THIRD OPTION. WE JUST HAVE TO, THIS IS WHAT WE'VE GOT TO DO AND IF NOT, THIS IS GONNA HAPPEN. SO I WANT TO, THAT'S WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR IN THE FINAL PART OF THIS STUDY. IS THAT POSSIBLE? UH, SO TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, COUNCILMAN, UH, AN EXPERIENCE STUDY LARGELY FOCUSES ON INTERNALLY THE SYSTEM YOU HAVE IN PLACE AND THE ASSUMPTIONS WITH THAT SYSTEM SEES WHAT, THAT'S WHAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I SEE A PROBLEM WITH. WELL, IS WE NEED TO, WELL, I'M GETTING, I'M GETTING TO YOUR, TO YOUR ANSWER. UM, SO THAT'S WHAT AN EXPERIENCE STUDY DOES, WHAT YOU'RE REQUESTING IN TERMS OF LOOKING AT, UH, OTHER OPTIONS OUTSIDE OF THIS PLAN, CREATING NEW PLANS OR, UH, SHUTTING DOWN THIS PLAN FOR NEW EMPLOYEES AND MOVING TO A DIFFERENT PLAN. THAT'S A, THAT'S OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF AN EXPERIENCE STUDY. SO THAT WOULD REQUIRE A SEPARATE STUDY BE DONE. OKAY. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO REQUEST? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU THINK WE SHOULD DO AS THE RETIREMENT PERSON? AGAIN, I CAN, THAT WE HAD THESE, WE HAD THESE NUMBERS OUT HERE NOW ABOUT THE PACE STUDY THAT PEOPLE ARE GONNA START LOOKING FOR. WE KNOW WE HAVE TO DO THAT, BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT ON THE OTHER SIDE WE HAVE TO HAVE OPTIONS TO BE ABLE TO GET TO THAT POINT. AND THAT'S, IF, IF WE NEED TO LOOK INTO DOING THAT, I WOULD BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO, TO SEE WHAT FUNDING WE COULD FIND TO POSSIBLY DO THAT. BUT I DON'T WANT TO GO THROUGH THIS WHOLE STUDY IF IT'S NOT GONNA GET WHAT WE AS A COUNSELOR ARE LOOKING FOR. OVERALL. I KNOW THIS ONE HAS TO BE DONE, IT'S A NORMAL PROCEDURE THAT Y'ALL DO EVERY SO OFTEN, BUT IF WE NEED TO LOOK AT GOING FORWARD WITH A DIFFERENT ONE FROM THE OUTSIDE LOOKING IN OR OR OTHER OPTIONS, THEN LET'S GET STARTED ON THAT. AND IS THAT SOMETHING YOU THINK WE NEED TO DO YEAH. TO GET TO, TO GET TO THE ANSWERS THAT YOU ARE ASKING IN TERMS OF OPTIONS OUTSIDE OF THE EXISTING PLAN? YEAH, THAT WOULD REQUIRE A SEPARATE STUDY. UM, AND THAT'S A STUDY THAT IF THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM IS GOING TO FUND THAT STUDY, THAT'S A STUDY THAT, UH, MY BOARD WOULD HAVE TO VOTE ON AND IMPROVE TO TO FUND. OKAY. I, THAT'S WHERE I'D LIKE TO SEE THE BALL ROLLING. THANK YOU. COUNCILMAN HUDSON. SO I WANT TO EXPLORE THE QUESTION ON THE UALA LITTLE FURTHER. I, I DON'T THINK I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO DO IT AS ELOQUENTLY AS COUNCILMAN RAHA DID, BUT LET ME ASK IT THIS WAY. WHAT IS OUR CURRENT STRATEGY FOR REDUCING THE UAL AND IS IT WORKING? SO, UM, WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS OVER THE PAST YEAR, UH, OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS, HAVE WE TRENDED IT DOWN? HAVE WE TRENDED IT UP? WHAT'S OUR STRATEGY AND, AND HOW IS THAT WORKING CURRENTLY? SURE. SO WE HAVE, RIGHT NOW WE HAVE AN AMORTIZATION SCHEDULE IN PLACE. RIGHT NOW. IT'S, UM, 21 YEARS AND EVERY YEAR THAT GOES BY A YEAR DROPS OFF THAT AMORTIZATION SCHEDULE AND WE LOOK AT IT EACH YEAR. SO IT'S, IT'S RECALCULATED. SO RIGHT NOW IT'S A 21 YEAR AMORTIZATION IN WHICH AFTER YEAR 15, IT TRANSITIONS TO A ROLLING 15 YEAR AMORTIZATION SCHEDULE. UM, I CAN BRING, UM, SHELLY UP TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE SPECIFICS OF THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF, OF, OF AMORTIZATION PROJECTIONS ON HOW SYSTEMS PAY DOWN ALS. BUT THERE'S AN INFINITE NUMBER OF THEM. BUT THAT'S THE ONE THAT, THAT, THAT WE HAVE. AND IT'S BEEN IN PLACE, UM, AT LEAST SEVEN, EIGHT YEARS. SO, SO I WANNA MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING. SO OVER THE NEXT SIX YEARS, WE'LL TREND THAT NUMBER DOWN AND THEN AMORTIZE IT ON A ROLLING 15 AFTER THAT. I'M SEEING A SHAKING HEAD, THAT'S CORRECT. BUT IF YOU WOULD FOR THE, FOR THE RECORD, . OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, SO THAT'S GOOD. IT SOUNDS LIKE OUR STRATEGY, WE HAVE A STRATEGY IN PLACE AND, AND IT IS WORKING FOR ADDRESSING THAT. THAT'S GOOD. UM, I WANNA EXPLORE ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT COUNCILMAN HURST ASKED WELL, AS WELL, AND IT'S A, IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION. I LIKED YOUR ANSWER. UH, AND THAT WAS THAT ESSENTIALLY NOTHING HAPPENS TO EXISTING RETIREES, EXISTING EMPLOYEES. UH, IF WE WERE TO MAKE CHANGES, UM, WHILE THAT IS A EXTREME CONCERN OF MINE, WE GOTTA PROTECT OUR EMPLOYEES. WE GOTTA PROTECT OUR PRIOR, UH, OUR RETIREES. MY OTHER, UH, THE THING THAT I THINK WE HAVE TO PROTECT IS THE CITY PARISH GENERAL FUND. IT'S SOMETHING, SOMETHING WE'VE ALL TALKED A GREAT DEAL ABOUT UP HERE. UM, IF WE [03:10:01] MAKE CHANGES THAT NEGATIVELY, UH, IMPACT OUR ABILITY TO EXECUTE THAT UAL STRATEGY, WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM TO, UH, MAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE? DOES IT COME FROM THE GENERAL FUND, OR WHERE WOULD YOU LOOK FOR, UM, TO STILL BE ABLE TO PAY DOWN THAT UAL? UH, LET'S SAY THAT THE UAL CONTINUE TO GROW AND MAYBE THERE ARE SOME SITUATIONS THAT HAPPEN WITH THE PLAN AND THE ASSUMPTIONS ARE OFF BID AND THAT UL GROWS, UH, WHAT WE WOULD LIKELY DO IS COME BACK AND CHANGE THE AMORTIZATION ON THAT, THAT PAYMENT TO MAKE IT SO THAT AT LEAST THE EMPLOYER COSTS ARE MANAGEABLE. RIGHT. UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION, BUT WE, LIKE, WE DON'T, WE, WE DON'T USE GENERAL FUND DOLLARS TO FUND THE RETIREMENT SYSTEM. THAT'S, THAT'S MY MAIN QUESTION, IS THAT YOU WOULDN'T YEAH. YOU WOULDN'T FIRST LOOK FOR ADDITIONAL CITY PARISH DOLLARS TO, SO EVERY, EVERY EMPLOYER IN OUR SYSTEM, WHICH THERE ARE NINE, AND THE CITY PARISH IS THE LARGEST, BRECK IS THE SECOND LARGEST, UM, EVERY EMPLOYER, A PORTION OF THAT 700 MILLION UAL IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THEM. AND SO IT'S, IT'S THEIR PORTION OF THAT DEBT. GOTCHA. IF THAT MAKES SENSE. I UNDERSTAND. ALRIGHT. SO MOVING OFF OF, UH, RETIREMENT FOR JUST A MINUTE. UM, I KNOW WE'VE JUST RECENTLY BROUGHT ON HUB, I, I RECALL FROM WHEN WE HIRED THE, THE PREVIOUS CONTRACTOR, FBAC. UM, AND I'M PROBABLY GONNA GET THIS NUMBER A LITTLE, A LITTLE WRONG OR A LITTLE FUZZY. UM, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THEY BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION THAT I THINK 40 OUR, FOR OUR RETIRE RETIREE HEALTHCARE LIABILITY WAS 45% OF PAYROLL. UM, WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH, WITH THAT FIGURE? HAVE WE, HAVE WE FIXED THAT TREND? HOW, HOW ARE WE LOOKING THERE I SHOULD SAY UNFUNDED RETIREE HEALTHCARE LIABILITY? RIGHT. I DON'T HAVE ANY, ANGIE, DO YOU HAVE ANY I'M SORRY, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT WAS THE QUESTION? SO I KNOW WE JUST BOUGHT ON HUB, UM, AND WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE LAST CONTRACTOR TO, TO DO OUR, UH, RETIREE, HE, OUR, OUR HEALTHCARE ISSUES, THEY BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION THAT RETIREE HEALTHCARE LIABILITY WAS SOMETHING LIKE 45% OF PAYROLL OR UNFUNDED RETIREE HEALTHCARE LIABILITY WITH SOMETHING LIKE 45% OF PAYROLL. HOW ARE WE DOING ON THOSE NUMBERS? ARE WE, ARE WE REDUCING THOSE COSTS? SO WE HAVE, UH, CREATED OR INSTITUTED THE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE, WHICH IS HELPING US, BECAUSE THAT REMOVES THE LIABILITY OF ALL THEIR CLAIMS INTO THE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE, WHICH IS A SEPARATE POLICY OUTSIDE OF THE CITY PARISH HAVING THE BURDEN OF THOSE CLAMS, UM, YEARLY WHERE THEY HAVE TRANSITIONED ABOUT 200 RETIREES THAT FALL INTO THAT CRITERIA ANNUALLY. SO WE HAVE SEEN SOME SAVINGS IN THAT AREA, BUT I DON'T THINK, UH, WE WANT TO AGGRESSIVELY APPROACH IT IN A LITTLE MORE AGGRESSIVE MANNER, WHICH WE'RE HAVING OPEN ENROLLMENT OR REACHING OUT, UM, TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT QUALIFY. YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO BE 65 AND OLDER IN ORDER TO GO IN THAT PROGRAM. SO WE HAVE MADE SOME STRIDES. THEY ARE GOING TO PRESENT US ANOTHER STRATEGIC PLAN TO HELP US EVEN MAKE FURTHER DECISIONS ON REDUCING THAT LIABILITY. SO I, I WANNA KIND OF BENCHMARK OURSELVES, BUT AS A FUNCTION OF PAYROLL OR AS A FUNCTION OF THE, OF THE BUDGET, HAVE WE GONE IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION OR THE WRONG DIRECTION? IT FLUCTUATES BECAUSE CLAIMS, IT'S BASED ON THE CLAIMS OF THOSE RETIREES. SO CLAIMS FLUCTUATE. UM, IT HAS GONE UP AND DOWN. UM, THIS YEAR IT'S 18.1% OF PAYROLL IS, IS WHAT WE ARE USING TO FUND. WELL, THAT'S A LOT BETTER OPED. OKAY. THANK YOU. I SEE MR. DANIELS IN THE BACK. I COULDN'T LET YOU SLIDE. I WANNA I WANNA POSE COUNCILMAN MO'S QUESTION TO YOU. I'M JUST CURIOUS ON YOUR THOUGHTS. I THINK YOU'RE THE CHAIR. ARE YOU STILL THE CHAIR? ALRIGHT. , UM, COUNCILMAN MOS ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT, UH, THE RETIREE, UH, THE RETIREMENT BOARD'S, UH, WILLINGNESS TO EXPLORE OTHER RETIREMENT PLAN OPTIONS. I'M NOT ASKING, I'M NOT, I'M NOT ASKING YOU TO COMMIT TO ANYTHING. I JUST WANT TO KNOW FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, IS THERE, IS THERE A, UH, WILLINGNESS OUT THERE TO EXPLORE OPTIONS WITH US? SURE. UM, JAY DANIELS, I'M THE CHAIR OF THE, UM, SPRS BOARD. UM, THE ANSWER IS YES. [03:15:01] UM, I THINK THIS CONVERSATION IS SOMEWHAT PREMATURE. YOU KNOW, WHEN WE, I I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE PUT IN CONTEXT OF ALL THE OTHER BENEFITS. I THINK WE'VE DONE SO IN THE PAST, THIS VERY COMPRESSED TIME OVER THE PAST MAYBE TWO WEEKS, THREE WEEKS. BUT I THINK IF WE REALLY WANT TO STUDY THE ISSUE, I THINK IT DESERVES A LITTLE BIT MORE ATTENTION. UM, THERE'S COLLABORATION HAS TO OCCUR WITH THE, UM, DIFFERENT EMPLOYERS. I THINK WE HAVE SEVEN OR EIGHT, NINE DIFFERENT EMPLOYERS. UH, WE HAVE AN HR DEPARTMENT THAT HAS BENEFITS TO BE EVALUATED AND IT'S SOMETHING TO HAVE THIS DISCUSSION HASHED OUT AND DELIBERATED IN THIS, IN THIS BODY AT THIS TIME WITHOUT THE PROPER STUDY. WHETHER THAT'S A PLANNED STUDY, WHETHER THAT'S EXPERIENCE STUDY, I THINK IT'S A LITTLE BIT PREMATURE AND WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU THE PROPER INFORMATION WHERE WE CAN ALL COME BACK AND HAVE SOME RECOMMENDATIONS TO YOU THAT JUST MAY INCLUDE, YOU KNOW, POSSIBLE AMENDMENT OF THE BENEFITS PACKAGE. BUT RIGHT NOW I THINK IT'S A LITTLE BIT PREMATURE, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT, THAT THE BOARD IS AWARE OF. UM, WE'RE GONNA HAVE SOME DISCUSSION IN OUR FORTHCOMING BOARD MEETINGS. UM, WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH OUR DIFFERENT PARTNERS THAT WE HAVE ASSEMBLED, UM, TO BRING SOME RECOMMENDATIONS BACK TO THE COUNCIL. I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT AND INSIGHTFUL AS ALWAYS. AND THAT'S WHY YOU'RE THE CHAIR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE THAT. COUNCILMAN DUNN, JR. THANK YOU. I ALSO THINK THAT'S, THAT'S THE RIGHT STEP AS WELL AS SPECIFICALLY HAVING SOME INPUT FROM THE EMPLOYEES. AND, AND SOME OF US HAVE, HAVE GOTTEN QUESTIONS AND GOTTEN CONCERNS FROM EMPLOYEE AND YOU'RE SEEING SOME OF THAT, UH, COME FROM US UP HERE. BUT IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR THEM TO GIVE FIRSTHAND, UH, INFORMATION AND DIRECTION ON WHAT THEY'D LIKE TO SEE AND THEN COME BACK TO US WITH, WITH ALSO OTHER STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED. UH, MR. MACK, CAN YOU COME UP PLEASE? UM, WHEN MR. CAMPBELL WAS HERE AND GAVE HIS REPORT, UM, I THINK ALL OF US WERE VERY IMPRESSED WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, THE WAY IN WHICH HE CARRIED HIMSELF, THE INFORMATION HE BROUGHT. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, AS MUCH AS IMPRESSED WE WAS WITH HIS PRESENTATION, SOME OF THE INFORMATION AND DATA WAS SHOCKING AS WELL. UM, I WOULD SAY YOUR PRESENTATION HAS BEEN IMPRESSIVE EQUALLY AS IMPRESSIVE, BUT WHAT HAD KIND OF CAUSED ME AT PAUSE, YOU HAD SOME DIFFERENCES OF OPINIONS ON SOME OF THE THINGS HE PRESENTED BEFORE US. UM, SPECIFICALLY TALKING ABOUT, UM, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, HIS CONCERNS ABOUT HOW GENEROUS THE BENEFITS, UH, WAS OR, OR IS. AND, AND YOU EVEN TALKED ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, INQUIRING FROM HIM AND HIS TEAM, HOW DID THEY ARRIVE AT, AT SOME OF THOSE NUMBERS? AND I KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON WHO'S LOOKING AT WHAT AND WHAT APPROACH THEY TAKE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN ARRIVE TO A DIFFERENT DESTINATION. SO AS YOU GET THAT INFORMATION, UM, FROM HIM AND YOU GUYS KIND OF RECONCILE, YOU KNOW, YOUR DIFFERENCES, COULD YOU GET THAT INFORMATION BACK TO US SO WE CAN GET A UNDERSTANDING ON, YOU KNOW, WHERE YOU GUYS WASN'T ON THE SAME PAGE OR WHERE THE DIFFERENCES WAS AND DID YOU COME TO SOME SORT OF COMPROMISE? UM, SURE. I, I ABSOLUTELY. UM, WHAT I WILL SAY IS I, I DO HAVE THE BENEFITS SECTION OF, OF THE STUDY. UH, AND I, MY UNDERSTANDING IT WAS, UM, CLOSE TO 600 PAGES, UM, MAYBE 20 PAGES OF IT IS BASED ON, UH, BENEFITS. THE REST OF IT IS JUST LOOKING AT COMPENSATION. AND THERE IS ONE PAGE ON RETIREMENT AND I'LL JUST READ WHAT HIS RECOMMENDATION IS, QUOTE UNQUOTE, THE CITY COMPARES FAVORABLY WITH RESPONDENT RETIREMENT PLANS, PLANS, NO CHANGES ARE RECOMMENDED. THAT'S, THAT'S HIS WORDS, NOT MINE. OKAY. WELL, AS YOU GUYS, AS I SAID, DIG THROUGH ALL OF THAT AND, AND I THINK KIND OF JAY MENTIONED IT, YOU KNOW, WE WON'T RESOLVE EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW 'CAUSE Y'ALL GOT A LOT OF MORE PEOPLE TO TALK TO AND A LOT MORE INPUT AND THE TWO OF YOU GUYS GOTTA TALK. BUT ABSOLUTELY. I'M JUST ASKING THAT ONCE YOU GUYS FLUSH ALL THAT OUT, COME BACK TO US AND KIND OF GIVE US SOME INPUT ON, YOU KNOW, WHERE THINGS LANDED AT. ABSOLUTELY. 'CAUSE THERE SEEM TO BE SOME DIFFERENCES IN OPINIONS ON APPROACH AND STYLE AND, AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE. UM, ALSO ONE OF THE MAJOR CONCERNS THAT I'VE HEARD, AND I THINK THAT ALARM MOST PEOPLE IS WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT MAKING A CHANGE TO THE CURRENT PLAN OR YOU LOOK AT THE TIERED, UH, APPROACH, UH, WHICH YOU, YOU KNOW, DID A GOOD JOB DESCRIBING THE LAY PERSON LIKE MYSELF OR OTHERS WHO DON'T DO THIS FOR A LIVING, MAY THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU LIMITED THE AMOUNT OF THE POOL OF PEOPLE GOING INTO IT. SO IT'S GONNA LIMIT THE AMOUNT OF RESOURCES MADE AVAILABLE TO THOSE WHO ARE DEPENDENT ON IT. NOW, YOU HAVE SAID, AND, AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, THAT YOU THINK THE, THE PLAN CHANGES THE INVESTMENT SCHEDULE, CONTRIBUTION LEVELS AND ELIGIBILITY [03:20:01] REQUIREMENTS, MAKING ADJUSTMENTS TO THOSE THINGS THAT YOU DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE IN JEOPARDY OF FUNDING THOSE WHO ARE ALREADY VESTED. AM I CORRECT IN THAT? CORRECT. OKAY. UM, AND YOU ALSO REFERENCED, UH, ANOTHER MUNICIPALITY, I FORGET WHO YOU SAID THAT HAD MADE SOME A SIMILAR CHANGE WHERE THEY ADDED A TIERED APPROACH MM-HMM. . AND, UH, IT DIDN'T HAVE ANY NEGATIVE EFFECT TO THEM. UH, IF YOU COULD TELL ME HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN DO DOING THIS? UH, HOW LONG AGO DID THEY MAKE THE CHANGE? YOU KNOW, HOW MANY YEARS? YEAH, SAMPLE SIZE RESEARCH DO THEY HAVE? I'LL LET SHELLY ANSWER THAT BECAUSE SHE'S THE ACTUARY FOR THAT OTHER PLAN. OKAY. SO I, I BELIEVE THE SYSTEM JAMES IS REFERRING TO IS THE STATE EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM. IT'S CALLED LASERS, LOUISIANA STATE EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM. THEY STUDIED, WELL, LET ME, LET ME BACK UP A LITTLE BIT. 'CAUSE I THINK WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TWO DIFFERENT THINGS HERE. UM, THEY DO HAVE DIFFERENT TIERS, AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT OCCASIONALLY THEY WILL CHANGE THE BENEFITS SO THAT, UM, THE NEW MEMBERS COMING IN WILL HAVE A DIFFERENT PLAN OF BENEFITS. SO IT DOESN'T AFFECT ANYONE ELSE'S BENEFITS OTHER THAN THE NEW MEMBER COMING IN. UM, SO THEY HAVE DONE THAT, WHICH WE HAVE DONE TOO. AND IN FACT, UM, I'VE ADDED TO THE VALUATION REPORT WHAT THE LAST TIER OF BENEFITS, HOW, HOW THAT HAS IMPACTED FUNDING AND THE UAL. YES, THANK YOU. WHAT I, WHAT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, TO COMMENT ON THOUGH IS LASERS DID NOT PUT IN PLACE A CHANGE OF PLAN THAT BROUGHT IN, UM, ANY ELEMENT OF A DEFINED CONTRIBUTION PLAN. THEY STUDIED THAT IT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO THE LEGISLATURE TWICE, AND BOTH TIMES IT HAS NOT PASSED ONCE, UM, IT WAS A REPRESENTATIVE OR A SENATOR THAT BROUGHT THE PLAN, THE NEXT TIME THE SYSTEM ACTUALLY BROUGHT THE PLAN. BOTH TIMES IT DID NOT PASS. AND I DON'T WANNA WASTE YOUR TIME GOING INTO ALL THE REASONS FOR IT NOW, BUT I MEAN, I, I COULD COMMENT ON, ON ALL THE, THE MANY REASONS WHY THAT, UM, CAN PRESENT SOME PROBLEMS. YOU DON'T HAVE TO NECESSARILY DO IT NOW, BUT AGAIN, MR. MACK, UM, I LIKE TO LOOK AT SOME DATA FROM OUR PLAN WHERE THE CHANGE WAS MADE IN 15 AND THE LASERS PLAN JUST TO KIND OF, 'CAUSE I THINK MOST PEOPLE SAY, OKAY, IT IS EASY FOR YOU TO SAY NO, THERE'LL BE NO LONG TERM EFFECT, BUT SHOW ME 5, 10, 15, 20 YEARS OF ANOTHER PLAN OR OUR PLAN WHERE IT DIDN'T AFFECT THE CURRENT PEOPLE THAT ARE INVESTED. SO CAN YOU GET US SOME DATA JUST TO KIND OF SHOW US THAT AND MODEL THAT? YES, WE CAN CERTAINLY TAKE A LOOK AT, UM, THE COST SAVINGS FROM, UH, THE TIER OF THE PLAN BEFORE 2015, AND THEN WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE FOR MEMBERS POST 2015. UM, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, UH, WE ARE ONLY ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH, LIKE HALF OF OUR CURRENT MEMBERS ARE IN THE NEW TIER. SO WE'RE ONLY ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THAT PLAN, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN. RIGHT, RIGHT. YEAH, 10 FROM 10 YEARS AGO. OKAY. SO IT, OBVIOUSLY THESE THINGS TAKE, TAKE SOME TIME, BUT I CAN CERTAINLY PRESENT THE DATA SO FAR ON THAT. GOTCHA. THANK YOU. TWO MORE QUESTIONS. UM, A DEEPER DIVE INTO THE ISSUE HAS BEEN REFERENCED AND, YOU KNOW, MULTIPLE TYPES OF STUDIES, UM, OBVIOUSLY CITY PARISH COMMISSION ONE, UH, YOU KNOW, LED AND PUSHED BY COUNCILMAN HERSON AND HR. UM, IF WE TOOK A DEEPER DIVE, WHAT WOULD THE COST BE TO THOSE ADDITIONAL PLANS? I MEAN, ADDITIONAL STUDIES THAT WAS REFERENCED, AND THEN WHO WOULD PAY FOR IT? WOULD YOU GUYS SERS PAY FOR IT OR WOULD YOU BE LOOKING FOR US TO PAY FOR IT? UH, THAT WOULD BE UP TO MY BOARD. I, I CAN'T REALLY, MR. DANIELS COME ON DOWN. DO YOU THINK THE BOARD, AND I KNOW YOU ARE ONLY ONE, I I'M, I'M JUST, I'M JUST THE CHAIR AND, AND I I SERVE WITH SIX OTHER DEDICATED INDIVIDUALS. DO YOU THINK THE BOARD HAS AN APPETITE TO, TO FUND THAT OR WOULD YOU HAVE WE CAN DEFINITELY HAVE THAT DISCUSSION. UM, AT THIS POINT I CAN'T COMMIT TO ANY OBLIGATIONS, BUT, BUT WE CAN DEFINITELY BRING THAT UP IN OUR NEXT DISCUSSION. YEAH, DISCUSS IT AND GET BACK TO US. AND, AND MY FINAL QUESTION, WHAT'S YOUR NAME AGAIN, MA'AM? I KNOW THAT THEY SHELLY. SHELLY, YES. THE STRENGTH OF THE $1.3 BILLION SYSTEM. CAN YOU SPEAK TO IT? YES, SIR, I CAN. UM, SO THE, THE SYSTEM IS ACTUARILY SOUND AND WHEN I HEAR SOMEONE SAYING THAT IT'S ANTIQUATED AND BROKEN, YOU KNOW, I, I'D NEED TO UNDERSTAND, PLEASE DEFINE THAT FOR ME. UM, BECAUSE THE WAY AN ACTUARY LOOKS AT A PLAN, SO LET, LET ME DESCRIBE QUICKLY WHAT AN ACTUARY FUNDED PLAN MEANS. WHAT IT SIMPLY MEANS IS THAT THE PLAN OF BENEFITS ARE FUNDED, THE BENEFITS ARE FUNDED OVER THE MEMBER'S CAREER. AND SO BY THE TIME A MEMBER RETIRES, THEIR BENEFITS SHOULD BE FULLY FUNDED. AND IT'S NOT [03:25:01] AT ALL DEPENDENT UPON NEW MEMBERS COMING IN. THAT WOULD BE LIKE A PAY AS YOU GO PLAN FOR SOCIAL SECURITY. AN ACTUARILY FUNDED PLAN IS NOT A PAY AS YOU GO PLAN. SO IF THE PLAN WERE CUT OFF TODAY, AND LET'S SAY WE WENT TO ZERO BENEFITS, THE RETIREES WOULD STILL RECEIVE THEIR BENEFITS AND ACTIVE MEMBERS AS THEY RETIRED, WOULD STILL RECEIVE THEIR BENEFITS. THEY JUST, THE ONLY WAY THAT WOULD COME AT RISK IS IF THE UAL WASN'T PAID. SO THE UAL NEEDS TO BE PAID TO FUND THE BENEFITS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN ACCRUED BECAUSE THERE IS A REASONABLE PLAN IN PLACE TO PAY DOWN THAT UAL. THAT'S WHY THE SYSTEM'S AN ACTUARILY SOUND PLAN. THE OTHER THING THAT MAKES IT ACTUARILY SOUND IS ARE WE USING APPROPRIATE BENEFITS TO FUND THE PLAN AND ARE WE USING APPROPRIATE METH METHODS, ACTUARIAL METHODS AND AMORTIZATION METHODS, WHICH I WON'T GO INTO, BUT JUST ACCEPT THOSE FOR ON THE SURFACE. FOR NOW, I CAN TELL YOU THAT ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE ACTUARILY SOUND AND THE BOARD, WE'VE BEEN THE ACTUARY FOR THE PLAN SINCE 2017. AND, UM, CONTINUOUSLY THE BOARD HAS COME TO ME AND ASKED, WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAKE THE PLAN MORE ACTUARILY SOUND? AND THEY HAVE TAKEN THOSE STEPS, ANYTHING THAT WE HAVE RECOMMENDED THEY HAVE ADOPTED. AND SO AT THIS POINT, UM, YOU KNOW, USING THE EXAMPLE OF IF WE WERE TO GO DOWN TO ZERO BENEFITS, WHAT WOULD WE BE LEFT WITH? UM, IT BOILS DOWN TO THE UAL AND HOW DOES THE EMPLOYER WANT TO FUND THE UAL? AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY A DISCUSSION THAT NEEDS TO BE HAD. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INFORMATION. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK ON THIS. SAME TO YOU MR. MACK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. DANIELS, MS. PEARSON, UM, AND EVERYBODY INVOLVED. COUNCILMAN HURST. HEY, I WANT TO TRY TO BRING THIS HOME FOR EVERYBODY. THAT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT OUR CURRENT EMPLOYEES, IT IS ABOUT OUR FUTURE EMPLOYEES AS WELL, AND OUR INABILITY TO HIRE PEOPLE IN THESE DEPARTMENTS ABOUT THE 250 VACANCIES IN DPW ABOUT THE 150 VACANCIES IN BRPD. WHEN WE ASK FOR PUBLIC SAFETY AND FASTER THE RESPONSE TIME AND WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NEIGHBORHOOD PATROLS BECAUSE THERE'S NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE TO DO BOTH PATROL AND RESPOND TO EMERGENCIES. SO THIS IS ABOUT HOW DO WE BRING PEOPLE ON BOARD? HOW DO WE ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENT AND NOT JUST ATTRACT, UM, DRIVE TALENT TO TRAINING AND THEN LET SOMEBODY ELSE HIRE THEM AND REMOVE 'EM. THIS IS ABOUT THE ONE ELECTRICIAN WE HAVE IN ALL OF EAST BAT ROUGE PARISH. THIS IS ABOUT THE ONE CARPENTER WE HAVE IN ALL OF EAST BAT ROUGE PARISH. THIS IS ABOUT THE $8 AN HOUR WE'RE PAYING DPW WORKERS. THEY'LL RETIRE OVERTIME JUST TO MAKE ENDS MEET. SO THIS IS MUCH BIGGER THAN JUST RETAINING OUR CURRENT TALENT. IT'S WHEN THE BABY BOOMERS RETIRE, HOW DO WE ATTRACT NEW TALENT AND MAKE SURE THAT THEY STAY HERE? AND THIS DOESN'T BECOME A TRAINING GROUND FOR OTHER BUSINESSES IN OUR PARISH AND OUR COUNTRY. AND SO WHILE WE FOCUS ON, UM, HOW DOES IT AFFECT US TODAY IN TERMS OF FUNDING, IN TERMS OF, UH, UH, RETIREMENT, UM, I'M NOT JUST THINKING ABOUT TODAY, I'M THINKING ABOUT TOMORROW AS WELL. AND HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THE CITY PARISH STILL IS ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD? BECAUSE WHEN I GET A CALL ABOUT DPW AND TRASH GETTING PICKED UP, OR IF I GET A CALL ABOUT SOME ISSUES THAT ARE HAPPENING IN A ROW WITH A POTHOLE, AND THEN I CALL THAT DIRECTOR AND HE SAYS, I GOTTA PUT IT ON MY SCHEDULE TWO MONTHS OUT 'CAUSE I'M GONNA HAVE THE MANPOWER, OR I CAN'T WORK EVENTS IN THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE THE MANPOWER, THEN WHAT DO I DO AT THAT POINT? WHAT DO WE DO AT THAT POINT? WE'RE ELECTED TO SERVE THE PARISH, NOT A DEPARTMENT, BUT TO SERVE THE PARISHES IN, IN ITS ENTIRETY AND TO MAKE SURE THAT EACH VACANCY IS FILLED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE BOTH A LIBERAL WAGE AND A GREAT RETIREMENT AT THE SAME TIME. AND THIS STUDY IS TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE LIVE WELL, RETIRE WELL, BUT AFTER THEY RETIRE, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN BACKFILL THOSE POSITIONS SO THAT CITY PARISH CAN CONTINUE AND BE PRODUCTIVE AS POSSIBLE AND SERVE THE CITIES OF, OF EAST BAT ROUGE PARISH, THE WAY THAT THEY INTEND TO BE SERVED. AND EVEN WHEN WE CUT BACK, GUESS WHAT PEOPLE WANT US TO DO MORE WITH LESS. WELL GUESS WHAT Y'ALL, WE ARE ALREADY AT THE, THE, THE, THE CORNER, THE MEAT THAT'S ON THE BONE RIGHT NOW, AND WE HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO GIVE YOU GUYS. SO THIS PROCESS, SO THAT WE CAN BE OF A BETTER SERVICE TO YOU, TO THE ENTIRE PARISH, NOT JUST THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE, BUT TO ALL FIVE CITIES THAT ARE INCLUDING THESE BAT ROUGE PARISH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. ALL RIGHT, THANK Y'ALL. WE'RE GONNA GO TO [152. 24-01414] ITEM 1 52, EMERGENCY ITEM AMENDING AND REENACTING ORDINANCE 1 9 3 7 6 ADOPTED OCTOBER 9TH, 2024, WHICH ESTABLISHED VOTING PRECINCTS WITHIN WARDS ONE, TWO, AND THREE IN EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH AND DESIGNATED POLLING PLACES. SO [03:30:01] AS TO CHANGE THE FOLLOWING, POLLING LOCATION, WARD ONE, PRECINCT 11, ZION CITY SCHOOL, CADILLAC STREET PARK CENTER, WARD ONE PRECINCT 84 ZION CITY SCHOOL TO CADILLAC STREET PARK CENTER. DID I SAY 'EM ALL? DID I SKIP ONE? YES. YOU'RE GOOD. BY THE REGISTRAR OF VOTERS IN ACCORDANCE WITH ORDINANCE 1 6 4 4 2. THIS ITEM MUST BE DECLARED AN EMERGENCY BY TWO THIRD VOTE OF THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL. DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO DECLARE EMERGENCY MOTION BY COUNCILMAN HARRIS? SECOND BY COUNCILMAN MO. ANY OPPOSED? IT'S DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. UH, DO WE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE ITEM? ANYONE HERE WISHING TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? SEEING NONE WILL GO TO COUNCIL. DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE ITEM? MOTION BY COUNCILMAN S SECOND BY COUNCILMAN DUNN, JR. ANY OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES. COUNCILWOMAN AMAROSA ADJOURN. THANK YOU. WE HAVE ANNOUNCEMENTS. WE HAVE ANNOUNCEMENTS BY COUNCILWOMAN DEZA. OKAY. READY? YES, MA'AM. OKAY. WE HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT. WE HAVE IN A, UM, WELLNESS FESTIVAL GIVEN BY ONE OF OUR LOCAL CHURCHES HERE IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BATON ROUGE GENERAL. IT WILL BE HELD ON NOVEMBER THE SECOND, 2024 FROM 10 TO TWO AT THE BATON ROUGE GENERAL MID CITY. MM-HMM. . WE'RE GONNA HAVE VENDORS, BOOTS, UM, ALL KINDS OF HEALTHCARE RESOURCES THERE. SO WE ARE INVITING THE COMMUNITY TO COME OUT. ALSO AT THE UM, MLK CENTER, 44,000 GUS YOUNG AVENUE, WE ARE HAVING, UM, OCTOBER THE 31ST TRUNK OR TREAT FROM SIX TO EIGHT. PLEASE JOIN US FOR GAMES. SCARY, FUN AND FRIGHTENING FOOD COSTUME CONTESTS FOR AGES ZERO TO 13 IS PROBABLY SPONSORED BY COUNCILWOMAN PAT RAZAN AND THE STAFF. PLEASE COME OUT AND HAVE FUN WITH US. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK Y'ALL ALL FOR YOUR CONTINUED SERVICE. SERVE YOUR FAMILIES, YOUR COMMUNITIES, BUT FIRST AND FOREMOST, SERVE GOD. GOD BLESS, . * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.