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UH, WELCOME TO THE SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING[CALL TO ORDER]
OF THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL THIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH, 2024.WE'LL CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER.
[1. 24-01390 Receiving the Mayor-President's 2025 Budget Message. By Mayor-President.]
RECEIVE A REPORT FROM THE MAYOR, PRESIDENT OF THE 2025 BUDGET.HONORABLE MEMBERS OF THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL AND TO THE PEOPLE OF BATON ROUGE AS WELL.
I RESPECTFULLY, UH, SUBMIT FOR YOUR REVIEW AND CONSIDERATION BALANCED BUDGETS FOR THE 2025 CALENDAR YEAR FOR OUR GENERAL FUND AND SPECIAL FUNDS WITH DEDICATED REVENUE STREAMS. THIS PROPOSED 2025 BUDGET DEMONSTRATES THE TRANSITION OF THE CITY OF ST.
AS WE NAVIGATE THROUGH THIS TRANSITION, MY ADMINISTRATION CONTINUES TO FOCUS ON DELIVERING COST EFFICIENT SERVICES RELATED TO PUBLIC SAFETY, DRAINAGE, TRANSPORTATION, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND QUALITY OF LIFE FOR ALL PARISH RESIDENTS.
I'M PROUD THAT OUR PRUDENT FISCAL BUDGETING PRACTICES HAVE ATTRACTED PRAISE FROM LEADING ECONOMISTS AS WELL AS OUR NATION'S BOND RATING AGENCIES.
RECENTLY, OUR CITY PARISH RECEIVED OUR HIGHEST RATING, A DOUBLE A PLUS RATING WITH THE THREE MAJOR RATING AGENCIES FOR THE WAY IN WHICH WE ARE MANAGING OUR $1.1 BILLION CITY PARISH BUDGET OF THAT AMOUNT, ONLY ONE THIRD OR 347 MILLION IN 2025 IS NOT ALREADY LEGALLY DEDICATED FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES, AND THUS, IN ESSENCE, REPRESENTS OUR DAILY OPERATIONS FUND ECONOMISTS, DR. LAUREN SCOTT AND DR.
JIM RICHARDSON HAVE REVIEWED THIS BUDGET THAT I AM PRESENTING TO YOU TODAY.
AND THEY HAVE PRAISED OUR ADMINISTRATION FOR ENCOURAGING AND ESTABLISHING SUCH PRUDENCE IN CREATING THE CITY PARISH BUDGET FOR 2025.
BOTH OF THESE WELL-RESPECTED ECONOMISTS POINT TO EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH AS LEADING THE ENTIRE STATE IN FASTEST ABSOLUTE GROWTH RATE OF ANY METROPOLITAN AREA.
THEY PREDICT THAT WE WILL ADD 8,000 JOBS IN 2025 AND ANOTHER 8,000 JOBS IN 2026, 16,000 MORE JOBS OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
PUBLIC SAFETY REMAINS A TOP PRIORITY IN THIS BUDGET WITH MORE THAN HALF OF OUR GENERAL FUND APPROPRIATIONS DEDICATED TO PUBLIC SAFETY AGENCIES, INCLUDING POLICE AND FIREFIGHTERS.
I'M PROPOSING FUNDING TWO NEW POLICE ACADEMIES OF 17 RECRUITS EACH AND ONE NEW FIRE ACADEMY OF 30 RECRUITS NEXT YEAR, AND ADDING 11 NEW POSITIONS TO EMS. THIS CONTINUES MY DEDICATED FOCUS ON REDUCING CRIME AND SUPPORTING OUR FAMILIES IN OUR CITY.
IN THE PAST THREE YEARS, MY ADMINISTRATION HAS GIVEN OUR BATON ROUGE POLICE OFFICERS THREE PAY RAISES FOR A TOTAL OF 13%, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO INVEST IN OUR FIRST RESPONDERS.
EVEN WITH THE NEARLY $40 MILLION, ST.
GEORGE REPRESENTS AN IMPACT TO OUR OPERATING FUND.
THIS BUDGET PROPOSES NO LAYOFFS OF ANY CURRENT CITY PARISH EMPLOYEE CHOOSING INSTEAD TO FREEZE OR DELETE FULL-TIME POSITIONS THAT ARE VACANT FOR TOTAL CUT OVERALL OF ONLY 24 FULL-TIME, CURRENT VACANT POSITIONS.
AND THIS BUDGET MAINTAINS A 3% MERIT RAISE FOR OUR ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES.
JUST AS IMPORTANTLY, MY 2025 BUDGET PROPOSES CONTINUING ALL BASIC GOVERNMENTAL SERVICES AND MAKES THE VERY BEST USE OF EVERY AVAILABLE LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL DOLLAR.
OUR COMMITMENT TO CONTINUING OUR INVESTMENT TO ADDRESS STORMWATER ISSUES WITHIN THE PARISH.
REMAIN STEADFAST INCLUDED IN THIS BUDGET IS $3.5 MILLION FOR STORMWATER COMPLIANCE IN 2025 WITH ANOTHER $3.5 MILLION IN GENERAL FUND RESERVES FOR 2026.
STORMWATER COMPLIANCE NEEDS FOR A TOTAL FUNDING COMMITMENT OF $7 MILLION OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS.
THIS CONTINUES THREE YEARS OF WORK IN WHICH WE HAVE INVESTED $55 MILLION INTO DRAINAGE AND STORMWATER PLANNING IMPROVEMENTS.
THAT MEANS THAT TODAY, EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH HAS IN PLACE THE STRONGEST FLOOD PROTECTION MEASURES AND STORMWATER
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PLAN.IN OUR PARISH'S HISTORY, WE HAVE CLEARED MORE THAN 500,000 LINEAR FEET OF DRAINAGE PIPES.
WE HAVE DUG MORE THAN 192,000 FEET OF DRAINAGE DITCHES.
WE'VE CLEARED MORE THAN 230 FOOTBALL FIELD LENGTHS OF DEBRIS.
THAT'S 35,000 TONS OF DEBRIS FROM OUR STORM WATER SYSTEM AND CHANNELS.
AND WE ARE NOT STOPPING THERE.
WITH THIS BUDGET, WE ARE INVESTING ANOTHER $60 MILLION INTO MOVIE VBR, THE LARGEST TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROJECT IN OUR PARISH'S HISTORY.
WE ARE ADDING AND WIDENING ROADS, BUILDING SIDEWALKS AND BIKE PATHS, AND IMPROVING OUR NEIGHBORHOOD'S QUALITY OF LIFE ACROSS ALL OUR PARISH.
WE HAVE COMPLETED 28 PROJECTS, 75 PROJECTS ARE IN PRE-CONSTRUCTION, AND 27 PROJECTS ARE IN CONSTRUCTION RIGHT NOW.
WE HAVE DILIGENTLY AND WISELY USED EVERY DOLLAR OF THE 165 MILLION IN FEDERAL AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN DOLLARS WE HAVE BROUGHT HOME THESE PAST FEW YEARS.
IN THIS 2025 BUDGET, WE ARE USING THE INTEREST EARNED ON THOSE FEDERAL DOLLARS TO INVEST $1.2 MILLION INTO POLICE CAPITAL PROJECTS AND REPLACING POLICE VEHICLES.
AND WE ARE CAREFULLY INVESTING $5 MILLION OF THAT INTEREST EARNED TO MINIMIZE TO THE GREATEST EXTENT POSSIBLE.
THE CUTS ARE OUTSIDE PARTNER AGENCIES UNFORTUNATELY FACE AS WE DEAL WITH THE REVENUE LOSS REALIZED WITH THE FORMATION OF THE NEW CITY OF ST.
I REALLY WANNA THANK MY FINANCE DEPARTMENT FOR THEIR DEDICATION AND PROVIDING THE VERY BEST ADVICE AND EXPERTISE AND WORKING WITH ME TO CREATE THIS BUDGET.
WE ARE RESPONSIBLY RELYING ON $12 MILLION IN RESERVE FUNDING IN ORDER TO AVOID MAJOR DISRUPTION IN BASIC GOVERNMENT SERVICES PARISH WIDE, AND TO BRIDGE THE REVENUE LOSS DURING THE ST.
PRUDENCE, CAREFUL PLANNING, DEDICATED PUBLIC SERVANTS STRENGTH THROUGH BRINGING OUR COMMUNITY TOGETHER.
THIS IS WHAT FISCAL EXPERTS AND LEADING ECONOMISTS SEE WHEN THEY REVIEW THIS BUDGET.
I LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO COLLABORATE WITH YOU, COUNCIL MEMBERS AND PEOPLE OF BATON ROUGE TO IMPLEMENT THE BUDGET I PRESENT TO YOU HERE TODAY FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
WHEN I LOOK AHEAD TO 2025, I SEE A YEAR OF HOPE AND A YEAR OF POSSIBILITIES, A YEAR IN WHICH TOGETHER WE WILL CONTINUE TO BUILD THE GREATEST MID-SIZE CITY IN AMERICA.
AT THIS TIME, WE'LL OPEN IT UP TO THE FLOOR FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS.
ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING? NO COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC.
[2. 24-01391 Receiving the Preliminary Current Expense Budget and Capital Budget for the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge for the year 2025. By Mayor-President.]
TWO.WE'LL ACTUALLY RECEIVE THE PRELIMINARY CURRENT BUDGET EXPENSE BUDGET AND CAPITAL BUDGET FOR THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE AND PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE FOR THE 25 YEAR BY MAYOR, PRESIDENT.
WITH THE BUDGET, ACTUALLY RECEIVED ANY COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC? ANY COMMENTS FROM THE COUNCIL? I'D JUST LIKE TO MAKE, UH, SAY A COUPLE WORDS.
MAYOR, PRESIDENT, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK TO THE FINANCE, TO ALL THE OTHER DEPARTMENTS THAT WORKED WITH YOU THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
UH, WE KNOW THAT THIS BUDGET IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT OFFSET MOVING FORWARD FROM WHERE WE'VE COME FROM SINCE WE ALL FIRST GOT ON THE COUNCIL.
WE KNOW THAT AND WE KNOW IT'S A, IT WAS A DIFFICULT THING TO DO, UH, BUT SEEMS LIKE UH, WE PUSHED THROUGH IT AND WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT THIS AND WORK WITH THE OFFICE IN ANY WAY THAT WE CAN.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING, UH, FUTURE CONVERSATIONS AROUND THE BUDGET WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBERS.
BUT I ALSO WANT TO REITERATE, UM, OUR FINANCE DEPARTMENT AND HOW DILIGENTLY AND, UH, TIRELESSLY THEY WORK, UH, TO PUT THIS BUDGET TOGETHER AS WELL AS OUR DEPARTMENT HEADS.
SO WOULD YOU CELEBRATE THEM?
IF, UH, ANY OTHER COMMENTS, MOTION A MOTION TO ADJOURN BY LOOKING, YOU JUST CAME AND WE'RE ADJOURNED.