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[1. Call to Order]
3, 2, 1.YOU'RE ON GREAT AFTERNOON, AND WE ARE GATHERING TO GATHER HERE FOR THE METRO COUNCIL BUDGET HEARING THE MAYOR'S 2025 PROPOSED BUDGET THIS WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH, 2024.
AND SO AT THIS TIME, I CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER.
EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE AN AGENDA.
[2. Presentation by: A. Finance and Administration B. City Court C. Juvenile Court D. USS Kidd E. Live After Five ]
YOU SEE, THE PRESENTATIONS WILL BE FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION, FOLLOWED BY CITY COURT, FOLLOWED BY JUVENILE COURT.THERE WILL ALSO BE A TIME FOR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS.
SO AT THIS TIME, ADMINISTRATION, FINANCE, AND ADMINISTRATION, YOU'RE ON.
UM, THE SLIDESHOW ISN'T WORKING, BUT IF YOU HAVE YOUR BUDGET BOOK, I CAN TELL YOU THE PAGES THAT WE'LL BE REFERRING TO.
ALSO, IT CAN BE FOUND ON THE INTERNET@BBRLA.GOV.
YOU CAN GO UNDER FINANCE AND THEN THE ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET, OR IT'S ON THE MAIN PAGE.
IF YOU SCROLL DOWN AT, UM, IN THE LEFT HAND CORNER IS THE LINK.
SO THE MAYOR'S BUDGET, UM, FOR 2025 IS A LITTLE OVER $1.1 BILLION OF THAT NUMBER.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT BASICALLY 30% OF THAT NUMBER IS THE GENERAL FUND.
SO WHAT THAT MEANS IS 70% OF THE $1.1 BILLION NUMBER ARE DEDICATED FOR SPECIAL PURPOSES.
AND SO THE GENERAL FUND IS WHERE WE HAVE MONEY TO SUPPORT GENERAL OPERATIONS, UM, FOR REVENUES THAT ARE NOT LEGALLY DEDICATED.
UM, ON PAGE 18 OF THE BUDGET BOOK SHOWS YOU A FUND BY FUND, AN INCREASE IN DECREASE AS COMPARED TO 2024.
UM, THE GENERAL FUND IS DECREASING APPROXIMATELY $33.4 MILLION, WHICH IS 8.76%.
THE SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS ARE INCREASING 0.64% OR $1.49 MILLION.
UH, THE DEBT SERVICE IS INCREASING 25.88% OR 11 MILLION.
THAT IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE NEW MOVE B BOND THAT WAS ISSUED AND APPROVED BY THE COUNCIL.
UM, THIS YEAR AND THE DEBT SERVICE PAYMENTS ARE DUE IN 2025.
THE CAPITAL PROJECT FUNDS ARE GOING DOWN ABOUT 23%.
AND THIS IS, UH, MAINLY ATTRIBUTED TO THE LIBRARY AND EMS AND THE GENERAL FUND CAPITAL PROJECTS ARE FLUCTUATE FROM YEAR TO YEAR.
AND IN 2025, THERE WAS SOME, UH, FUNDS DEDICATED FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS.
AND IN 2026, THAT FUNDING IS NOT NEEDED.
THE ENTERPRISE FUNDS ARE GOING UP BY 8.73% OR 25 MILLION.
THIS IS RELATED TO THE SEWER SOLID WASTE AND STORM WATER, UM, FUNCTIONS WITHIN THE ENTERPRISE ZONE.
THE SEWER DEBT IS INCREASING, WHICH MAKES UP A MAJORITY OF THAT INCREASE.
UM, THE INTERNAL SERVICE FUND, THIS IS OUR CENTRAL GARAGE.
IT'S GOING UP 1.6 MILLION OR 7%, WHICH IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE COST OF GOODS AND PROVIDING THOSE SERVICES.
OUR PENSION TRUST IS GOING UP 4.85% OR 6.3 MILLION.
AND THIS IS DUE TO THE ANTICIPATED BENEFIT PAYMENTS.
SO AGAIN, THE TOTAL BUDGET WHEN COMPARED TO 24, IS GOING UP 0.42% OR $4.7 MILLION.
UM, THE NEXT THING I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT IS THE GENERAL FUND.
AND IT'S, UM, OUR ARTICULATED IN OUR BUDGET MESSAGE ON THE INCREASES AND DECREASES.
STARTING ON PAGE 24 THROUGH 25, THE GENERAL FUND SOURCES 59.5% ARE MADE UP OF SALES AND USE TAXES.
SO THIS IS JUST IMPORTANT THAT OUR GENERAL FUND, THE, THE REVENUE THAT WE RELY ON IS SALES TAX SUPPORT GENERAL SERVICES.
UM, 11% IS BEING UTILIZED FOR FUND BALANCES TO SUPPORT THIS PERCENT, THIS BUDGET.
ON PAGE 25, WE, WE SHOW YOU WHAT ACTUALLY INCREASED IN EACH CATEGORY FOR THE SOURCES.
UM, OUR SALES TAX IN GENERAL, UM, DECREASED BY 35 MILLION MAINLY, WHICH IS ATTRIBUTED TO THE, UH, INCORPORATION OF ST.
[00:05:01]
OUR 2024 SALES TAX DOES SEEM TO BE IN LINE WITH WHAT WE'RE PROJECTING FOR 25.WE ASSUME A HALF PERCENT GROWTH ON TOP OF THAT.
UM, THE ANTICIPATED DECREASES ALSO ARE $2 MILLION FOR OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE, $2 MILLION IN BUILDING PERMITS AND SUBDIVISION PLAN REVIEWS, AND 200,000 IN PLAN PLANNING FEES.
AND THIS IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO ST.
GEORGE WILL BEGIN TO TAKE OVER.
PERMITTING ACTUALLY HAVE BEGAN TO TAKE OVER PERMITTING AND PLANNING.
SO THIS IS A WHOLE YEAR OF REVENUES THAT WE WILL NOT SEE DUE TO THAT, UM, SERVICE BEING TAKEN OVER.
BUSINESS TAX IS DECREASING BY 1.8%, AND THIS IS BASED OFF 2024 PROJECTIONS.
OUR IN 2024, WE DID REDID OUR TRAFFIC SAFETY CAMERA CONTRACT AND WE RELOCATED SEVERAL CAMERAS.
BECAUSE OF THAT, WE'RE SEEING A DECLINE IN THE TRAFFIC SAFETY FEES.
THEREFORE, WE REDUCE THE BUDGET THAT IS BEING PROJECTED FOR 2025 BY 1.7 MILLION.
GEORGE BEGINS TO TAKE OVER SERVICES IN 2025, WE WILL CONTINUE TO, WE WILL START CONTRIBUTING MONEY TOWARDS THE VALUE OF THOSE SERVICES.
HOWEVER, FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS, WE WILL CONTINUE TO PROVIDE A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE SERVICES EXCEPT FOR PERMITTING, INSPECTIONS AND PLANNING.
ALSO, IN ORDER TO BALANCE OUR BUDGET, WE USED FUND BALANCE.
WE USED $10 MILLION IN BUDGET STABILIZATION STORMWATER IN 2023.
WE MADE A COMMITMENT TO, UM, CONTINUE TO SUPPORT STORMWATER.
WE PUT IN WITH EXCESS REVENUES COLLECTED OVER SEVERAL YEARS.
WE PUT $7 MILLION INTO A FUND BALANCE ACCOUNT DEDICATED TO STORMWATER.
3.5 OF THAT IS BEING BUDGETED IN THIS BUDGET.
AND ANOTHER 3.5 WILL BE BUDGETED IN 2026 TO ASSIST WITH STORMWATER COMPLIANCE.
THEREFORE, AT THE END OF 2024 GOING INTO 2025, OUR FUND BALANCE UNASSIGNED WILL GO FROM 14 MILLION TO 12, AND OUR BUDGET STABILIZATION WILL BE 17.7 MILLION FOR A TOTAL OF 29.7 OR 8.54% OF THE BUDGET.
OUR BUDGET STABILIZATION, UH, ACCOUNT HAS A POLICY THAT YOU ALL APPROVE EVERY YEAR IN THE BUDGET.
AND IT SAYS THAT YOU'LL MAINTAIN AT LEAST 5% OF THE CURRENT YEAR APPROPRIATIONS.
WITH THIS, THE BUDGET WE'RE PRESENTING, YOU WILL STILL MAINTAIN 5.11% IN THAT ACCOUNT.
NOW WE'LL TALK ABOUT THE GENERAL FUND APPROPRIATION SIDE.
AND THIS CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE 26 AND 27 OF THE BUDGET.
AND I THINK IT'S JUST IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT 55% OF OUR BUDGET IS PUBLIC SAFETY AND 10% IS TRANSPORTATION.
GENERAL GOVERNMENT MAKES UP 28.8%.
AND WHAT MAKES UP THAT ARE ESSENTIAL SERVICE AGENCIES, CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES AND BUILDING AND GROUNDS.
SO THE BUDGET DECREASED 33.4%.
UM, DUE TO LEGAL OBLIGATIONS, WE WERE NOT ALLOWED TO DO CROSS THE BOARD CUTS.
SO MOST OF THE DEPARTMENTS, THEIR GENERAL FUND SUBSIDIES WERE REDUCED BY 9% WITH DEEPER CUTS FOR DEPARTMENTS THAT WERE DIRECTLY PROVIDING SERVICES WITHIN ST.
GEORGE, THE CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES FOR THE MAJORITY WERE REDUCED BY 5%.
A LOT OF THE DECREASES WERE ATTRIBUTED TO SALARIES AND BENEFITS THAT ARE BEING ACHIEVED THROUGH ATTRITION, RETIREMENTS AND FUNDED VACANT POSITIONS THAT ARE NOW BEING FROZEN OR DELETED.
GEORGE OFFICIALS, LIKE I MENTIONED, PLAN TO TAKE OVER PLANNING AND, UH, PERMITTING.
THOSE DEPARTMENTS WERE REDUCED ANNUALLY FOR THE SERVICES THEY PROVIDE IN THAT AREA.
FUNDING FOR OUR OUTSIDE AGENCIES WERE BEING FUNDED THROUGH AMERICAN RESCUE ACT FUND INTEREST EARNINGS ACCOUNT, AND UM, MOST OF THOSE WERE CUT 20% IN THE EMS BUDGET.
11 POSITIONS WERE ADDED TO ENHANCE RESPONSE TIMES 1.4 MILLION FOR FIRE AMBULANCE, REMOUNTS ARE BEING FUNDED THROUGH THEIR DESIGNATED RESERVES.
THE LIBRARY BUDGET INCLUDES 9.5 OF WHICH 8.3 IS FOR PHASE TWO OF THE SCOTLAND BILL BRANCH.
AND THE REMAINING IS FOR BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS THROUGHOUT THE PARISH.
OUR DEBT SERVICE FUND, LIKE I MENTIONED EARLIER, HAS 11 MILLION AS A RESULT OF THE BONDS ISSUED IN 2024.
CAPITAL PROJECTS, AGAIN, FLUCTUATE FROM YEAR TO YEAR, DEPENDING ON, UM, THE PRIORITY OF THOSE PROJECTS MOVING FORWARD.
AND STORM WATER, AGAIN IS INCLUDES 3.5 MILLION FOR COMPLIANCE.
SOLID WASTE HAS NO USER FEE INCREASES.
[00:10:01]
THE CONTRACTS.A PORTION OF THE, UH, RECYCLING CONTRACT WILL BE PAID FROM THE DISPOSAL FUND.
IF ANYBODY HAS ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS, I'LL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER 'EM.
NO, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE 'CAUSE I KNOW IT WASN'T ABLE TO GET, UH, PROJECTED ON THE SCREEN, SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY HAD A COPY.
SO, FIRST AND FOREMOST, I WANT TO, UM, THANK THE FINANCE TEAM IN PARTICULAR FOR ALL OF THE HARD WORK THAT THEY'VE DONE IN CRAFTING THIS BUDGET.
UM, THIS YEAR HAS BEEN, UH, AND THIS BUDGET SEASON HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY DIFFERENT AS COMPARED TO PREVIOUS YEARS.
AGAIN, UH, IT'S NOT EVERY DAY THAT WE HAVE TO PLAN FOR THE FORMATION OF A NEW CITY WITHIN OUR PARISH.
AND SO WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO PLAN ACCORDINGLY.
ADDITIONALLY, AS I THINK THE FINANCE TEAM, I DO WANT TO RECOGNIZE ANGIE IN PARTICULAR AND OUR FORMER FINANCE DIRECTOR, LINDA HUNT, WHO HAVE WORKED WITH THIS ADMINISTRATION, THIS MAYOR IN RECENT YEARS, TO BUILD UP THAT BUDGET STABILIZATION ACCOUNT IN A MANNER IN WHICH WE ARE NOW ABLE TO WEATHER THAT STORM.
UH, ONE NOTE FOR CLARITY THAT I DID WANNA PROVIDE, I BELIEVE ANGIE SAID THAT THERE WAS GONNA BE A REDUCTION OF 33.4%.
TO BE CLEAR, IT IS NOT 33%, IT'S $33 MILLION.
AND IF YOU LOOK IN THAT BUDGET PACKET, I JUST WANTED TO CLEAR THAT UP FOR THE RECORD, UM, THAT IT'S NOT A PERCENTAGE THING.
UM, ONE THING THAT I ALWAYS LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT, UM, WHEN I COME UP TO THESE MEETINGS AS WELL, 'CAUSE WE ALWAYS GET TALKED ABOUT, WELL, THIS CITY PARISH HAS THIS $1 BILLION BUDGET, AGAIN, FOR CLARITY'S SAKE, ONLY A THIRD OF THAT MAKES UP THE GENERAL FUND.
AND I KNOW THAT YOU ALL KNOW THAT, BUT JUST ON THE RECORD, ONLY A THIRD OF THAT MAKES UP THE GENERAL FUND ONLY A THIRD OF THAT BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE DISCRETION TO, UH, SORT OUT WHERE THOSE FUNDS GO.
SO THAT'S JUST ANOTHER THING I WANNA MAKE CLEAR HERE.
UM, AND FINALLY, AND I KNOW AGAIN, ALL OF YOU KNOW THIS, UH, BY DECEMBER 31ST, 2024, ALL AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN DOLLARS MUST BE ENCUMBERED, MEANING OBLIGATED UNDER CONTRACT.
WE'VE GOT TWO YEARS TO SPEND IT, BUT I WANNA BE CLEAR, NEXT YEAR WE'RE NOT GONNA BE COMING TO YOU ALL WITH BRAND NEW CONTRACTS USING AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN DOLLARS.
WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO FUND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HISTORICALLY WHERE WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO FILL IN SOME GAPS AND HELP IN PLACES WHERE THE GENERAL FUND WASN'T ABLE TO SUBSIDIZE.
SO THOSE ARE JUST A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT I WANTED TO, UH, COME UP AND MAKE SURE THAT WE ARTICULATED HERE AT THE MICROPHONE.
UM, IF Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OF ME OR OUR FINANCE DEPARTMENT, PLEASE DO LET US KNOW.
FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION AT THIS TIME.
CITY COURT, IF YOU'RE IN THE, OKAY.
UH, SO ANGIE AND MR. BIDWELL QUESTIONS WILL PROBABLY BE FROM BOTH OF Y'ALL.
SO IF Y'ALL WOULD MAKE YOURSELVES AVAILABLE.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS I I HAD REALLY HOPED TO ACCOMPLISH WITH REQUESTING THIS ITEM WAS, WAS, AND IT DIDN'T END UP ON THE AGENDA THIS WAY, BUT, BUT SORT OF A, A DEEPER DIVE INTO THE AGREEMENT, UH, THAT IS PROPOSED BETWEEN THE CITY OF ST.
UM, A MAJOR ASSUMPTION OF THIS BUDGET IS, IS BASED ON THAT AGREEMENT.
UM, AND IT'S A LITTLE CONCERNING TO ME THAT WE'LL PROBABLY WILL END UP BEING ASKED TO TAKE A VOTE ON A BUDGET WITH A MAJOR ASSUMPTION FOR AN, AN AGREEMENT THAT WE REALLY HAVEN'T SEEN OR, OR, YOU KNOW, TAKEN A DEEP DIVE INTO YET.
AND CERTAINLY THAT HASN'T BEEN SIGNED YET.
UM, SO, UH, WHAT CAN Y'ALL TELL ME ABOUT THE AGREEMENT, UM, UH, SPECIFICALLY, UH, NOT JUST WHAT SERVICES WILL BE PROVIDED, ALTHOUGH THAT IS IMPORTANT TO, TO DETAIL OUT, UH, BUT I'M MORE INTERESTED IN, UM, THE AMOUNTS AND SORT OF THE, THE TIME HORIZON FOR WHEN THOSE AMOUNTS WILL GO OUT.
SO, SO, SO BASED ON OCTOBER 10TH OF THIS YEAR, ST.
GEORGE ISSUED A PRESS RELEASE ON THE AMOUNTS THAT WE AGREED ON.
AND SO FOR 2025, STARTING IN JANUARY, WE AGREED TO GIVE THEM 1.7 A MONTH THROUGH MAY, I MEAN, 1.5 A MONTH THROUGH MAY, AND THEN 2 MILLION IN JUNE, AND THEN IN JULY, SINCE THEY WOULD TAKE OVER ALL THE SERVICES, THEY WOULD GET A HUNDRED PERCENT.
SO, JUST SO THAT I'M CLEAR ON THAT, WE HAVE AGREED AND ARE CURRENTLY SET TO START MAKING $1.5 MILLION PAYMENTS IN JANUARY.
WE HAVE IN GOOD FAITH, PUT ON PAPER, BUT IT HAS NOT BEEN APPROVED BY THIS COUNCIL OR APPROVED BY THEIR COUNCIL, OR FINALIZED BY BOTH PARTIES OR IN 2025 TO DISTRIBUTE
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1.5 FROM JANUARY THROUGH MAY 2 MILLION IN JUNE, AND A HUNDRED PERCENT STARTING IN JULY.UM, SO WE READ IN THE PAPER, WE, WE HEAR IN DISCUSSIONS WITH YOU GUYS, UH, ABOUT THE CONTINUING NEGOTIATIONS.
IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S SOME SORT OF ROADBLOCK THAT IS NOT LET US GET TO, UM, TO BOTH PARTIES BEING ABLE TO SIGN OFF ON THIS DEAL.
MM-HMM,
SO WHAT CAN YOU TELL ME? WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE ROADBLOCKS? WHAT ARE WE WAITING ON TO, TO SIGN THIS DEAL AND, AND YOU KNOW, SORT OF MOVE THIS OUT OF THE WAY SO THAT WE CAN BE MORE CONFIDENT WHEN WE TAKE THIS BUDGET VOTE? UNDERSTOOD.
UM, AND AS, UH, NOT BEING THE ATTORNEY REPRESENTING THE CITY PARISH IN THIS MATTER, I WANNA BE CAREFUL WITH WHAT I DO AND DON'T SAY BECAUSE TO YOUR POINT, THE AGREEMENT HAS NOT BEEN INKED.
HOWEVER, ABOUT SIX MONTHS, I'M SORRY, SIX WEEKS AGO, WE DID AGREE TO A CERTAIN NUMBER OF TERMS IN PRINCIPLE.
UM, THERE WAS A STICKING POINT IN THE CONTRACT AS IT WAS DRAFTED THAT, UH, THIS ADMINISTRATION AND OUR PARISH ATTORNEY'S OFFICE BELIEVES WOULD LEAVE US OPEN TO, UM, POTENTIAL ADDITIONAL LITIGATION OR WOULD LEAVE US OPEN TO AGREEING TO SOMETHING THAT MIGHT, UH, HAVE US IMPACTED DOWN THE ROAD WHERE WE'RE SENDING ADDITIONAL DOLLARS BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY BELIEVE IS OWED TO THEM BACK TO THEIR, UH, 2019 DATE.
UM, WE DISAGREE WITH THAT POSITION.
SO WHILE WE HAVE AGREED IN PRINCIPLE TO A CERTAIN NUMBER OF DOLLARS GOING TO THE NEW CITY OF ST.
GEORGE OVER A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME, WHILE WE HAVE AGREED IN PRINCIPLE TO, UH, RAMPING DOWN CITY PARISH SERVICES AS THEY RAMP UP THEIR OWN SERVICES, THERE'S STILL A FEW THINGS WHERE WE JUST DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE LEAVING THE CITY PARISH OPEN TO EXPOSURE ON GOTCHA.
SO, SO REALLY THE, THE ISSUE OF BACK, UH, SALES TAX DOLLARS IS THE, IS THE BIG STICKING POINT.
SO THE, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THE EXERCISE THAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH, UH, IN SETTING UP THIS AGREEMENT IS OUTLINED IN STATE LAW.
UM, IT'S, UH, RS 33, 30 76, THE ST.
RIGHT? IS THAT, IS THAT, IF YOU HAVE IT IN FRONT OF YOU, YOU HAVE IT IN FRONT OF YOU TOO, ACTUALLY DON'T HAVE THE CITATION THERE.
BENEATH, BENEATH THE PODIUM THERE STUCK IT THERE JUST FOR YOU IN CASE YOU NEEDED TO LOOK AT IT,
UM, SO I MEAN, IS THAT, IS THAT THE EXERCISE THAT WE'RE PARTICIPATING IN? I MEAN, IS THIS THE BASIS FOR WHAT WE'RE DOING? SO WE ARE CURRENTLY NEGOTIATING THE TERMS OF THIS INTERGOVERNMENT AGREEMENT, UH, SINCE THE SUPREME COURT RULING, UH, EARLIER THIS YEAR, UH, GIVING THEM THE ABILITY TO INCORPORATE, WE UNDERSTAND THAT.
AND SO THERE HAS BEEN A MAYOR THAT'S BEEN APPOINTED A TRANSITION DISTRICT AND A COUNCIL THAT'S BEEN APPOINTED.
WE ARE WORKING WITH THOSE FOLKS IN GOOD FAITH TOWARD AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL AGREEMENT.
UM, AND AGAIN, WE HAVE AGREED TO MOST THINGS IN PRINCIPLE, BUT THERE'S STILL JUST A FEW MINOR DETAILS THAT WE THINK ARE VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE, UH, JUST HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO COME TO A RESOLUTION ON.
SO I, I'LL JUST TELL YOU, AS SOMEBODY THAT REPRESENTS AN AREA THAT IS 90% OR 95%, UH, GONNA BE COMPOSED OR IS COMPOSED OF THE CITY OF ST.
GEORGE, UM, IT, IT IS CONCERNING TO ME BECAUSE AS I READ THE ST.
GEORGE TRANSITION DISTRICT LEGISLATION, UH, THE, THE POINT OF THE LEGISLATION IS TO ENSURE CONTINUANCE OF SERVICES AND FUNDING OF SERVICES.
UM, IT, IT'S NOT TO BE AN END ALL, BE ALL CATCHALL FOR, UH, DETERMINING ALL THINGS THAT HAPPENED BETWEEN THE CITY OF ST.
I, I, I LIKE OUR POSITION, UH, ON THE ISSUE THAT YOU'RE DISCUSSING ON THAT MAJOR STICKING POINT.
UM, BUT I'M NOT GONNA LET MY, LIKE, FOR THAT POSITION STOP 88,000 OF PEOPLE IN THE CITY OF ST.
GEORGE FROM GETTING THE SERVICES.
UM, AND THIS IS REALLY HAVING A, A REAL IMPACT, UH, IN, IN THE AREA NOW.
WHEREAS WE TALK ABOUT, UH, THE CITY OF ST.
GEORGE TAKING OVER, UH, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
UM, CURRENTLY THERE'S NOBODY PROVIDING SERVICES, UH, FOR BLIGHT IN THE AREA, UH, BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO MONEY.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND SO THAT'S A REAL ISSUE.
IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S A ISSUE THAT, UH, HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED.
UM, I, I JUST HEARD FROM COUNCILWOMAN AMAROSA, SHE MIGHT ELABORATE ON THIS, UH, ABOUT A BLIGHT ISSUE IN HER DISTRICT, UM, THAT'S NOT BEING ADDRESSED.
IT'S BEEN COVERED IN THE MEDIA ABOUT ONE IN MY DISTRICT.
UM, AND SO THAT'S JUST SORT OF A, A MICROCOSM OF, OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN WHEN YOU'VE GOT A MUNICIPALITY, UH, THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUNCTIONING, BUT BUT DOESN'T HAVE REVENUE.
UM, SO AGAIN, I WOULD REALLY URGE THE ADMINISTRATION, UM,
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I WANNA TAKE A VOTE ON THIS BUDGET, UM, BUT IT'S GONNA BE TOUGH FOR ME TO DO.SO IF WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN ST.
GEORGE, UH, AND THE CITY AND THE CITY PARISH IS GONNA LOOK LIKE.
SO, UM, A COUPLE MORE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS.
UH, AND THIS ONE REALLY IS FOR ANGIE, THERE.
I SAW YOU HAVE A DECREASE, COUNCILMAN, WOULD I BE ABLE TO YES, ABSOLUTELY.
OFFER 30 SECONDS TO THAT POINT.
LONG AS YOU, WELL, AS LONG AS MS. CAROLYN SAYS YOU GET
WELL, I DON'T SEE THE TIMER ON THE SCREEN, SO I DON'T REALLY KNOW.
AND BUT WE NEED A TIME ON THIS
OH YEAH, WE'RE GONNA, AND I, AND I WON'T, UM, DRAG OUT THE POINT, UH, BECAUSE I DO UNDERSTAND, AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK OUR MAYOR, PRESIDENT, UH, HAS BEEN VERY CLEAR THAT SHE WANTS TO DO THIS IN A WAY THAT HAS THE LEAST AMOUNT OF NEGATIVE IMPACT FOR THE CITIZENS OF BOTH THIS CITY AND THIS PARISH.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE FOLKS FROM ST.
GEORGE SPECIFICALLY SAID TO US IS, WE WANT TO TAKE ON THESE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
WE WANT TO DO WHAT PLANNING AND ZONING IS DOING.
WE WANNA DO WHAT THE DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT IS DOING.
WE DID NOT SET THE DATE THAT TOLD THEM WHEN THEY NEEDED TO SEPARATE, THEY SET A DATE OF OCTOBER 16TH.
WE HAD NOT YET HASHED OUT THE AGREEMENT.
WE HAD NOT YET SENT ANY TAX DOLLARS, BUT WE RESPECTED THEIR WISHES.
SO WHILE I DO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN, UM, KIND OF CAUGHT IN THE CROSSFIRE AS WE ARE HASHING THIS OUT, I DO WANT TO BE CLEAR, WE ARE NOT OPERATING IN ANY WAY WHERE WE ARE PURPOSEFULLY TRYING TO CAUSE ANY DETRIMENT TO ANY PERSON THAT RESIDES IN THIS PARISH.
BUT I'LL LET YOU ASK YOUR NEXT QUESTION.
SO, ANGIE, THE QUESTION WAS ABOUT, UH, THERE'S A DECREASE IN 35 MILLION IN, I THINK IT'S SALES TAX REVENUE.
HOW MUCH SPECIFICALLY OF THAT IS ATTRIBUTABLE TO ST.
IT'S ALL, ALL OF THAT SALES TAX REVENUE DO.
UM, AND THEN JUST, YOU MAY KNOW THIS, YOU MAY NOT, BUT OF THE TRAFFIC SAFETY CAMERAS THAT WE HAVE NOW, ARE ANY OF THOSE IN ST.
GEORGE OR WE ALREADY PULLED THEM ALL OUT? I'M SORRY.
UM, WE'LL FOLLOW UP WITH FRED.
I WAS, UM, TEMPTED TO ASK FOR A POINT OF ORDER ON THIS.
I THINK WE VENTURED WAY OFF OF THE BUDGET ITEM.
I DO UNDERSTAND YOUR CONCERN, DENISE'S CONCERN.
UM, I'M OPEN TO, YOU KNOW, CALLING A SPECIAL MEETING, PUT AN ITEM ON THE AGENDA TO DISCUSS MANY OF THE THINGS THAT CONCERN YOU GUYS AS IT RELATES TO THE SERVICES AND, AND YOU KNOW, HOW THESE CUTS AND THE POTENTIAL OF, OF THE, THE REALIZATION OF ST.
GEORGE COMING TO REALITY, HOW THIS AFFECTS SERVICES, HOW IT AFFECTS THE BUDGET.
UM, BUT RE RESPECTFULLY, I SAT BACK AND LISTENED.
UM, I ALSO THINK, UH, THIS ADMINISTRATION, THIS COUNCIL, THIS FINANCE DEPARTMENT DID A GOOD JOB WITH FORECASTING.
AND, UM, I THINK IT WAS THE BEST APPROACH TO LOOK AT THIS FROM A CONSERVATIVE STANDPOINT AND THINK ABOUT WHAT THE, THE MOST OR THE LARGEST IMPACT OF THESE CUTS WOULD BE.
I THINK, UH, WE, AND THEY WOULD BE ACTING NEGATIVELY, NEGATIVELY, GENTLY IF THEY DIDN'T DO THAT.
UM, I'D RATHER, UH, BUDGET AND PLAN 2025, UH, WITH THE WORST CASE SCENARIO AND END UP WITH A SURPLUS THAN NOT PLAN AND PROJECT FOR THAT AND END UP WITH A DESK VISIT.
SO I THINK THE APPROACH WAS THE RIGHT ONE.
UM, AGAIN, IF, IF WE WANNA CALL A SPECIAL MEETING TO PUT AN ITEM ON THE AGENDA, I THINK WE CAN DO THAT.
I, I THINK, UH, DANTE SAID SOMETHING THAT, THAT KIND OF, UH, POPPED IN MY MIND AS WELL.
WITH ALL THE PENDING LITIGATION, THE ONGOING NEGOTIATIONS.
I THINK SOME OF THE THINGS, UH, HE MAY, UH, ATTEMPTED NOT TO DIG INTO MAY BE PREMATURE WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S GOING ON.
SO WE NEED TO BE SENSITIVE TO THAT.
AND ALSO, I, I KIND OF, YOU KNOW, HEAR OR SEE, UH, SPEAKING OUT OF BOTH SIDES OF YOUR MOUTH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE HEARD FROM THE ORGANIZERS OR THE CITY TO SAY THEY'RE READY TO, TO RUN THE CITY AND PROVIDE THE SERVICES.
UM, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE YOU HAVE SOME SENSE OF HESITATION NOW, UM, AND YOU'VE BEEN ACTIVELY A PART OF THAT PROCESS.
SO I, I THINK WE, YOU KNOW, BOTH ENTITIES, THE CITY PARISH, ST.
GEORGE, NEED TO GET IN THE ROOM AND FINALIZE THIS THING.
I, I DO THINK IT, IT, IT HAS TAKEN A LONG TIME, BUT NEGOTIATIONS TAKE A LONG TIME.
I, I THINK THEY BOTH WANT TO GET IT RIGHT, WANNA GET A WIN-WIN FOR BOTH PARTIES.
I DON'T NECESSARILY THINK WE NEED TO, UH, RUSH IT.
WE'RE NOT THERE, WE'RE NOT PRESENT.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE.
UM, SO I'M GONNA TRUST THOSE INVOLVED THAT THEY'RE MOVING IN THE SPIRIT OF MAKING SURE BOTH ENTITIES ARE, ARE MADE WHOLE.
UH, AGAIN, IT NEEDS TO BE A WIN-WIN.
BUT IT, IT JUST KIND OF SEEMS LIKE A, A, A SPEAKING OUT OF BOTH SIDES OF YOUR MOUTH.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE READY, WE CAN RUN IT.
WE WANT ALL THE SERVICES, BUT HOLD UP, WE DON'T, YOU KNOW, I, I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND, AND MAYBE I'M JUST TOO FAR AWAY FROM IT TO, TO GRASP IT AND GET IT.
[00:25:01]
LET'S CALL A SPECIAL MEETING.LET'S, LET'S, LET'S TAKE A DEEP DIVE INTO IT.
I, I DON'T THINK THE BUDGET PROCESS, UM, IT'S THE TIME TO GET IN THE WEEDS ON IT.
UM, COUNCILWOMAN ADAMS. THANK YOU, ANGIE.
UM, I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT, UM, THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN DOLLARS.
THE INTEREST THAT'S GONNA BE USED.
UM, SO FOR THOSE OF Y'ALL FOLLOWING ALONG IN THE BUDGET, IT'S PAGE, UM, 2 24 AND 2 25.
SO THESE ARE THE OUTSIDE AGENCIES THAT WE NORMALLY FUND THROUGH THE GENERAL FUND.
UM, AND WE ARE GOING TO FUND THEM, OR WE PROPOSE TO FUND THEM IN 2025, UM, USING THE, THE INTEREST FUND, THE INTEREST, UM, FUND, THE ARPA INTEREST FUND.
AND SO, UM, SO THESE ARE FOR THE 2025 YEAR, THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE FUNDED WITH RECURRING DOLLARS, RIGHT? WELL, I MEAN, AT THIS POINT, I CAN'T SAY WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN, YOU KNOW, SIX MONTHS FROM NOW WE'LL START THIS PROCESS ALL OVER AGAIN.
WE COULD HAVE SOME INTEREST EARNINGS.
I WOULD ENVISION THAT WE WOULD SURE.
IN AMERICAN RESCUE, WE COULD HAVE SOME, YOU KNOW, INCREASES WITH THE LEGISLATIVE STUFF ON OUR SALES TAX.
I, I, I CAN'T, I DON'T HAVE A CRYSTAL BALL TO SAY NO, NO, NO.
I'M, I'M, I'M NOT, THAT'S NOT, IT COULD BE REOCCURRING THOUGH.
BUT THE, WELL, THERE COULD BE SOME INTEREST ON THE ARPA DOLLARS THAT WOULD BE REOCCURRING, BUT DOUBTFUL THAT WE WOULD END UP WITH.
I MEAN, I MEAN, HARD TO IMAGINE THAT WE'D HAVE $7.8 MILLION AGAIN, BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA BE EXPENDING THOSE ARPA FUNDS.
WE'LL BE EARNING, WE'LL HAVE LESS INTEREST.
SO, UM, IS MY, I KNOW I'VE WORKED MOST OF MY LIFE IN NONPROFITS, SO I'M LOOKING AT THESE, AND A NUMBER OF 'EM ARE NONPROFITS, YOU KNOW, OUR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE O'BRIEN HOUSE, UM, LASM, ARTS COUNCIL, YOU KNOW, UM, THESE ARE, THESE ARE NONPROFITS AND SO, HA UM, I WANNA MAKE SURE, DO THESE OUTSIDE AGENCIES, ARE THEY AWARE THAT, I MEAN THIS, SO WE'VE GOT $10 MILLION COMING INTO THIS GENERAL FUND FROM OUR BUDGET STABILIZATION FUND.
SO THAT'S THE, THAT'S A ONE-TIME USE FUNDS, AND THEN THIS OTHER 7.8, WE KNOW WE'LL HAVE SOME INTEREST EARNINGS NEXT YEAR THAT WE COULD POTENTIALLY USE, BUT WE CAN'T GUARANTEE THAT.
SO WE ARE GONNA BE HAVING WORKED IN NONPROFITS, PREDICTABILITY IS A HUGE, YOU KNOW, PIECE.
AND IF THERE IS SOME, UM, POTENTIAL CONCERN OR SOME INSTABILITY MOVING FORWARD AS A NONPROFIT, I WOULD WANNA KNOW THAT SO THAT I COULD BE WRITING GRANTS MY 20, 25 YEAR TO BE STARTING RIGHT TOMORROW.
WRITING GRANTS TO TRY AND, UM, SUPPLEMENT THAT FUNDING, UM, IN CASE, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR SALES TAX, I MEAN, DR. SCOTT AND DR. RICHARDSON, THEY, THEY AGREED THAT A 0.5% INCREASE IN OUR SALES TAX OVER THE 20, 25 YEAR IS WHAT TO EXPECT.
SO, SO THOSE REVENUE FUNDS ARE, ARE VERY STABLE.
UM, ANYWAY, I JUST WANT, SO HAVE, HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS STARTED AT ALL.
SO WHEN WE SENT OUT THE PACKETS IN PREPARATION FOR THIS BUDGET, YOU KNOW, WE PUT THEM ON NOTICE THAT THERE COULD POTENTIALLY BE A REDUCTION IN YOUR BUDGET, YOU KNOW, MOVING FORWARD.
SO AGAIN, WE'RE CONSTANTLY IN COMMUNICATION WITH THEM.
SEVERAL HAVE REACHED OUT TO US.
UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL EXPLORING ALL AVENUES, YOU KNOW, OF, UM, PARTNERING WITH OTHERS, TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, GET THEM PARTNERED WITH OTHERS SO THAT THEY CAN UTILIZE, LIKE YOU SAID, GRANT FUNDING, UM, RESOURCES THAT THEY HAVEN'T TRIED IN THE, IN THE PAST, BUT RIGHT.
WE'RE, WE'RE DEFINITELY COMMUNICATING GOOD.
'CAUSE THAT, LIKE I SAID, I WOULD, I WOULD WANNA KNOW RIGHT NOW IF, IF THERE COULD BE SOME EVEN GREATER CONCERNS IN 2026 SO THAT I COULD MAKE, UM, I COULD MAKE, I COULD MAKE ARRANGEMENTS FOR THAT.
UM, THAT, THAT WAS MY, MY MAIN QUESTION.
SO I, I'LL JUST RESPOND TO COUNCILMAN DUNN'S COMMENTS REAL QUICK.
UM, FIRST I, I'LL CLARIFY, UH, I TRIED TO OPEN MY REMARKS WITH THIS, BUT THE, THE SPECIFIC REQUEST FOR THIS ITEM, I WAS THE ONE THAT, THAT REQUESTED THIS ITEM BE ON THE AGENDA.
THE SPECIFIC ITEM WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT THE ST.
GEORGE AGREEMENT UNDER THE PREMISE THAT IT IS A MAJOR ASSUMPTION IN THE, IN THE BUDGET AND HASN'T BEEN SIGNED YET.
THE ADMINISTRATION WAS CERTAINLY WELL AWARE OF THE QUESTION I WAS ASKING, AND I'VE RELAYED ALL THE SAME ISSUES THAT I BROUGHT UP TO THEM IN THE BUDGET MEETING THAT WE HAD.
SO IT'S, IT'S NOT LIKE THEY WEREN'T AWARE, UM, UH, RESPECTFULLY, YOU'RE WRONG.
UH, THIS IS THE TIME TO DO IT.
AND, AND I'M SPEAKING DIRECTLY OUT OF THE CENTER OF MY MOUTH.
UH, THE ISSUE IS THAT, UH, IF WE DON'T HAVE AN AGREEMENT, UH, AND THEN WE'RE POST, UH, DECEMBER WHEN ST.
GEORGE WILL HAVE LEVIED THEIR TAX, UH, THEY MAY CHANGE THEIR MIND, UH, GET TIRED OF US, UH, KIND OF HOLDING THINGS OVER THEIR HEAD AND DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, RIGHT.
UM, AND THEN WE'VE REALLY BLOWN A HOLE IN OUR BUDGET IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR, AND IT'S A REAL ISSUE.
[00:30:01]
I RESPECTFULLY, I, I THINK IT IS ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE THAT WE HAVE SOME MORE CLARITY, UH, AND, AND HAVE A, A, A BETTER FEEL FOR THIS THING BEING SIGNED, UH, BEFORE, BEFORE WE VOTE ON THIS BUDGET.THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN, IF YOU DON'T MIND ME RESPONDING REAL QUICK, RODDY, I, WE DON'T, WE DON'T DISAGREE THERE.
I, I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE DONE, UH, OVER YESTERDAY AS WELL.
WHAT I'M SAYING IS THE PROCESS IS THE PROCESS, AND WE HAVE TO MOVE FARTHER.
WHETHER THAT PROCESS IS COMPLETE OR NOT, WE HAVE TO PLAN A BUDGET FOR NEXT YEAR.
AND WE CAN'T LET THAT NEGOTIATION, THAT AGREEMENT HOLD US UP.
THAT'S THE ONLY THING I'M SAYING.
WE DON'T DISAGREE THAT IT NEEDS TO GET DONE, BUT WE DON'T CONTROL THE OUTCOME IN THAT EITHER.
WHAT WE DO CONTROL IS OUR BUDGET PROCESS AND PLAN FOR THE NEXT YEAR FOR CITY PARISH GOVERNMENT, AND THAT'S WHAT'S PRIORITY FOR US.
COUNCILMAN GOEY, THANK YOU SO MUCH, ANGIE.
CAN YOU WALK THROUGH HOW YOU ALL ARRIVED AT A $35 MILLION DECREASE? SO IT WAS BASED ON THAT GOOD FAITH NEGOTIATIONS ON THE TERMS OF THE ALLOCATION THAT BOTH CITY PARISH OFFICIALS AND ST.
IT IS BASED ON SERVICES, IT'S BASED ON THE US CONTINUING TO PROVIDE A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE SERVICES EXCEPT PERMIT PLANNING AND THEM RECEIVING, UM, A PORTION OF THE SALES TAX FOR THE FIRST SIX MONTHS.
AND IN THE LATTER SIX MONTHS, THEY WOULD RECEIVE A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THEIR COLLECTIONS WITHIN THAT AREA.
SO AS THE NUMBERS DON'T CHANGE, AS THE CITY OF ST.
GEORGE STANDS UP SERVICES, IT CAN, OKAY.
WE, WE, WE LEFT A CAVEAT IN THERE THAT BOTH PARTIES WOULD GIVE EACH OTHER PROPER NOTICE IF THEY WERE TO DISCONTINUE OR CONTINUE.
THEY, I MEAN, THEY ALSO SAID THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT THEY MAY CONTINUE TO PROVIDE MM-HMM.
AS THEY GET UP IN THEIR CITY AND UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, OPERATIONS AS THEY WANT TO DO 'EM, THEN THEY WILL INFORM US WITH PROPER NOTICE.
AND THEN WE WILL COME BEFORE THE BUDGET, BEFORE THE COUNCIL AND AMEND THE BUDGET OR, UM, EITHER WAY.
AND FOR THOSE SERVICES THAT WILL BE STOOD UP WITHIN THE CITY.
YOU ALL THEN TURN AND MADE ASSUMPTIONS FOR CITY PARISH DEPARTMENTS AND HOW THEY WOULD DECREASE SOME OF THE SERVICES, RIGHT? YES, SIR.
BUT THERE'S STILL SOME AFFILIATED ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS WITH, SIMPLY WITH OPERATING CITY PARISH GOVERNMENT, CORRECT? YES.
SO WE'RE STILL PAYING PERSONNEL EQUIPMENT COSTS.
THOSE DON'T DECREASE OR DIMINISH, UM, AT A, AT A, AT A CONSISTENT RATE, I GUESS IS MY ULTIMATE QUESTION.
BUT THAT'S WHY THE, THE ENTIRE, SINCE WE'RE A CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT, THE IMPACT WAS FELT ON THE ENTIRE GOVERNMENT.
SO, YOU KNOW, JUST LIKE YOUR METRO COUNCIL BUDGETS, YOUR ADMINISTRATIVE CENTRAL SERVICE AGENCY, YOU WERE CUT AS A RESULT OF THE LOSS OF REVENUE.
UM, I CAN'T REMEMBER IF IT WAS YOU OR DANTE.
THERE WAS A, A STATEMENT THAT WAS MADE THAT, UM, A RP DOLLARS COULDN'T BE, I GUESS, REALLOCATED AFTER THIS YEAR.
TELL ME IF I'M USING AN INCORRECT TERM.
ALL UNDER THE TERMS OF THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT, ALL AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT DOLLARS MUST BE ENCUMBERED BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR.
NOW WE STILL HAVE TWO YEARS TO SPEND IT, TO SPEND, BUT ALL CONTRACTS MUST BE EXECUTED BEFORE THE END OF THIS YEAR.
DO YOU KNOW THAT LANGUAGE OF ALL DOLLARS ENCUMBERED BY THE END OF THIS YEAR? WAS THAT IN THE FEDERAL LEGISLATION? YES.
HAVE WE MADE ANY REQUESTS TO CHANGE THAT TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT? SURE.
BUT, YOU KNOW, THAT DOESN'T JUST IMPACT BATON ROUGE, THAT IS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.
I KNOW SOME FOLKS WHO ARE, HAVE POSITIONS AT THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES THAT, UH,
UH, DANTE, JUST TO FOLLOW UP FROM THE, UH, ENCUMBERED FUNDS, HOW MUCH OF THE A RP IS NOT ENCUMBERED AS OF THIS MOMENT, AS OF THIS MOMENT? UM, I COULD GET YOU THAT NUMBER.
UM, IT IS VERY SMALL PORTION AS COMPARED TO THE FULL $165 MILLION THAT WE WERE ALLOCATED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
AS FAR AS ENCUMBERED, DOES THAT INCLUDE INTEREST? UH, NO.
SO THE INTEREST EARNED ISN'T BEING HELD TO THE SAME STANDARD AS THE ACTUAL FEDERAL DOLLARS.
[00:35:01]
TREATING IT AS ALMOST GENERAL FUND, SO IT DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME STIPULATIONS ON IT.SO FOR ANY DOLLARS THAT ARE, I'M SORRY.
SO AT THE END OF THIS YEAR, WE'RE GONNA STOP BUILDING INTEREST.
SO, WELL, FOR TWO MORE YEARS, WE'LL CONTINUE TO BUILD INTEREST.
BUT TO COUNCILMAN ADAMS' POINT, UM, AS MONEY IS SPENT FROM AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN, THE AMOUNT OF THAT INTEREST IS GONNA DECREASE.
UM, COULD YOU GET US A NUMBER SOMETIME DURING THIS MEETING, UH, OF WHAT'S NOT ENCUMBERED? YES, SIR.
UM, SO I GUESS THIS IS, I DON'T KNOW WHICH ONE OF THIS IS FOR Y'ALL OR WHICH ONE NEEDS TO GO LOOK FOR THE NUMBER THAT I'M ASKING FOR, BUT, UH, AS FAR AS THE CUTS IN THE BUDGET AND EVERYTHING ELSE, AND WE BROUGHT UP THE SERVICES AND EVERYTHING, HOW MANY POSITIONS IN THIS BUDGET WERE FROZEN OR ELIMINATED? EMPLOYEE WISE, THE 236 POSITIONS WERE FROZEN.
41 WERE DELETED ACROSS THE WHOLE CITY PARISH, THE GENERAL FUND.
DO WE KNOW ABOUT HOW MUCH THAT FREED UP ON PAGE, ON PAGE 26, THE SALARIES AND BENEFITS, UH, WERE DECREASED BY 16.5 MILLION.
AND SO SOME OF THAT IS ATTRIBUTED TO IT, NOT ALL OF IT.
HOW MANY POSITIONS? NOT ALL OF IT.
AND THEN SOME TURNOVER IS BEING BUDGETED SO THAT DEPARTMENTS HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO HIRE, UM, THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
SO 16.5 MILLION, 16.5 MILLION.
SO JUST FOR PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE, FOR SALARY.
WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU FREEZE A POSITION, WHAT DOES, WHAT DOES THAT TECHNICALLY DO? TAKES THE MONEY AWAY FROM A POSITION THAT HAS BEEN BUDGETED AND IT IS TAKEN AWAY.
SO YOU EITHER, THE POSITION CANNOT BE FILLED, BUT IT'S STILL BUDGETED ITEM.
IT'S NOT BUDGETED, IT'S NOT THE BUDGET'S BEEN REMOVED.
WHAT ABOUT ALL THE, UH, PENSIONS AND BENEFITS AND STUFF THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A POSITION THAT IS EITHER FROZEN OR ELIMINATED? IT'S WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT FUND? THAT'S A SEPARATE FUND, RIGHT? IT'S BEEN REMOVED.
IT'S WITHIN EACH DEPARTMENT'S BUDGET INCLUDES SALARIES AND IT'S CALLED, WE CALL IT, AND THEIR SIX ONES.
AND THEN THERE'S A CATEGORY CALLED SIX TWOS, AND THAT'S THEIR BENEFIT MONEY.
AND SO BOTH OF THOSE LINE ITEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE POSITION WERE REMOVED.
AND THAT'S PART OF THE 16.5 MILLION.
236, SORRY, ONLY EQUATED TO 16 POINT SOMETHING MILLION DOLLARS, YES.
WITH BENEFITS PLUS THE 40, HOWEVER MANY WERE ELIMINATED.
NOW, PENSIONS EITHER FROZEN OR WHATEVER, OR ELIMINATED THOSE, THE, IT'S TWO DIFFERENT LINE ITEMS. THE SALARY AND THE PENSION.
YOU FREEZE OR ELIMINATE THAT SPOT, THAT LINE ITEM AS FAR AS THE PENSION AND BENEFITS AND ALL GOES AWAY ALSO? YES.
ALRIGHT, AT THIS TIME WE'LL HEAR FROM CITY COURT.
GOOD AFTERNOON, COUNCIL MEMBER.
UH, WE GOT, THERE'S A COUPLE ITEMS THAT I WANT TO ADDRESS, UH, IN OUR, IN OUR BUDGET.
UM, WHAT I'M ASKING, UH, IS ACTUALLY STILL, UH, ON PERSONNEL ITEMS. UH, ESSENTIALLY, UH, WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR IS TO, UH, PASS OUR SUPPLEMENTAL PER, UH, PERSONNEL BUDGET AS REQUESTED.
UH, OF THOSE, UH, 41 THAT WAS DELETED, UH, I THINK WE BOUGHT THE GRUNT OF ABOUT 12 TO 14 OF THOSE, EXCUSE ME, IDENTIFY YOURSELF AND, OH, I'M
[00:40:01]
SORRY.THAT WAS THE ALFRED WITH, UH, BATON ROUGE CITY COURT, CLERK OF COURT JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATOR.
SO OF THE, UH, 41 ITEMS THAT WERE DELETED, UH, WE WERE, WE BORE A GRUNT OF ABOUT 12 TO 14 OF, OF THOSE ITEMS, UH, WHICH IS QUITE A BIT OF THAT.
UH, WE ALSO, UH, HAD ABOUT 19 OR SO ITEMS FROZEN.
SO WE TOOK A HIT OF ABOUT 30, UM, SOMETHING POSITIONS, I BELIEVE, UH, IS, IS WHAT WE WERE, IS WHAT WE WERE LOOKING AT TOTAL.
AND WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR IS TO MAINTAIN THE STATUS QUO OF OUR FROZEN POSITIONS, WHICH IS CURRENTLY 12, AND NOT DELETE ANY OF OUR POSITION.
UH, ONE OF THE MAIN REASONS WE'RE ASKING FOR THIS IS BECAUSE ABOUT, UH, TWO DAYS AGO, THREE DAYS AGO NOW, WE JUST EMBARKED, UH, WE JUST PUT IN A NEW CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM.
WE WENT LIVE A COUPLE DAYS AGO.
UH, WHAT WE DON'T KNOW AT THIS TIME IS THE IMPACT THAT THAT'S GONNA ULTIMATELY HAVE ON THE COURT.
AND WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR IS TIME TO SEE, YOU KNOW, IF, IF, IF POSITIONS NEED TO BE DELETED OR SHOULD THEY BE DELETED, OR SHOULD WE MAINTAIN THE STATUS QUO GOING FORWARD? WE REALLY DON'T KNOW THE IMPACT OF PERSONNEL OR MANNING THAT THE NEW CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WILL HAVE.
IT MAY BE THAT WE NEED LESS PEOPLE.
UH, WE HAVE TO UNFREEZE SOME OF THESE POSITIONS.
BUT WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR NOW IS NOT THAT WE WON'T MAKE CHANGES IN THE FUTURE, BUT NOT TO MAKE CHANGES IN THIS PARTICULAR BUDGET.
UM, THE OTHER THING THAT, THAT WE ARE, UH, ASKING FOR IS TO IMPLEMENT, UH, CERTAIN RAISES THAT, UH, WE'RE ASKING FOR, WHICH COSTS ABOUT $84,000.
UH, IN THE BIG SCHEME OF THINGS IN THIS BUDGET, 84,000, NOT A LOT OF MONEY.
UH, WE DO HAVE WAYS THAT WE'RE GONNA PAY FOR THIS.
UH, FIRST, LET ME SAY THIS, UH, BEFORE I WAS EVEN ASKED TO PRESENT A BUDGET OF 10%, UH, REDUCTION, I, ON MY OWN, PRESENTED A BUDGET OF 6.33%.
SO ALL I NEEDED WAS FROM THEIR BUDGET AND MY BUDGET.
I ONLY NEEDED A DIFFERENCE OF 2.6%.
SO BEFORE EVEN EVEN BEING ASKED TO DO ANYTHING, I ALREADY TOOK IT UPON MYSELF TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PUT A SOUND AND RESPONSIBLE BUDGET IN PLACE.
UM, ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE ARE GOING TO, UH, ASSIST WITH, UH, OUR REVENUE ISSUES ARE WE'RE, WE'RE CURRENTLY GOING BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT IN THE MIDDLE OF, UH, ACTUALLY IT'LL, IT'LL BE, UH, FEBRUARY OF NEXT YEAR.
AND WE'LL REALIZE THE FUNDS ABOUT, UH, JUNE OF NEXT YEAR.
UH, ESSENTIALLY WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO, WE'RE GONNA ASK FOR A INCREASE IN SOME OF OUR FEES.
THOSE FEES, UH, ESSENTIALLY CONSISTS OF OUR CIVIL FEES, OUR, UH, PARKING FEES, AND OUR TRAFFIC FEES.
THE REASON THAT WE FEEL WE'LL BE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS, AND I'VE ALREADY BEEN IN CONSTANT, UH, TALKS WITH THE SUPREME COURT, IS THAT OUR FEES ARE RELATIVELY LOW IN COMPARISON TO ALL THE SURROUNDING PARISHES.
NOW, FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE, THEY RUN THEIR WHOLE CITY ON SOME OF THESE FEES.
SO WE'VE HISTORICALLY BEEN VERY LOW.
SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA ASK FOR WITH THE SUPREME COURT IS WE'RE GONNA REALLY ASK TO BRING OUR FEES MORE IN LINE.
BUT EVEN WITH DOING THAT, WE'RE STILL GONNA BE BELOW, UH, A LOT OF THESE, UH, PARISHES THAT ARE SURROUNDING.
AND WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, WE'RE LOOKING AT LAFAYETTE, WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, NEW ORLEANS, UH, HAMMOND, YOU KNOW, THOSE, UH, PARISHES THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, CLOSELY SURROUNDING US.
AND WE FEEL THAT WE'LL BE, UH, SUCCESSFUL IN, IN GETTING THAT PASSED.
THAT SHOULD, IN MY OPINION, UH, COVER THE 84,000 THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
AND I BELIEVE, UH, THAT WE CAN OPERATE WITHIN OUR BUDGET.
WHAT I WILL TELL YOU, I'VE BEEN WITH THE CITY NOW FOR, I DON'T KNOW, NINE YEARS, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
BUT WITHOUT FAIL, I'VE OPERATED WITHIN MY BUDGET EVERY YEAR.
AND I BELIEVE WHATEVER BUDGET THE CITY GIVES US, WHICH THEY'VE GIVEN US ONE, EVEN WITH, UH, GIVEN, UH, THE SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET THAT WE'RE ASKING FOR, I CAN STILL OPERATE WITHIN THIS BUDGET.
I'M PRETTY, UH, CERTAIN WE'LL GET THESE, UH, INCREASES, WHICH WILL PUT US, UH, EVEN FURTHER AHEAD, UH, IN OUR BUDGET.
AND THE, AND THE OTHER THING IS, YOU KNOW, WE PAID A LOT OF MONEY FOR THESE PARKING METERS OUT HERE, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE'RE COLLECTING $10 ON THEM.
YOU KNOW, AND WHEN PEOPLE HEAR THAT, IT'S ALMOST RIDICULOUS.
UH, THEY JUST, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE, HEY, YOU KNOW, I'LL PARK ALL DAY AND PAY MY $10.
[00:45:01]
TO PAY THE $10 THAN TO PAY THE METERSO, UM, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE PARKING HERE ALL DAY.
SO THE THING IS, IS THAT, UM, I THINK WE'LL BE SUCCESSFUL IN DOING THAT.
UH, NONE OF THESE FEES ARE GONNA BE EGREGIOUS.
UH, AND IN TALKING WITH THE SUPREME COURT, I BELIEVE YOU'LL BE VERY SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING THESE PASSED.
IT REALLY BRINGS US IN LINE WITH WHAT THE, WITH, UH, WHAT THE OTHER, UH, CITIES ARE DOING.
AND, UH, IT WILL, YOU KNOW, REALIZE, UH, REVENUE THAT I THINK WILL HELP THE CITY, UH, GOING FORWARD IN THE FUTURE.
'CAUSE AS YOU KNOW, ALL OUR MONEY GOES INTO THE GENERAL FUND.
IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS? COUNCILMAN DUNN? THANK YOU, ELSIE.
I DON'T HAVE IN FRONT OF ME THE SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU EMAILED IT TO US, YOU PROVIDED IT TO THE ADMINISTRATION.
IF YOU COULD JUST TELL ME WHAT IS THE, UH, THE DIFFERENCE IN, UH, LAST YEAR'S BUDGET AND A SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET THAT YOU PROVIDED FROM A PERCENTAGE STANDPOINT, IS IT A INCREASE, A DECREASE? IN WHAT PERCENTAGE IS IT? IT'S A DECREASE.
AND, UM, I ACTUALLY DECREASED IT BY, BY 10%.
SO THE SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET YOU ARE ASKING US TO SUPPORT IS A DECREASE OF 10% MM-HMM.
AND CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, AND, AND DANTE OR ANGIE MAYBE CAN CLEAR ME UP.
'CAUSE I'M LOOKING AT, UH, PAGE 93, WHICH I THINK THIS IS YOU IN HERE.
IT, IT SHOWS ME A DECREASE OF 3.7%.
AM I LOOKING AT SOMETHING WRONG? IS THERE A DISCONNECT SOMEWHERE? OH YEAH.
NO, IT'S ANGIE, I'M, I'M GONNA LET HER CLEAR IT UP.
IT SEEMS LIKE YOU SUBMITTING A, UH, DEEPER CUT TO YOURSELF THAN THEY GIVING YOU THE WAY I SEE IT.
SO THE WAY, UM, CITY COURT IS LOOKING AT, YOU SEE THE TOP PART OF THE CHART AND HIS SUBSIDY WAS CUT.
AND THE GENERAL, HE, THEY GENERATE SELF-GENERATED REVENUES.
AND SO THAT 6.6 IS WHAT THE GENERAL FUND SUBSIDIZES AFTER THEIR REVENUES.
SO WHAT HE IS, WHAT HE PROPOSED WAS HE GAVE US TWO PROPOSALS.
ONE, SEE THE, THE COLUMN THAT SAYS 6.33 REDUCTION.
AND THEN HE ALSO PROPOSED ONE THAT WAS CLOSE TO 10.
THE PROBLEM WAS THE 10 INCLUDED THE REVENUES THAT HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED AT THE LEGISLATION YET.
AND SO IF YOU LOOK ON THE NEXT PAGE, WE DID COMMIT THAT IF THOSE REVENUES GET APPROVED, THAT WE WILL COME BACK BEFORE THE COUNCIL AND ADJUST THE BUDGET TO GIVE 'EM THE REVENUES BACK AND SUPPORT STAFF NEEDED TO ACCOMMODATE THOSE REVENUE.
SO ELZA, DOES THAT GIVE YOU SOME EXTRA CLARITY OF UNDERSTANDING? IT DOES.
BASED ON THAT CLARITY, WE CAN COME BACK.
IF, IF I, IF I GET THESE REVENUES PASSED AT THE SUPREME, THEN I CAN COME BACK AND WE'LL BE ABLE TO, UH, ADOPT MYSELF.
'CAUSE IT APPEARS THAT THEY, THEY, THEY DOING YOU BETTER THAN YOU REQUESTING FROM WHAT I, WHAT I LOOK AT.
HOW MUCH REVENUE DO YOU ESTIMATE WITH THE INCREASE IN FEES? THE, UH, WITH THE INCREASE IN FEES? YES.
WITH THE INCREASE IN FEES THAT YOU'RE REQUESTING FROM THE COURT SYSTEMS OR, AND I'M TALKING ABOUT ANY FEES THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT INCREASING.
WE THINK WE SHOULD PROBABLY, UH, INCREASE REVENUE ANYWHERE FROM PROBABLY THREE TO 500,000.
AND IF I, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, BUT WHEN WE MET THE OTHER DAY, UH, THAT WAS 13TH, JDC, SO WRONG ONE.
JDC WE MET WITH, THEY HAD A $400,000 SHORTFALL.
[00:50:01]
HAVE, HOW MU UH, ANGIE, I GUESS WE'LL HAVE TO ANSWER THIS ONE.I THINK YOU DID A WHILE AGO, YOU SAID 6.6% OF THE CITY COURT IS FUNDED THROUGH THE GENERAL FUND.
6.6 MILLION IS BUDGETED THROUGH THE GENERAL FUND.
AND I'M GOING, I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT THIS FROM, UH, ALL CITY STANDPOINTS AS FAR AS CUTS OR ANYTHING ELSE, IT'S A GOVERNMENTAL FUNCTION.
WE HAVE TO HAVE THE CITY COURT, IT'S PARISH WIDE THING, OR LOST MY TRAIN OF THOUGHT WITH IT.
BASICALLY WHAT THE GENERAL FUND, IS THERE ANY OTHER REVENUE TO STOP TO KEEP IT FROM COMING OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND? THEY'RE NEVER GONNA BE SELF-SUFFICIENT SELF-SUSTAINING ON THEIR INCOME TO RUN THE WHOLE THING.
CORRECT? WELL, ACTUALLY, THEY, THEY DO, I, I DO WANT TO COMMEND THEM.
THEY, THEY DO STAY WITHIN THEIR BUDGET.
THEY LOOK FOR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES.
THEY HAVE SOME SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS.
IT DOESN'T GENERATE A LOT OF MONEY, BUT THEY DO TRY TO GET, UM, FEES DEDICATED FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES.
SO THEY DO HAVE SOME, REMEMBER ALL OF THEM, BUT SOME SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS THAT ARE DEDICATED FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF THE OPERATIONS.
SO, UM, I CAN GIVE IT, FOR INSTANCE, WE HAVE A BUILDING FUND.
WHAT SHE'S TALKING ABOUT IS, FOR INSTANCE, WE HAVE A BUILDING FUND WHERE WE GENERATE MONEY FROM THERE.
AND WITH THAT, WE PRETTY MUCH COVER ALL, ALL OF OUR BUILDING EXPENSES.
ON THESE FEE INCREASES, WILL THEY BE DEDICATED TO SPECIFICS OR ARE YOU LOOKING TO, UM, FILL THE POSITIONS OR? ALL OF OUR FEE INCREASES ARE GONNA, UH, GO TO THE, THE CITY.
SO ALL THE MONEY THAT WE GENERATE WILL GO TO THE GENERAL FUND.
DO, WERE YOU, WERE THEY GONNA BE DEDICATED TO A SPECIFIC PURPOSE OR WILL THEY CONTINUE TO WHEREVER THE FEE, THE FEES ARE GOING TO NOW? I, I THINK WHAT HE'S TRYING TO SAY IS IT'LL GO IN THE GENERAL FUND.
WE DEDICATE IT TO THESE FEES THAT ARE UP TOP THAT HE CAN USE FOR GENERAL OPERATIONS.
THAT WE WOULD ASK WHAT WOULD THEY
SO THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE SPECIFIC TO ANYTHING.
YEAH, WE DO HAVE SOME THAT, THAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT SPECIFIC FEES, BUT THESE WON'T BE OKAY.
UH, AS FAR AS THOSE FEES THAT ARE SPECIFIC TO CERTAIN ITEMS, UM, ARE Y'ALL LOOKING TO INCREASE THOSE TWO? WE ARE NOT AT THIS TIME.
AND WHAT FEES ARE THOSE, BY THE WAY? I'LL BE HONEST, I DON'T KNOW THEM ALL.
UH, WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, NOT GONNA TRY TO RATTLE OFF.
SO THEY HAVE THIS BUDGET, UM, BUILDING FUNDS ON PAGE 1 95.
THE SOBRIETY COURTS 1 96, THE TECHNOLOGY FUND IS 1 97.
AND WHAT FEES ARE THOSE SPECIFICALLY FUNDED BY? SO LIKE THE TECHNO OH, WHAT ARE THEY FUNDED BY? UH, THEY'RE GONNA BE FUNDED BY, UH, THEY'RE STATE STATUTE.
AND THE AMOUNT IS, SO WHENEVER YOU GO TO COURT AND THE JUDGE ISSUES YOU CERTAIN FEES DEPENDING ON, SO THEY'RE ALL IN THE ISSUANCE OF WHAT ESSENTIALLY THE JUDGE SAYS A FEE.
SO WHAT HAPPENS IS, UH, SOME FEES GO TO THE COURT, SOME FEES GO TO, UH, OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS.
UH, SOME FEES GO TO THE CITY OKAY.
UH, SO IN THAT SCHEDULE, DIFFERENT ENTITIES, SOME GO TO THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, WE'LL PAY THEM FEES.
SO ALL THOSE, ALL THOSE FEES ARE IN A FEE SCHEDULE.
AND WHENEVER THOSE FEES ARE PAID, WE THEN COLLECT IT ALL AND THEN CHECKS ARE WRITTEN TO THOSE ENTITIES WE PAID.
THE AMOUNTS OF THOSE FEES ARE ON THIS.
COUNCIL HURST, HEY, UM, THIS IS JUST A MOMENT TO TELL YOU THAT YOU ARE AN AMAZING JOB.
LIKE WHEN I SIT HERE AND WATCH THE BUDGET, I SEE EVERYBODY FIGHT UP AND DOWN ABOUT PULLING MORE.
AND THE LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE, YOU DUG FROM WITHIN TO GET, GET YOUR PEOPLE WHAT THEY NEEDED.
UM, AS WELL AS THE ADMINISTRATION.
[00:55:01]
THAT PART DIDN'T GO AS WELL.BUT YOU HAVE ACCOUNTABILITY WITHIN YOUR BUDGET TO CONSTANTLY LOOK AT THE EVOLUTION OF WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BATON ROUGE WITH OUR BUDGET, THE FUNDS YOU GENERATE, AND HOW YOU CAN RESTRUCTURE THOSE TO MAKE THE MOST IMPACT.
AND RAISING THE FEES OFF OF VIOLATORS.
SO I'M HOPING THAT Y'ALL COLLECT LESS BECAUSE THE HIGHER FEES DETER THE ACTIVITY FROM HAPPENING.
BUT I'M GLAD THAT YOU THOUGHT OUTSIDE OF THE BOX, UM, TO, TO MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN WHERE, FROM WHERE YOU ARE TO WHERE YOU NEED TO BE AND ACTUALLY PUT YOUR BUDGET AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.
AND I HOPE OTHER DEPARTMENTS FOLLOW SUIT.
SO KUDOS BEFORE, I THINK THAT WAS ONE OF THE BEST PRESENTATIONS I'VE SEEN FROM A FINANCIAL STANDPOINT, FROM ANY DEPARTMENT.
AND FROM WHAT I'M GETTING FROM ANDREW, YOU CONTINUE TO RAISE THE BAR FOR CITY PARISH DEPARTMENT.
YOU STARTED YOUR PRESENTATION HIGHLIGHTING 12 DELETED POSITIONS AND THAT YOU WANTED THOSE ADDED BACK, THOSE 12 WERE FILLED POSITIONS.
THEY WERE VACANT, THEY WERE ACTUALLY FROZEN POSITIONS.
HOW LONG HAD THEY BEEN FROZEN? THERE'S DIFFERENT TIME LIMITS ON EACH OF THOSE.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'M LOOKING AT WITH SOME OF THOSE FROZEN POSITIONS, FOR INSTANCE, THERE'S CERTAIN COUNTER POSITIONS THAT WE HAD FROZEN THAT NOW WITH THE NEW SYSTEM, BECAUSE THERE'S GONNA BE, UH, DIFFERENT PUBLIC FACING, WE'RE GONNA NEED THOSE, UH, POSITIONS GOING FORWARD.
SOME, NOT ALL OF 'EM, BUT SOME OF THEM.
SO IF, IF YOU'RE FORTUNATE ENOUGH ON THE ADDITIONAL FEES AND ADDITIONAL FEES COME IN, YOU WOULD ALSO ASK FOR REINSTATEMENT OF SOME OF THOSE POSITIONS? I WOULD PROBABLY, UM, WELL, WHAT I WANT TO DO, I WANT TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE WHAT ALL IT IS THAT WE NEED.
FOR INSTANCE, I CAN TELL YOU THERE'S PROBABLY ABOUT FOR POSITIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE MAY NEED REINSTATED, BUT THOSE WILL BE LOOKED AT, YOU KNOW, ON AN ONGOING BASIS TO SEE WHAT IS THE FINANCIAL IMPACT.
AND COULD WE, UH, IN FACT, BUT I'M NOT ASKING FOR THEM TO COME BACK IN A UNFROZEN POSITION, BUT I DO WANT THE ABILITY TO HAVE THEM AVAILABLE TO ME.
'CAUSE HERE'S THE THING, IF YOU FREEZE A POSITION, THEN THE THING IS YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO ADJUST.
SO WHAT I'M TRYING TO, UH, DO AT THIS JUNCTURE, BECAUSE WE'RE EMBARKING UPON UNCHARTED WATERS, THAT'S FREEZE.
YOU STILL GET THE SAME RESULT.
IT DOESN'T AFFECT THE BUDGET, BUT IT DOESN'T GIVE YOU THE PERMANENCY OF A DELETION.
AND IS ANGIE STILL, WHAT'S YOUR RECOMMENDATION? SO SINCE THOSE POSITIONS WERE DELETED FOR SOME TIME, WE FELT LIKE FROZEN OR DELETED? FROZEN, I'M SORRY.
FROZEN FOR SOME TIME THAT IT'S MISLEADING TO THE RESOURCES YOU HAVE TO THE READER THAT DOESN'T ACTUALLY DEAL WITH THE OPERATIONS.
SO WHEN WE LOOKED AT THOSE POSITIONS, THEY HAD BEEN FROZEN FOR THREE YEARS.
AND SO THAT WAS THE, THE RATIONALE AND THE DECISION TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO DELETE THEM.
I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN HE DOES GET HIS REVENUES, OKAY, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE COULD EVALUATE.
AND WHEN WE BRING THE BUDGET SUPPLEMENT TO INCREASE THE BUDGET, YOU COULD ALSO INCREASE THE ALLOTMENT AT THAT SIMULTANEOUSLY COULD BE ALSO DONE.
SO COULD BE DONE SIMULTANEOUSLY AND, AND WITH THE MIDYEAR, IF AND WHEN A MIDYEAR SUPPLEMENT COMES FORWARD.
IF EVEN IF IT'S BEEN DELETED IN THE BUDGET.
YOU, YOU CAN ADD POSITION THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, JUST LIKE YOU CAN CHANGE BUDGET.
I JUST WANNA PIGGYBACK ON, UM, SEEING YOUR EMPLOYEES WORK.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE HARD WORKERS.
YOU'RE DEALING WITH THE PUBLIC AND IT'S ANGRY PUBLIC.
THEY'RE THERE TO PAY FOR TRAFFIC FINES AND FEES, OR THEY'RE BEING SUED.
UM, SO I COMMEND THEM, YOU, ALL OF THEM.
UM, I'M A LITTLE CONFUSED THOUGH.
YOU HAVE 31 VACANCIES CURRENTLY, IS THAT CORRECT? IS THAT 31 VACANCIES WITH 1212 DELETED POSITIONS? IS THAT ACCURATE? YES, I THINK IT'S OKAY.
SO YOU'LL STILL HAVE A NUMBER OF VACANCIES LEFT? YES.
AND WHAT I'M SAYING IS WE MAY END UP DELETING MY THING IS WHAT'S THE RUSH TO DO IT AT THIS JUNCTURE? I UNDERSTAND.
UM, LOOK, THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THIS BUDGET THAT HAVEN'T HAPPENED BEFORE
UM, ESPECIALLY THOSE BUSES THAT HAVE BEEN HERE A WHILE.
AND, AND THAT'S THE ONLY THING I WAS SAYING IS THAT IF YOU FREEZE A POSITION, UM, YOU STILL GET THE SAME NET EFFECT.
[01:00:01]
TO UNDO THAT.SO IF I COME BEFORE YOU AT THAT POINT, THEN YOU JUST SIMPLY UNFREEZE THE POSITION.
I, I GET IT THAT IT'S EASIER, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE NOTHING'S GONNA BE EASY GOING FORWARD.
BUT, UM, LET ME ASK YOU ANOTHER QUESTION OKAY.
BECAUSE I WANNA COMMEND YOU ON THIS.
I UNDERSTAND THAT, UM, YOU GUYS PUT IN SOME NEW SOFTWARE AT CITY COURT YES.
AND, UM, THAT, UH, THAT GOES TO ONE OF THE, THE TECHNOLOGY FEES WE DO.
SO THE GOOD THING ABOUT THAT IS, UH, WE JUST PUT IN A NEW SOFTWARE, AND THAT'S WHAT I WAS SPEAKING TO ABOUT THE NEW CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM THAT JUST STARTED ABOUT, UH, TWO DAYS AGO, THREE DAYS AGO NOW.
UM, AND THE GOOD NEWS WITH THAT IS WE PAY FOR THAT SYSTEM WITH OUR TECHNOLOGY FEE.
SO, UH, THAT'S FULLY PAID FOR GOING FORWARD.
ALSO, ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT THE, UH, INCREASE IN FEES THAT WE'RE DOING, UH, A LOT OF THOSE FEES ARE REALLY COMING ON CIVIL CASES.
SO IT'S NOT REALLY HITTING YOUR OFFENDERS AS HARD AS YOU GUYS THINK IT IS.
WE, WE ACTUALLY LOOK FOR WAY MORE MONEY ON THE CIVIL SIDE OF THE HOUSE, AND THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE FILING SUIT, YOU KNOW, PAYING LAWYERS AND THOSE TYPE OF FOLKS.
SO IT'S REALLY NOT NECESSARILY, UH, TARGETED TOWARD, UH, VIOLATORS, ALTHOUGH WE DO HOPE THAT IS A DETERRENT THAT ALONG WITH BENCH WARRANTS.
BUT I DO WANT TO JUST MENTION, UH, BRIEFLY ABOUT THE FACT THAT OUR CIVIL SIDE OF THE HOUSE IS ACTUALLY A BIG REVENUE GENERATOR AS WELL.
DO YOU THINK THAT ONCE, THAT SOFTWARE, I KNOW THAT GETTING IT IMPLEMENTED IS PROBABLY REALLY ROUGH RIGHT NOW AND A LITTLE BIT OF A NIGHTMARE, BUT ONCE IT IS IMPLEMENTED, DO YOU THINK YOU GUYS, IT'LL BE MORE STREAMLINED AND A LITTLE BIT MORE EFFICIENT OVER THERE? IS THAT THE GOAL? YES.
THE GOAL IS TO, UH, WELL, WELL THE GOAL, IT DOES A COUPLE THINGS FOR US.
NUMBER ONE, IT MOVES US ONLINE.
SO IT, IT WILL REDUCE THE FOOT TRAFFIC, UH, WITHIN THE BUILDING.
THE OTHER THING, BUT THAT DOESN'T REDUCE THE WORK NOW, RIGHT? THE OTHER THING THAT IT DOES IS IT, UH, MAKES IT MORE CONVENIENT TO PAY.
SO WITH THIS NEW SYSTEM WILL, YOU'LL HAVE THE ABILITY TO PAY FROM ANY ELECTRONIC DEVICE, WHICH WHAT WE HOPE WILL INCREASE REVENUE JUST IN AND OF ITSELF, BECAUSE THE BIGGEST, UH, IMPEDIMENT YOU HAVE TO PAYING YOUR FINES AND FEES OR, UH, FILING A LAWSUIT IS TAKING OFF WORK AND COMING DOWN HERE TO DO THAT IF YOU CAN DO THAT FROM THE PRIVACY OF YOUR HOME, THAT'S GREAT.
THE OTHER THING THAT WE'RE DOING IS WE NO LONGER HAVE TO HOLD MONEY IN SUSPENSE ACCOUNTS.
IT COMES DIRECTLY TO THE CITY UPFRONT.
WE HAVE OVER $2 MILLION IN THE SUSPENSE ACCOUNT.
ALL THAT MONEY'S GONNA COME TO THE CITY.
SO LOOK, WHAT I REALLY LIKE ABOUT WHAT YOU SAID IS OFTENTIMES IN THESE POSITIONS, UM, WE MAKE THINGS MORE CONVENIENT FOR US AND FOR OUR EMPLOYEES AND FOR THE FOLKS THAT ARE AROUND US.
BUT I LIKE THAT YOU'RE SAYING THAT YOU'RE MAKING THIS MORE EFFICIENT, MORE EFFICIENT AND MORE CONVENIENT FOR THE PUBLIC.
AND THAT YOU'RE LIMITING THE FOOT TRAFFIC IN FOLKS HAVING TO BE DOWNTOWN AND MOVE AROUND AND NAVIGATE THROUGH THE COURT SYSTEM.
AND LOOK, I KNOW THERE ARE SEVERAL HUNDRED PAGES OF THIS BUDGET, UM, AND, UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF WORDS IN IT TOO, BUT I WANNA SHARE WITH MY COUNCIL, PEOPLE THAT AREN'T FAMILIAR WITH CITY COURT, BASED UPON WHAT HE SAID, THIS COURT PROCESSES CIVIL, CRIMINAL, AND TRAFFIC MATTERS.
CIVIL CLAIMS ARE HEARD, INCLUDING PERSONAL INJURY, PROPERTY DAMAGE CONTRACT, AND LANDLORD TENANT CASES UP TO 35,000, AS WELL AS SMALL CLAIM CASES OF $5,000 OR LESS.
SO IT'S NOT JUST THE TRAFFIC AND THE MISDEMEANORS.
THERE'S A LARGE CIVIL PORTION.
SO THANK YOU FOR THAT AND I APPRECIATE IT.
UM, I, I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU AND IF WE HAVE TO COME, YOU HAVE TO COME BACK AND ASK FOR THOSE SPOTS TO BECOME AVAILABLE.
WE'LL BE EXCITED 'CAUSE WE KNOW YOU HAVE THAT REVENUE COMING IN.
AT THIS TIME, WE'LL HEAR FROM JUVENILE COURT.
I'M ONE OF THE TWO JUVENILE COURT JUDGES HERE IN BATON ROUGE.
NOW I'M THE OTHER, GOOD AFTERNOON, JUDGE L GROVER, JUVENILE COURT, DIVISION B.
SO, UM, ANYBODY THAT'S BEEN OUT TO JUVENILE COURT KIND OF PROBABLY UNDERSTANDS WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR TODAY.
UH, JUST BY WAY, I'VE BEEN, I'VE BEEN ON THE BENCH FOR 10 YEARS.
WE HAVE BEEN CHRONICALLY UNDERFUNDED FROM, FROM DAY ONE.
UM, ANYBODY THAT'S BEEN OUT TO OUR BUILDING AND SEEN OUR FACILITY UNDERSTANDS THAT JUST IN THE PARK, STANDING IN THE PARKING LOT, YOU UNDERSTAND THAT, THAT WE'VE BEEN CHRONICALLY UNDERFUNDED.
UH, I KIND OF ENJOY COMING AFTER CITY COURT, RIGHT? BECAUSE THE, I I, FOR ME, IF YOU WOULD'VE SEEN MY FACE, RIGHT, WHEN I SAY WE'RE GONNA INCREASE FEES AND GENERATE THREE TO $500,000, RIGHT? UM, IF YOU LOOKED AT THAT PRESENTATION WE GAVE YOU, WE LISTED ON THERE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY WE GET FROM OUR VENDING MACHINES, RIGHT? THAT'S IMPORTANT
[01:05:01]
TO US.LIKE THE VENDING MACHINE MONEY IS IMPORTANT TO US.
AND SO, FRANKLY, THAT THAT SHOULD BE EVERYTHING THAT YOU GUYS, I SHOULDN'T REALLY HAVE TO SAY ANYTHING OTHER THAN THAT TO SAY, THEN PLEASE GIVE US OUR $75,000, RIGHT? UH, I WILL POINT OUT THAT THERE'S ALSO PROPOSED CUTS TO THE CLERK'S OFFICE.
SO WE EMPLOY IN OUR BUILDING RIGHT NOW, UM, 22 FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES, THREE PART-TIME, UH, FOUR OF THOSE FULL-TIME EMPLOYEES, AND THREE OF THOSE PART-TIME EMPLOYEES ARE CLERK COURT EMPLOYEES.
THEY'RE NOT EVEN OURS, RIGHT? AND SO, I WANNA POINT OUT THAT BUDGET CUTS TO THE CLERK'S OFFICE IS LIKELY TO FALL ON US AS WELL.
SO IT'S GONNA BE A DOUBLE HIT TO US, RIGHT? UH, BECAUSE WE TEND TO BE OUTTA SIGHT OUTTA MIND, RIGHT? FOR EVERYBODY.
AND SO IT'S VERY EASY IF THE CLERK'S GONNA CUT A POSITION, RIGHT? IT'S COMING FROM US.
UM, AND SO WE NEED, WE NEED THOSE FOLKS, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE ARE BARE BONES, UH, AS IT IS.
UH, I WANNA POINT OUT THAT I'M NOT GONNA GO OVER, GO OVER ALL THE STUFF.
JUDGE GROVER IS HERE BECAUSE SHE'S HERE TO KICK ME, RIGHT? BECAUSE I'VE BEEN, I'VE BEEN AT THIS FOR 10 YEARS AND I'M, I'M JUST, I'VE BEEN A GOOD SOLDIER AND NOT COMPLAINING, RIGHT? AND I'M JUST KIND OF OVER IT AT THIS POINT.
UM, AND SO SHE'S HERE TO KICK ME IF I SAY ANYTHING TOO BAD.
UH, WE DO NOT GENERATE FUNDS, RIGHT? UH, WE GEN WE DEAL WITH KIDS.
EVERYBODY WE DEAL WITH IS INDIGENT.
BASICALLY, THE REALLY, THE ONLY FILINGS THAT GENERATE MONEY FOR US IS ADOPTIONS.
UH, AND WE'RE TALKING LIKE A HUNDRED A YEAR FOR THAT.
THE SUPREME COURT HAS TAKEN AWAY OUR ABILITY TO LEVY FINES AND COSTS ON JUVENILE DEFENDANTS.
EVEN IF WE WANT TO SET COSTS, LIKE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT AT CITY COURT, WE CAN'T.
SO THAT NEVER GENERATED A BUNCH OF MONEY, BUT NOW IT GENERATES NO MONEY, RIGHT? UM, AND SO A LOT OF OUR WAYS TO, TO GENERATE FUNDS HAS, IS GONE.
IT IS BEEN TAKEN AWAY FROM US, UH, BY THE SUPREME COURT, BY THE LEGISLATURE.
UH, SO WE'RE VERY, WE'RE VERY LIMITED IN WHAT WE CAN, WE CAN SELF GENERATE.
UM, AND SO IF, IF YOU, I DON'T IF EVERYBODY HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT, AT WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, BUT WE'VE BEEN CUT, OUR 5% DECREASE IS ABOUT $73,000, RIGHT? UH, WHICH FOR US IS HAVE COPY PAPER, RIGHT? WE HAVE HISTORICALLY HAD AN AGREEMENT WITH THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE WHERE THEY'VE OUT OF THEIR BUDGET, PROVIDED US COPY PAPER, RIGHT? BECAUSE THEY KNEW IT WAS MORE IMPORTANT FOR US TO USE OUR BUDGET TO HANDLE PERSONNEL, RIGHT? AND WE NEED PEOPLE.
AND SO THEY WERE GRACIOUS ENOUGH OUT OF THEIR LIMITED BUDGET, WHICH THEY COME HERE EVERY YEAR TO BEG FOR MONEY AS WELL.
THEY RECOGNIZE THAT AND SAID, YOU GUYS REALLY ARE UNDERFUNDED.
WE'RE GONNA GIVE YOU SOME OF OUR, SOME OF OUR MONEY.
UM, UH, I'M GONNA POINT OUT THAT THAT INCLUDES INCREASING COSTS THAT WE HAVE RIGHT NOW IS INTERPRETATION COSTS, RIGHT? WE ARE SEEING MORE AND MORE, UH, SPANISH SPEAKERS IN COURT.
THAT MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO HIRE INTERPRETERS THAT COMES OUT OF OUR MONEY.
THE DEFENDANTS, THEY DO NOT PAY THAT MONEY.
WE PAY THAT, RIGHT? UH, JUDGE GROVER, A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, I BELIEVE YOU HAD A ROMANIAN, UH, SOMEBODY WHO SPOKE ROMANIAN WOULD NOT EXPECTING THAT, RIGHT? THERE'S ONE CERTIFIED ROMANIAN TRANSLATE, UH, INTERPRETER IN THE STATE OF LOUISIANA.
THEY CAN CHARGE WHATEVER THEY WANT, RIGHT? THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT SHOWING UP FOR LESS THAN 500 BUCKS AN HOUR, RIGHT? I HAVE, THERE'S ZERO CHOICE CONSTITUTIONALLY.
WE GOTTA GET THAT PERSON HERE.
AND IF YOU WANNA TELL ME, BASED ON THE FACT THAT I'M SITTING HERE ASKING FOR $73,000, IF WE HAVE THAT, AGAIN, THAT BLOWS A HOLE IN OUR BUDGET TRANSCRIPT COST, IF THERE IS AN APPEAL, RIGHT? WE, WE GOTTA PAY FOR THAT.
IF I HAVE A TWO DAY DELINQUENCY TRIAL AND THEY WANT A TRANSCRIPT, THAT MONEY'S COMING OUTTA OUR BUDGET.
IT'S THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, RIGHT? WE GOTTA PAY FOR THAT.
ALL RIGHT? AND SO ANY ONE OF THOSE THINGS IS, WE ARE SO PRECARIOUS THAT ANY ONE OF THOSE THINGS CAN WILL AND CAN BLOW A WHOLE GIANT GAPING HOLE IN OUR BUDGET, RIGHT? WHICH IS WHY I'M HERE.
I, YOU KNOW, THERE'S PART OF ME THAT'S LIKE, IT COULD HAVE BEEN A LOT WORSE THAN $73,000, RIGHT? BASED ON WHAT WE WERE LOOKING AT.
UH, BUT IT'S ALSO, $73,000 IS ESSENTIALLY CATASTROPHIC FOR US.
UH, BECAUSE AS IT STANDS NOW, WE ARE NOT FUNDED APPROPRIATELY.
LIKE THE APPROPRIATE THING FOR ME TO DO HERE IS ASK FOR YOU TO INCREASE US, RIGHT? I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE SITUATION THAT WE'RE IN, RIGHT? SO I DON'T WANT TO GET, YOU KNOW, KICKED OUTTA HERE.
BUT, BUT FUNCTIONALLY, THAT'S REALLY WHAT, WHAT IT SHOULD BE, RIGHT? IS I SHOULD, YOU GUYS SHOULD BE INCREASING US.
UH, AND ANYBODY THAT'S BEEN OUT TO OUR BUILDING AND HAS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO COME SEE WHAT WE DO AND SEE HOW WE DO IT, I, I WOULD THINK WOULD, WOULD AGREE.
WHAT I'M GONNA SAY, AND WHAT I'M GONNA ASK FOR IS I'M GONNA ASK FOR THAT 0.11%, RIGHT? NO, I, I, THIS, THIS, THERE'S 0.11% THAT IS, THAT IS UNCALLED FOR RIGHT? NOW, YOU GUYS HAVE TO KEEP 5% IN THE STABILIZATION FUND.
YOU RIGHT NOW, THERE'S 5.11%, RIGHT? THAT MONEY IS NOT ALLOCATED TO ANYBODY AT ALL.
NOBODY WOULD EVEN NOTICE THAT IT WAS GONE, RIGHT? GIVE IT TO US, RIGHT? UH, THAT IS MY THING.
I I WILL DEF DEFINITELY TAKE THE $73,000 OUT OF THAT, BUT I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, THAT'S ABOUT 300 GRAND,
[01:10:01]
$330,000, RIGHT? IF YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO TO SERVE FAMILIES IN NEED HERE IN EAST BAT ROUGE PARISH, RIGHT? I WOULD, I WOULD A HUNDRED PERCENT I WOULD EXPAND MY FAMILY PRESERVATION COURT THAT WORKS WITH FAMILIES THAT HAVE SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROBLEMS TO KEEP THEIR KIDS OUT OF FOSTER CARE, RIGHT? JUDGE GROVER IS GONNA INCREASE HER WORK WITH PROJECT MADE AND TRUANCY TO HELP KIDS THAT ARE AT RISK OF DROPPING OUTTA SCHOOL, KEEP THEM IN SCHOOL.I JUST WANTED TO PLUG IN THAT WE ARE ALSO, UM, STARTING A GUN DOCKET SO THAT WE CAN DO WHAT WE CAN AS IT RELATES TO JUVENILE GUN VIOLENCE IN OUR CITY, BUT THAT WON'T, OR THAT'S JEOPARDIZE.
IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE CUTS, I'M GONNA BE, I'M GONNA BE ABLE TO INCREASE THE WAY AND IMPROVE THE WAY THAT I DOCKET MY CHILDHOOD OF CARE CASES.
SO I'LL BE ABLE TO SPEND MORE TIME WORKING WITH FAMILIES WHOSE KIDS ARE IN FOSTER CARE, ARE IN DANGER OF COMING INTO FOSTER CARE.
WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO SPEND MORE TIME AND PROVIDE MORE SERVICES TO THOSE, UH, FAMILIES WHO HAVE CHILDREN IN NEED THAT ARE COMING IN CONTACT WITH OUR JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM.
BUT SPECIFICALLY, WE'LL BE ABLE TO IMPACT THOSE FAMILIES THAT THE 15-YEAR-OLD HAS BEEN ARRESTED.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, THERE'S AN EIGHT, SIX, 5-YEAR-OLD IN THE HOUSE, RIGHT? AND WE'RE GONNA KEEP, WE CAN USE THOSE FUNDS TO HELP KEEP THEM OUTTA THE SYSTEM ENTIRELY, RIGHT? BECAUSE WE'VE ALREADY GOT 'EM.
AND IF I HAVE THE ABILITY AND THE FUNDS TO DIRECT AND PROVIDE AND CONTRACT WITH SERVICES TO PUT THE, PUT THAT IN PLACE, WE'RE GONNA GET THAT DONE.
THAT'S $300,000 INCREDIBLY WELL INVESTED, RIGHT? BECAUSE THAT'S GONNA PAY US BACK TENFOLD GOING DOWN THE, GOING DOWN THE ROAD.
UM, YOU GUYS ARE NOT THE LEGISLATURE, BUT I'M GONNA GIVE YOU MY LEGISLATURE PITCH, RIGHT? WHAT WE DO, AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CHILD WELFARE AND JUVENILE JUSTICE, IS WE TREAT IT LIKE CAR MAINTENANCE, RIGHT? YOU CAN DO TWO THINGS.
YOU CAN BUY A NEW CAR AND YOU CAN GET THE OIL CHANGE REGULARLY, CHANGE A TIME BELT, DO ALL THE SCHEDULE MAINTENANCE, AND THAT CAR IS GONNA LAST YOU THREE, 400,000 MILES.
OR YOU CAN BUY THAT NEW CAR AND NEGLECT ALL THAT, RIGHT? AND IN WHICH CASE, IN A COUPLE YEARS, YOU'RE BUYING A NEW CAR.
BUT WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS STUFF, WE'RE NOT BUYING A NEW CAR.
WE'LL PUT PEOPLE INTO PRISON, RIGHT? I'D RATHER PAY FOR THIS STUFF ON THE FRONT END, THEN PAY FOR JAIL, RIGHT? SO, LIKE, END OF THE DAY, THAT'S WHAT IT IS, IS WE CAN INVEST THIS MONEY, YOU CAN INVEST YOUR $73,000 AND WE'RE GONNA DO A GOOD JOB WITH IT.
'CAUSE WE ALWAYS HAVE BEEN, RIGHT? AND FRANKLY, MY POSITION IS WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IS YOU SHOULD TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? I HADN'T THOUGHT ABOUT THAT 0.11%.
RIGHT? I'M ACTUALLY GONNA INVEST IT AND WE'RE GONNA PUT IT SOMEWHERE WHERE IT'S GONNA, IT'S GONNA PAY DIVIDENDS, RIGHT? ESPECIALLY BECAUSE THERE'S NOT ANY MONEY THAT ANYBODY'S CLAMMING FOR, NOBODY'S ASKED FOR, WE'RE HERE TODAY, RIGHT? I LOVE CITY COURT.
THEIR JUDGES AREN'T HERE, RIGHT? I'M HERE BECAUSE THIS IS IMPORTANT.
I HAVE DEDICATED MY ENTIRE CAREER TO THIS COMMUNITY, THIS PARISH, AND THIS CITY.
THAT'S WHY I'M HERE, RIGHT? I'M HERE BECAUSE WE SERVE THOSE UNDERPRIVILEGED AND NEEDY FAMILIES HERE.
AND IN DOING SO, WE MAKE THE PARISH BETTER AND SAFER FOR EVERYBODY, EVEN IF YOU DON'T ACTUALLY NEED OUR SERVICES, RIGHT? AND THE LAST THING I'M GONNA SAY IS WE ARE NOT A CITY FUNCTION.
WE ARE A PARISH FUNCTION, RIGHT? SO RE PROVIDE STATUTE 13, 16, 27 RIGHT? SAYS THAT THE PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE IS REQUIRED RIGHT? TO PROVIDE ALL OF OUR NECESSARY EXPENSES.
SO OTHER FOLKS THAT ARE UP HERE, THEY DON'T HAVE THAT.
THE LEGISLATURE HAS DIRECTED YOU GUYS TO DO THIS, RIGHT? UM, AND SO, AND I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, AND IT HASN'T BEEN ALL OF Y'ALL, THIS HAS BEEN OVER A LONG COURSE OF TIME.
THE, THIS, THE PARISH HAS NOT HISTORICALLY DONE THAT, RIGHT? THEY HAVE NOT LIVED UP TO THEIR OBLIGATION UNDER THE LAW.
UM, AND SO I, I WOULD JUST ASK YOU GUYS TO TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION, RIGHT? AND I CAN TELL YOU IF YOU WANT TO, YOU WANNA RUN DOWN LIKE BASICALLY THIS $72,000, I WOULD LOVE TO PUT NEW STUFF IN, RIGHT? BUT THIS IS JUST SO WE CAN TREAD WATER.
UM, THE WHAT, WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR.
IF YOU WANNA SIT HERE AND TALK ABOUT IT, I WILL GO, WE'LL RUN IT DOWN.
EVERYTHING THAT IF WE'RE FULLY FUNDED, WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO AND HOW IT'S GONNA IMPACT THE FAMILIES THAT NEED IT HERE, RIGHT? SO WHAT I'LL TELL YOU IS, LET'S SIT DOWN, GIMME THAT MONEY AND LIKE YOU'RE GONNA SEE US ROCKING AND ROLLING.
UM, BUT AT A MINIMUM, LIKE, DON'T TAKE AWAY THE MEAGER FUNDS THAT WE HAVE.
CAN YOU REPEAT THAT REVISED STATUTE PLEASE? UH, 13, 16, 27.
YOU OKAY? SO WANNA MAKE SURE SHE DIDN'T HAVE A FULL, FIRST OF ALL, UH, Y'ALL KNOW I'M READY TO BUILD A NEW BUILDING.
SO, SO, UM, I APPRECIATE YOU ALWAYS
[01:15:01]
COMING DOWN.EVEN THE PRESENTATION THAT THE BOTH OF YOU PUT TOGETHER THAT LED TO THE TASK FORCE TO BUILDING A NEW BUILDING SHOWS YOUR DEDICATION AND THAT YOU TRULY CARE.
WHAT I WOULD TALK ABOUT EVEN MORE SO IS HOW CRITICAL THE SERVICES THAT YOU GUYS ARE TALKING ABOUT ARE, BECAUSE WE WOULDN'T HAVE OUR DAS DOWN AT THE LEFT STATE LEGISLATURE TRYING TO PUT 12 YEAR OLDS WHEN LIFE SENTENCES FOR SB TWO, IF THE PROGRAMING THAT YOU PUT IN PLACE WORK THAN IT WOULD BE A PRECURSOR THAT THAT, THAT MITIGATED THEM HAVING TO COME BACK TO YOU AND PREVENTED RECIDIVISM.
SO IF EVERYTHING WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN THE NEWS IS PUBLIC SAFETY AND LOCKING UP LITTLE KIDS, WHY NOT PUT THE RESOURCES IN PLACE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO BRING THEM TO COURTS? SO OUT EVERY DEPARTMENT IN BATON ROUGE, I THINK THAT YOU GUYS, NOT JUST BASED ON WHAT YOU SAID TODAY, BUT WHAT'S BEEN IN THE HEADLINES ABOUT KIDS BEING LOCKED UP, GUN COURT, MAKING SURE THAT FAMILIES A WHOLE, ENSURING THAT THEY DON'T GO INTO THE FOSTER CARE SYSTEM BY PUTTING DRUG, UH, RESOURCES IN PLACE FOR PARENTS THAT ARE ADDICTED, BREAKING THAT FAMILY CURSE AND THAT FAM THAT THAT, THAT, THAT GENERATIONAL CYCLE OF POVERTY BY GIVING THEM RESTORATIVE SERVICES IS WHAT WE NEED.
AND WE DON'T DO THAT, THEN WE CAN BUILD MORE JAIL CELLS.
SO WE DON'T FUND YOU OUT EVERY DEPARTMENT OF CITY PARISH, THEN WE'RE FAILING IN PUBLIC SAFETY.
MY QUESTION, UH, IS FOR YOU, UM, SPECIFICALLY ON JUDGE MENTIONED THE 0.7 0.1, 1.11, UM, AND HE MENTIONED THAT IT WAS CURRENTLY NOT SPOKEN FOR OR NOT DEDICATED OR OBLIGATED TO ANYBODY.
I JUST WANT YOU TO SPEAK FROM AN ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE STANDPOINT, UM, WHY THAT IS AND ARE THERE ANY UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES IF THAT WAS RELEASED OR GIVEN TO THEM? UH, WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE APPROACH ON THAT? I THINK, UM, WE STILL HAVE NOT COME FORWARD WITH Y'ALL FOR THE, UH, 25% MATCH THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED FOR HURRICANE FRANCY.
THE DEBRIS THAT WAS PICKED UP IN, IN BATON ROUGE, TYPICALLY THAT IS WHERE WE GET OUR MATCHES FROM, IS FROM THAT BUDGET STABILIZATION FUND.
UH, WHEN YOU GET BELOW 5%, THE POLICY SAYS THAT YOU MUST RESTORE IT WITHIN A CERTAIN PERIOD IN LIGHT OF WHAT WE KNOW THAT'S FORTHCOMING.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE, UM, CONCERNING IF WE COULD NOT BUILD THAT BACK UP FROM A DEBT SERVICE BOND, UH, RATING, UH, SURVEILLANCE SITUATION.
OKAY, GOOD, GOOD, UH, INSIGHT.
BUT I THINK THE KEY WORD IN THERE, YOU SAID GET BELOW 5% AND I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I'M CLEAR.
I THINK IT WAS 5.1 WHATEVER, RIGHT? 5.11.
BUT WE'RE WORKING UP THE ESTIMATES FOR YOUR 25% MATCH ON THE STORM.
SO I DON'T KNOW THAT MATCH NUMBER YET, BUT I WOULD ENVISION IT WOULD PROBABLY EQUAL THE 0.11
SO YOU THINK IT'LL PUT US AT RISK OF, IF WE TAP INTO THAT, I MEAN FROM MY FINANCIAL RECOMMENDATION, I THINK YOU'RE VERY CLOSE.
AND WHAT IF WE HAVE A STORM IN 26 AND IN LIGHT OF, WE KNOW 26, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO A FULL YEAR OF ST.
GEORGE CORPORATION POTENTIALLY.
UH, YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE PAPER, RIGHT? UH, WE'RE IN A STORM NOW, RIGHT? WE'RE IN A STORM OF GUN VIOLENCE, RIGHT? SO WE CAN PREPARE FOR WHAT IFS WE WANT ALL, ALL DAY, ALL DAY LONG.
BUT I KNOW THAT WHAT I DREAD IS I DREAD OPENING UP THE NEWSPAPER TOMORROW MORNING, RIGHT? AND SEEING THE VICTIM.
AND THE VICTIM IS A KID THAT I'VE WORKED WITH AND TRIED TO, TRIED TO, TO HELP, RIGHT? OR IT'S THE SISTER-IN-LAW, RIGHT? OF SOMEBODY THAT IS A FRIEND OF MINE HAS PRACTICED IN FRONT OF ME, RIGHT? WHO WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT AND SHOT AND KILLED FOR NO REASON AT ALL, RIGHT? THAT IS WHAT I KNOW IS WE CAN TALK ABOUT WHAT IFS ALL DAY LONG, BUT EVERYBODY IN HERE KNOWS THAT EVERYBODY IN HERE COMPLAINS ABOUT IT, RIGHT? AND WE TALK ABOUT WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO ABOUT IT, RIGHT? AND THEN WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT IT? NOTHING.
WE WORRYING ABOUT ALL OF THIS OTHER STUFF, RIGHT? WE WORRY ABOUT ALL THIS OTHER STUFF.
WE COMPLAIN, WE SAY THAT THIS IS IMPORTANT AND OUR KIDS ARE IMPORTANT AND ALL OF THIS IS A PRIORITY, RIGHT? AND I'M SITTING OUT THERE IN THAT DUMP OF A BUILDING THAT, I'M SORRY, THIS IS WHERE, THIS IS WHERE SHE IS.
BUT LIKE I, IT IS LIKE IT IS IN ABSOLUTELY INFU.
THEY GOING, WE GOT TIME ON NOW.
WE DIDN'T HAVE IT THE FIRST HALF HOUR, WHATEVER, HOUR AND A HALF.
ANGIE, ANGIE, I ASKED YOU ABOUT THE WHOLE THING, UH, THE WHOLE 1.1.
IS THERE ANY PORTION OR PERCENTAGE OF THAT THAT GIVES YOU SOME COMFORT? UH, HALF OF IT.
[01:20:01]
25% OF IT.WHAT WAS 73? I THINK THAT WE COULD TALK ABOUT IT.
YOU, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GIVE AN ANSWER NOW, BUT Y'ALL HAD THAT CONVERSATION AND, AND GET BACK TO US, JUDGE.
HEY, I AND ANGIE, CAN YOU COME BACK TO THE MIC PLEASE? HOW MUCH MONEY DID YOU SAY WAS DEDICATED TO PUBLIC SAFETY? 51 50 5% OF THE GENERAL FUNDS.
DO WE HAVE 75,000 IN PUBLIC SAFETY? 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT HE'S ASKING FOR RIGHT NOW, WHERE WE COULD MOVE THAT MONEY OVER TO MAKE SURE, BECAUSE THE ISSUE RIGHT NOW IS NOT WITH ADULTS.
THE ISSUE RIGHT NOW IS WITH JUVENILES.
AND JUVENILES DON'T GO TO THE 19 JDC UNLESS THEY'RE TRIED AS AN ADULT, IF I UNDERSTAND THAT CORRECTLY.
WHICH IS WHY THEY'RE TRYING TO CHANGE SB TWO TO ALLOW A 12-YEAR-OLD TO BE SEEN AS AN ADULT WHO DOESN'T HAVE A FULLY FUNCTIONAL BRAIN.
BUT IF WE CAN GET THE FUNDING FOR THEM, WE CAN PRE, PRE PREVENT A 12-YEAR-OLD FROM SPENDING A LIFE SENTENCE IN ADULT FACILITY, 12-YEAR-OLD.
ANY IF SB TWO DOES KIDS OF, OF ANY AGE WITH CERTAIN CRIMES, NOT JUST 17 YEAR OLDS.
I TESTIFIED ON, I DO UNDERSTAND IT.
UM, SO CAN WE GO TO PUBLIC SAFETY BUDGET AND MOVE $75,000 OVER? I'D HAVE TO LOOK AT THE BUDGETS.
I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW THAT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD TODAY TO TELL YOU, YOU YES OR NO.
SO CAN WE MAKE A COMMITMENT EVEN IF WE HAVE TO PULL FROM MULTIPLE BUDGETS TO GET TO THAT $75,000? YES, SIR.
AND COUNCILMAN HUDSON? UH, I'LL ECHO SOME OF THE SENTIMENTS OF, UH, SOME OF MY COLLEAGUES.
I I DO FEEL LIKE GETTING YOUR FUNDING UP TO WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE IS, IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
I I WANT TO ASK, UH, REMIND, AND I KNOW YOU MENTIONED THIS IN YOUR COMMENTS, BUT I I I DON'T RECALL IT.
SO YEAH, THE SPECIFIC REQUEST IS 74,000 AND AND WHAT EXACTLY DOES THAT FUND? SO THE, THE $74,000 IS, AND I'D HAVE TO MY COURT ADMINISTRATOR HERE, CAN, IT'D BE BETTER TO TALK ABOUT THE EXACT, UH, SPECIFICS.
RIGHT? BUT OUT OF THAT $74,000 I THINK WE DID PRESERVE.
WHERE ARE WE? THIS IS, LOOK AT PAGE THREE AND YOU'LL SEE THE IMPACT OF THE 5% CUT, WHICH EQUATE TO THE APPROXIMATELY $73,000.
SO IN THE, AND THE HANDOUT Y'ALL GAVE US IS WHAT YOU'RE REFERRING TO? YES.
AND THE HANDOUT ON PAGE THREE TELLS YOU WHAT THE IMPACT OF THE 5%, WHICH IS EQUATED TO THE $73,000.
AND SO, UM, THAT WILL RESTORE US TO WHAT OUR ASK IS.
ALRIGHT, SO PERSONNEL VACANCIES, UH, REDUCED FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR IT RELATED EXPENDITURES RELATED TO OUR COMPUTER CASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, WHICH CAN IMPACT DAILY FUNCTIONING IN THE COURTROOMS AND FILE PROCESSING.
AND THEN THE THIRD POINT IS REDUCED PROGRAM PROGRAMMATIC EXPENDITURES FOR YOUTH AND SPECIAL PROGRAMS SUCH AS PROJECT MADE, A TRUANCY INITIATIVE.
UM, SO ANGIE, UH, AND THEN DANTE, IF YOU, IF, IF YOU HAVE THIS NUMBER TOO, UM, I KNOW WE'VE, THERE WAS AN EARLIER QUESTION ABOUT AVAILABLE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN DOLLARS.
UM, HAVE YOU GOTTEN THAT? I, I KNOW I'M PUTTING YOU ON THE SPOT.
HAVE YOU GOTTEN THAT NUMBER YET? YOU GOT IT.
SO UNENCUMBERED RIGHT NOW WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY NINE, BETWEEN EIGHT AND $9 MILLION, UH, THAT ARE UNENCUMBERED.
HOWEVER, I DO WANT TO JUST ARTICULATE, THERE'S BEEN A NUMBER OF, UM, ITEMS THAT WERE VOTED ON AT THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING AND THAT WILL BE VOTED ON AT THE NEXT COUNCIL MEETING, SPECIFICALLY FROM BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS WHERE A COUPLE MILLION DOLLARS ARE GONNA BE RIGHT ALLOCATED AND UNDER CONTRACT IN THE VERY, VERY, VERY NEAR FUTURE.
SO WHILE IT HAS NOT, THE CONTRACT HAS NOT YET BEEN EXECUTED FOR THE FULL $9 MILLION, A VERY SIGNIFICANT PORTION THAT A GOOD CHUNK OF THAT REALLY IS, IS ALREADY SPENT, RIGHT? YES.
'CAUSE SOME OF ALREADY GROUND STUFF, WE'VE ACTUALLY ALREADY DONE SOME OF THE WORK.
UM, ALRIGHT, UM, ANGIE, UM, CAN I COMMENT WHAT WE LOOKING AT AND WHAT THEY WANNA DO WITH THE 74,000? WOULD ANY OF THAT BE AVAILABLE FOR AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN? AND THEN I JUDGE, I'LL CERTAINLY, WHATEVER ONE STATEMENT YOU WANT MAKE, SHE MAY ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
ARE YOU ASKING ABOUT THE AMERICAN RESCUE OR YES, I'M ASKING ABOUT AMERICAN RESCUE.
WOULD ANY OF THE STUFF THAT THEY'VE OUTLINED IN THEIR PROPOSAL BE ELIGIBLE FOR AMERICAN RESCUE DOLLARS? I MEAN, I'M ASSUMING PERSONNEL VACANCIES WOULD NOT BE ELIGIBLE.
IT'S REALLY LIKE SPECIALIZED PROGRAMMING WOULD.
[01:25:01]
WOULD BE ELIGIBLE.BUT I DO WANNA SAY THAT I HAVE BEEN WORKING TIRELESSLY WITH EVERY DEPARTMENT MICROMANAGING THAT THEY GET THEIR STUFF ENCUMBERED.
SO I WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE TABLE AND SEE WHO HAS MADE, NOT WHO HAS NOT MADE COMMITMENTS YET.
BUT I'M PRETTY SURE, I MEAN, WE'RE DOWN TO THE WIRE THAT RIGHT? YEAH.
EVERYTHING IN MY OPINION IS, IS INTENDED TO BE ENCUMBERED BY 1231.
SO I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE SOMETHING AWAY FROM SOMEONE TO BE HONEST WITH YOU.
UM, JUDGE, DID YOU WANNA MAKE A COMMENT? YES.
WELL, I, JUDGE HANEY WAS, WAS, WAS GETTING FRUSTRATED AT ONE POINT AND AS SOON AS I HEARD MONEY THAT IS SET ASIDE FOR BUILDINGS, UM, FOR THE CITY PARISH AND, UM, AND I'VE BEEN TO THIS COUNCIL, UM, ON MANY OCCASIONS.
AND IN MATTER OF FACT, EVERY DAY WHEN I DRIVE TO WORK, I PASS A NEW BUILDING THAT HAS BEEN BUILT AND I'M ALWAYS REMINDED OF THE THREE BUILDINGS DOWN THE STREET FROM US, MOSQUITO CONTROL, THE ANIMAL SHELTER.
AND THERE'S ONE OTHER BRAND NEW PROVIDE SERVICES THAT THIS CITY NEEDS.
SO WE LOOK AT WHAT THEY DO AND WE LOOK AT WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR.
THE QUESTION THAT I HAVE IS, WHICH ONE IS MORE IMPORTANT? WHERE IS OUR PRIORITIES? IT HAS TO BE IN OUR CHILDREN.
AND WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR MILLIONS.
WE'RE ASKING TO BE RESTORED FOR LESS THAN $75,000 TO KEEP A IT SYSTEM IN PLACE THAT'S PROBABLY OVER 30 YEARS OLD.
SO IF WE HAVE A PROBLEM, WE CAN SOLVE THAT PROBLEM SO THAT WE CAN SERVE THE COMMUNITY, THE PEOPLE THAT WE SERVE, THE CHILDREN, THEIR PARENTS, THEY HAVE NO STATUS TO COME BEFORE YOU.
THEY HAVE NO FUNDS OR MONEY TO ADVOCATE FOR THEMSELVES.
WE ARE IT, AND WE'RE GONNA SHOW UP EVERY TIME THERE'S A CUT.
EVERY TIME WE SAY THROUGH OUR POCKET BOOKS THAT OUR KIDS AND OUR FAMILIES DO NOT MATTER AS MUCH, WE WILL BE DERELICT IN OUR DUTIES TO LET YOU BELIEVE THAT THAT IS TRUE.
SO WHEN I HEAR ABOUT A BUILDING NOW YOU NEED TO KICK ME.
I'M GONNA HAVE TO, WELL, LET ME, LET ME, LET ME BACK UP ON, ON WHAT YOU'RE SAYING THERE BE AM I OKAY? YEAH.
SO, UH, I, I WILL TALK ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE MISPLACED PRIORITIES IN THIS PARISH.
UH, AND UH, I'M NOT GONNA GO INTO IT A LOT, BUT IT DEFINITELY IS TIME THAT WE RE REVISIT THAT CONVERSATION ABOUT WHERE THOSE PRIORITIES ARE AND APPROPRIATELY FUNDING SOME OTHER FUNCTIONS WITHIN THE PARISH.
SO I WOULD LOVE TO CONTINUE THAT CONVERSATION WITH YOU.
THE OTHER THING THAT I'LL TOUCH ON IS, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT, UH, YOUR REVENUE SOURCES ARE ESSENTIALLY ALL GENERAL FUND.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU HAVE A PARISH WIDE FUNCTION THAT IS NOW LARGELY FUNDED, UH, FROM REVENUE THAT IS GENERATED JUST WITHIN THE, THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE.
UM, AND I SAY THIS AS, AS SOMEBODY THAT REPRESENTS THE, YOU KNOW, A AREA THAT IS LARGELY ST.
GEORGE, THAT'S PROBLEMATIC, RIGHT? UM, IT'S NOT JUST THE FUNCTION OF THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE TO TO FUND THE, A PARISH WIDE FUNCTION IN JUVENILE COURT.
UM, SO I THINK THERE NEEDS TO BE A LARGER CONVERSATION AROUND A MILLAGE, UH, THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR YOU ALL, A PARISH WIDE MILLAGE THAT WOULD BE AVAILABLE FOR YOU ALL.
AND THAT TAX FREE DEDICATION CONVERSATION, UH, MAY BE A WAY TO, UM, TO HANDLE THAT.
I WOULD SUGGEST YOU LOOK AT LIKE JEFFERSON PARISH, WHICH IS THE COMP FOR, FOR US, RIGHT? THEY HAVE DEDICATED FUNDING.
OUR BUDGET IS ONE POINT, WHATEVER THEIR BUDGET IS SIX AND CAL CALCA DEDICATED.
I MEAN, THE IDEA THAT LIKE LAKE CHARLES IS THIS MUCH FURTHER AHEAD AND THIS MUCH BETTER THAN THE CAPITAL CITY, RIGHT? I MEAN IT, YOU KNOW, ABSOLUTELY COUNCILMAN GO, THAT DOESN'T MATTER WITH LAKE CHARLES JUDGE, THAT'S WHERE I'M FROM.
AND ROWDY
THEY'RE, I WAS TALKING TO THEM YESTERDAY, THEY ARE DOING REALLY GOOD, THEIR FACILITY, IT'S AMAZING.
THEY'RE DOING REALLY GOOD STUFF.
AND I DO WANT A POINT OF CLARIFICATION 'CAUSE I DON'T WANT TO BE MISLEADING.
IN OUR NUMBER FOUR, SLIDE NUMBER FOUR TO WHAT COUNCILMAN HUDSON SAID, THERE IS A JEF FUND THAT WE HAVE THAT WE ARE USING TO PAY AND TO OFFSET THESE THINGS, BUT
[01:30:01]
IT'S NOT SUSTAINABLE.YOU ESTABLISHED THAT YOUR JURISDICTION IS PARISH WIDE, CORRECT? YES.
SO YOU'LL SEE, YES, YOU'LL SEE JUVENILES FROM ACROSS EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
DO YOU TRACK WHERE THOSE JUVENILES RESIDE? UH, WE, WE, I DON'T HAVE THAT HERE.
WE CAN, WE DO, WE DO KEEP THAT INFORMATION.
YOU, YOU, YOU DO TRACK THE INFORMATION.
AND YOU COULD IN YOUR BUDGET ALLOCATE A COST PER JUVENILE.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S THE APPROPRIATE WAY, WOULD BE THE APPROPRIATE WAY TO DO THAT.
BECAUSE NUMBER ONE, CRIME AFFECTS EVERYBODY IN THE PARISH.
NUMBER TWO, A JUVENILE FROM WEST BATON ROUGE PARISH COMMITS A CRIME ANYWHERE IN THE PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE.
AND WE DO, WHAT WE DO NOT DO IS WE DO NOT TRACK THE SPECIFIC LOCATION WHERE AN OFFENSE OCCURRED WITHIN THE PARISH.
'CAUSE WE DON'T REALLY HAVE A WAY OF GETTING THAT INFORMATION THAT WOULD'VE TO COME FROM THE DA'S OFFICE.
AND UH, SO, AND WE HAVE THE ZIP CODE OF THE KIDS WHO COME INTO THE, WHEN THE CASES WE HAVE ZIP CODES, BUT OUR POPULATION IS TRANSIENT.
AND SO USING THE ZIP CODE TODAY DOES NOT MEAN THE SAME THING IN, IN THREE MONTHS.
AND SO WE'RE MINDFUL OF TRYING TO PULL DATA THAT MIGHT NOT TELL THE A TRUE NARRATIVE.
MINE WAS MORE TO THE POINT OF INSTEAD OF LEANING ON A A MILLAGE, COULD WE ALLOCATE YOUR COSTS WITHIN EBR PARISH AND INCLUDE MUNICIPALITIES IN IT? AND, AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S AN SOMETHING TO EXPLORE IN MY OPINION.
SO, AND NOT JUST BE TO, TO MY COLLEAGUE'S POINT, NOT JUST BE CITY PARISH RELIANT FOR GENERAL FUND.
THANK Y'ALL SO VERY MUCH FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DO.
AND I CAN TELL YOU, UM, I'VE BEEN TO JUVENILE COURT, I PRACTICE OUT THERE ON A RARE OCCASION, AND THERE'S NOT A PERSON IN THIS ROOM THAT WOULD WANNA SIT ON ANY OF THE FURNITURE OR DROP SOMETHING ON THE CARPET AND PICK IT UP WITHOUT HAVING A TON OF ICK AND BE COMPLETELY DISGUSTED BY THE WAY THAT THINGS LOOK THERE.
AND I KNOW THAT Y'ALL DO EVERYTHING YOU CAN TO KEEP IT NICE AND KEEP IT CLEAN, BUT IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST OLD AND IT'S DILAPIDATED.
UM, I, I REALLY THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT THE REVISED STATUTE.
'CAUSE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT REVISED STATUTES TONIGHT, BUT THE 13, 16, 27, WHICH IMPERTINENT PART SAYS, UM, WE SHALL ALSO MAKE ALL NECESSARY PROVISIONS FOR THE CONDUCT OF THE BUSINESS OF THE JUVENILE COURT AND PROVIDE ALL NECESSARY EXPENSES IN CONNECTION WITH ITS OPERATION.
AND WHEN IT SAYS WE, IT'S THE PARISH OF EAST BATON ROUGE.
AND WE SIT HERE AS A CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT, BUT WE ALSO REPRESENT CERTAIN PARTS.
WE HAVE ZACHARY, WE HAVE CENTRAL, WE HAVE BAKER BAKER, THE CITY OF ST.
UM, SO I THINK THAT FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ANALYZING THIS BUDGET THIS YEAR AND FOR YEARS TO COME FORWARD, WE MIGHT HAVE TO LOOK AT A DECONSOLIDATION OF THE BUDGET IN THE SENSE OF WHO'S PAYING FOR WHAT.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT DOES CENTRAL CONTRIBUTE AS A PARISH WIDE OFFICE TO JUVENILE COURT? WHAT DOES BAKER, WHAT DOES ZACHARY, WHAT DOES THE CITY OF ST.
GEORGE, BECAUSE UNLIKE CITY COURT WHERE WE DO HAVE TRAFFIC IN AND OUT, THERE ARE CITY COURTS IN ZACHARY, THERE ARE CITY COURTS IN THOSE OTHER SMALL CITIES.
AND I'M SURE THERE'S ONE TO COME IN THE CITY OF ST.
BUT WITH JUVENILE COURT AND WITH THE 19TH JDC, THAT SERVES THE ENTIRE PARISH.
AND I THINK THAT, THAT WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES AND HOW, ALTHOUGH WE'RE CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT, WE NEED TO LOOK AND SEE WHERE THOSE FUNDS ARE COMING FROM AND MAKING SURE THAT EVERYONE IS PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE FULLY FUNDED.
SO WHETHER THOSE CONVERSATIONS START NOW OR AFTER THIS BUDGET IS APPROVED, I THINK IT'S VITALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT FUNDING COMES FROM THOSE PLACES.
AND THEN WE CAN TALK ABOUT MAYBE TAXING PEOPLE ADDITIONALLY TO FUND JUVENILE COURT.
BUT AS, AS WE SIT HERE TODAY, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT.
WE NEED TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS, I THINK FOR THE FIRST YEAR AND QUITE SOME TIME WE'RE LOOKING AT CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICES AND FUNDING THEM IN A DIFFERENT LENS THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE TO LOOK AT BEFORE OR MAYBE WE SHOULD HAVE LOOKED AT BEFORE.
BUT I CHALLENGE ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DON'T HAVE THIS CONVERSATION WITH YOU NEXT YEAR.
AND THAT YOU AREN'T HAVING TO BRING YOUR OWN OFFICE SUPPLIES, YOUR OWN PAPER AND RELY ON THE PUBLIC DEFENDER'S OFFICE, WHICH IS ALSO POORLY FUNDED, UM, TO, TO GIVE YOU THOSE THINGS.
SO, UM, I WILL, I WILL SAY, I'LL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO MAKE SURE THAT Y'ALL ARE FUNDED, UM, AND MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE
[01:35:01]
WHAT YOU NEED, EVEN IF THAT'S A CONTINUING DISCUSSION.BECAUSE OFTENTIMES, AND WE'LL SIT HERE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE YEAR AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT CRIME AND WHAT AN IMPACT IT HAS, AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT RECIDIVISM AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT ALL THESE THINGS NOT GOING TO THE SOURCE AND THE SOURCE OF THE CHILDREN.
AND THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT YOU SEE LATER IN THE 19TH, JDC.
AND I KNOW Y'ALL KNOW THAT MORE THAN ANYTHING, BUT FOR THE PUBLIC TO UNDERSTAND THAT Y ARE, Y'ALL ARE A MAIN SOURCE OF STOPPING IT AND, AND KEEPING IT FROM REOCCURRING.
I'LL COMMIT TO YOU GUYS TO HELPING YOU IN ANY WAY THAT I CAN AND TO CONTINUE TO CONTINUE THOSE CONVERSATIONS.
APPRECIATE YOU LISTENING TO US.
SO YOU'RE KICKING AND SCREAMING ME MAY BRING YOU SOMETHING
I KNOW THE MAYOR'S OFFICE, THEY'RE TIRED OF ME.
SO AT THIS TIME WE'LL ASK THE USS KID GENTLEMEN THAT COME RIGHT ON.
NOW THAT'S A POWERFUL PRESENTATION TO FOLLOW.
UH, COUNCILWOMAN COLE, I WANT TO FIRST THANK YOUR OFFICE FOR HELPING ME TO SPEAK HERE.
I MOVED TO BATON ROUGE THREE YEARS AGO AND I WENT TO LSUA LONG TIME AGO.
SOME FRIENDS ASKED ME IF I'D TAKEN AN APPOINTMENT FROM THE GOVERNOR ON THE COMMISSION, LOUISIANA NAVAL WAR MEMORIAL COMMISSION TO HELP THAT COMMISSION BECAUSE THEY, THE SHIP WAS IN A LOT OF TROUBLE.
I WAS A LAWYER IN WASHINGTON DC AND I WAS GENERAL COUNSEL OF THE GENERAL SERVICE ADMINISTRATION UNDER DE BUSH 43 AND DID A LOT OF OTHER THINGS.
GENERAL COUNSEL OF A BANK, GENERAL COUNSEL OF A BIG CONSTRUCTION COMPANY.
I'VE SCREWED UP A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS.
UM, BUT THEY ASKED ME TO GO ON THIS COMMISSION, SO I DID.
SO THE FIRST THING THEY DID WAS THEY SAID, WE'RE GONNA PUT YOU IN CHARGE OF THIS SHIP.
WELL, I WAS NEVER IN THE NAVY.
I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE SHIPS.
THEY SAID I KNEW ABOUT THE CONSTRUCTION AND I, I WAS OUTSIDE COUNSEL FOR MANY YEARS FOR THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS.
SO I SAID, OKAY, I'LL TRY, BUT I DON'T KNOW ANYBODY HERE SAID WE'RE GONNA GET MONEY FROM THE LEGISLATURE.
I DIDN'T GET THE MONEY, BUT THEY PUT ME IN CHARGE OF THE PROJECT.
AND THE STATE THEN SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW A LOT ABOUT THIS.
SO THEY TURNED OVER THE CONTRACTING TO ME.
SO I DID ALL THE PROCUREMENT, I DID THE CONTRACTING.
I NOW SUPERVISED THE SHIPYARD.
I'VE GIVEN YOU ALL A, A BRIEF STATEMENT OF WHY I'M HERE.
UH, AND GIVEN YOUR SCHEDULE, THE LIKELIHOOD THAT YOU'VE HAD A CHANCE TO READ IT IS SLIM.
UM, BASICALLY, UH, WE STARTED PLANNING, THE SHIP NOW IS IN HOA.
UH, WE THOUGHT THE SHIP WOULD COME BACK IN EARLY JANUARY OF 2025.
THE SHIP HAS GOT A LOT MORE DAMAGE BELOW THE WATER LINE THAN ANYONE EXPECTED.
THEY DID A LOT OF TESTS, BUT TILL THEY GOT IT UP IN THE DRY DOCK, THEY DIDN'T FIND IT.
SO I'VE NOW SPENT ABOUT THREE WEEKS RENEGOTIATING THE CONTRACTOR'S SHIPYARD.
EVERYTHING'S FINE WITH THE SHIP.
HOWEVER, THE REVENUES AT THE MUSEUM JUST FELL RIGHT OFF THE CLIFF WHEN THE SHIP LEFT AND IT'S NOT COMING BACK NEARLY AS SOON AS WE THOUGHT IT WAS.
WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO KEEP THE MUSEUM OPERATING OR TO KEEP IT IN EXISTENCE WITH THE STAFF SO THAT WE GET THE SHIP BACK.
WE TOOK SIX MONTHS UNLOADING STUFF OFF THAT I, I'VE SORT OF INTRODUCED MYSELF, UH, JUST 'CAUSE I AM NEW.
I SAID, I'VE MET YOU
BUT YOUR, YOUR STAFF WAS VERY NICE 'CAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO GO ABOUT COMING HERE.
UM, WE'RE IN THE BUDGET FOR $318,530.
UM, I'VE COME HERE AND THE PAPER SAYS WE WANT $400,000 INSTEAD OF THE THREE 18, BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS WE GOTTA HAVE IT IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
I'VE GOTTA GET A LOT MORE MONEY PROBABLY FROM THE STATE FOR OPERATING FUNDS.
CAN'T LOOK TO YOU ALL FOR THIS.
IT'S A STATE ASSET, NOT A CITY ASSET.
BUT I CAN'T GET THAT MONEY, CAN'T GET A SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION IN UNTIL PROBABLY JULY ONE.
I'VE GOTTA KEEP THIS, I'M THE NEW CHAIRMAN OF THIS COMMISSION.
IF I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT, THAT'S MY REWARD FOR HAVING DONE THE, UH, WORK AND
[01:40:01]
GETTING THE SHIP CONTRACT AND, AND THAT, AND NONE OF THE COMMISSIONERS ARE PAID ANYTHING FOR THIS.I'VE BEEN PLEASED TO HAVE A CHANCE TO BE INVOLVED IN SOMETHING THAT'S IMPORTANT TO THIS COMMUNITY.
MY WIFE GREW UP HERE AND THAT'S WHY WE MOVED BACK HERE FROM WASHINGTON DC I KNOW IT'S DANGEROUS TO SAY I COME FROM THERE.
I DON'T REALLY, I LIVE IN MARYLAND, BUT I PRACTICE LAW IN WASHINGTON AND I THINK I HAVE LEARNED ENOUGH TO BE HELPFUL TO THIS COMMISSION AND THEY'VE NOW ELECTED ME AS CHAIRMAN AND I'M GONNA TRY TO DO THE BEST JOB I CAN.
BUT, AND LISTENING TO THE GENTLEMAN BEFORE ME, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS WE HAVE TO GET THE $318,000 DURING THE COURSE OF THE NEXT SIX MONTHS.
IF, IF, IF YOU CAN DO THAT FOR US, I'M PREPARED TO SAY NO, DON'T GIMME $400,000.
TAKE THE $82,000 AND GIVE IT TO THE JUVENILE COURT BECAUSE WE ARE TRYING TO HELP KIDS.
I'D LIKE YOU TO MEET PARK STEVENSON, WHO IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR NAVAL ACADEMY GRADUATE.
AND IT'S AMAZING THAT WE'VE GOT A GENTLEMAN LIKE THIS TO BE OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.
HE HAS REWRITTEN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
BIG PART OF IT IS EDUCATION, WORKING WITH THE TITLE ONE SCHOOLS AND REALLY TRYING TO DO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HELP THEM NOT GO TO THE JUVENILE COURT.
JUVENILE COURT'S IMPORTANT, TRY TO TURN THEIR LIFE AROUND, BUT IT'S A LOT BETTER TO TRY TO NOT HAVE THEM GO TO THE JUVENILE COURT.
WE'RE GONNA TRY TO BE THAT KIND OF FORCE.
I'M TALKING WITH SEVERAL OF THE BIG COMPANIES AROUND WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THE SAME KIND OF THINGS.
I THINK I'M GONNA GET SOME FUNDING FOR WHAT PARKS IS WRITTEN, BUT I NEED FOR YOU TO HELP US.
AND IF YOU, IF YOU JUST TELL US, WE'LL GIVE YOU THIS MONEY ON A MONTHLY BASIS THAT WE'VE APPROPRIATED IN THE BUDGET, WE CAN MAKE THIS.
WE'VE GOT OUR, OUR LOSS EVERY MONTH DOWN TO ABOUT 50,000.
YOU DIVIDE THAT 318 BY SIX, THAT'S ABOUT 51,000 BUCKS.
PARKS IS GONNA KILL ME FOR SAYING THIS BECAUSE HE'S BEEN COUNTING ON THE $66,000 A MONTH.
BUT I THINK WHAT THOSE GUY, WHAT THE JUVENILE COURT SAID WAS RIGHT, I JUST NEED YOUR HELP FOR SIX MONTHS.
I'VE GOTTA GET A LOT MORE HELP FROM SOMEWHERE ELSE, BUT YOU GOTTA HELP ME AND KEEP THIS, KEEP THIS MUSEUM OPERATING AND KEEP OUR STAFF TOGETHER.
WE'VE NOW JUST GOT SEVEN FULL-TIME, THREE PART-TIME.
I CAN'T EVEN MAINTAIN THE BUILDING.
ANYBODY WANT TO ASK ME ANY QUESTIONS? JEN? ROCKHAM.
COUNCILWOMAN ADAMS. UH, I WANNA THANK YOU, UM, FOR COMING HERE.
AND I I'VE MET, UH, MR. STEVENS AS WELL.
UM, AND HAVE, YOU KNOW, EN ENJOYED MY TIME AT, AT THE MUSEUM AND ON THE SHIP.
UM, AND DO SEE IT AS A VALUABLE ASSET.
UM, I'D, I'D, I'D LIKE TO CONNECT WITH Y'ALL IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO AND, AND, AND JUST TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENT AVENUES, UM, THAT ARE ARE AVAILABLE.
UM, YOU KNOW, MAYBE SOME, SOME DONOR OPPORTUNITIES IN TOWN AS AS WELL.
SO I KNOW I DO UNDERSTAND THE TIMING ON THE SHIP.
I DID, I I KNEW THE TIMING WAS TOUGH ON THE SHIP BECAUSE OF THE, THE RISING AND FALLING LEVEL OF THE, UH, THE MISSISSIPPI.
SO YOU CAN ONLY GET IT OUT AT A CERTAIN TIME.
YOU CAN ONLY GET IT BACK AT A CERTAIN TIME.
I HAD NOT HEARD THAT THE HU HAD MORE DAMAGE THAN WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY, UM, THOUGHT AND WAS GONNA TAKE WHAT? GONNA TAKE MORE WORK? YEAH.
IT'S, IT'S A LOT MORE DAMAGE AND WE WON'T GET THE SHIP OUT OF THE SHIPYARD UNTIL ABOUT JUNE 30 NOW.
MAYBE WE WON'T, BUT WE PROBABLY WILL.
AND, UH, I'M SURE YOU KNOW, MORE DONORS THAN I DO LIVING HERE THREE YEARS.
I HAVEN'T, HAVEN'T MET ANY OF THE REAL DEEP POCKETS YET.
LET'S, UM, BUT I, I THINK THERE'S SOME PEOPLE CONNECTED WITH THE MUSEUM WHO PROBABLY DO KNOW WHERE THOSE DEEP POCKETS ARE.
UH, I'VE, I'VE TALKED TO A LOT OF THEM HAVE, AND THERE'S A LOT OF, THERE'S A LOT OF DONOR, UH, I THINK EXHAUSTION AROUND AMONG AN AWFUL LOT OF THE PEOPLE.
SOME OF IT WENT INTO THE POLITICAL CAMPAIGN.
THERE IS A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF DONOR EXHAUSTION.
UM, IT'S PROBABLY THAT DISTRICT ONE RACE.
IT'S JUST TEARING EVERYBODY UP,
UM, ANYWAY, UM, WE THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS TO, UM, AND, AND YOURS TO, TO PRESERVE THE, THE KID.
WE DO UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S VERY SPECIAL.
IT'S VERY SPECIAL THAT WE HAVE IT.
UM, AND ON, YOU KNOW, OUR RIVERFRONT HERE.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DEFINITELY
[01:45:01]
APPRECIATE YOUR WORK.I THINK SOME OF THE OTHER, YOUR WORK, I THINK SOME OF THE OTHER, UH, VISIT BATON ROUGE HAS WRITTEN YOU ALL A LETTER SAYING HOW IMPORTANT THEY THINK WE ARE.
I THINK THE DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT HAS ALSO WRITTEN, UH, THE LADY NAMED MARY AND I CAN'T REMEMBER HER LAST NAME, WHO'S OVER AT THE OLD CAPITOL.
UH, SHE'S CALLED ME SEVERAL TIMES WITH OFFERS TO HELP AND EVERYTHING.
WE THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO GET OUR OPERATING FUNDING FROM ANOTHER PART OF THE GOVERNMENT AND HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS AND ACTUALLY I WAS FEELING PRETTY GOOD.
AND THEN I GOT A CALL AND SAID, NO, THAT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN.
SO THAT'S WHY I'M COMING TO YOU ALL PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT MORE URGENTLY THAN I WOULD'VE OTHERWISE BEEN.
BUT IF YOU CAN GUARANTEE ME THE, I GET THE MONEY IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS, SAY ON A MONTHLY BASIS, THAT COVERS MY LOSSES.
WE'VE PAIRED EVERYBODY WE CAN.
AND WE'LL, WE'LL HAVE, UH, I'M HAPPY TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH STAFF AND SEE, SEE WHAT WE CAN DO TO ASSIST WITH THAT.
AND, UM, I'M CERTAINLY IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH SENATOR FOYLE'S OFFICE.
SO WE'LL CON CONTINUE THAT CONVERSATION WITH THEM AND SEE, SEE WHAT WE CAN FIGURE OUT.
HE, HE, HE IS, BUT UH, SO I TALK MORE WITH HIS ASSISTANT THAN I TOLD HIM.
WELL, MEG HAS BEEN VERY HELPFUL.
I DON'T KNOW IF THE CAMERA'S ROLLING OVER THERE OR NOT, BUT I'LL TELL YOU STRAIGHT OFF THE BAT.
AND I WILL ASK THE CITIZENS OF EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH TO HELP SUPPORT, TO HELP DONATE, TO HELP UH, FUND SOMETHING FOR A FEW MONTHS.
WE LOOK, WE, WE ALL HAVE PROBLEMS RIGHT NOW, BUT I'LL MAKE A CALL OUT TO THE CITIZENS OF EAST BATON ROU PARISH AND ANY DONATIONS AND ANY DONORS THAT CAN HELP THE USS KID HELP US GET IT BACK HERE ON DOC, KEEP Y'ALL GOING, AND THEN WE CAN SEE WHERE WE CAN GO WITH THE FUNDING FROM HERE.
SO I'LL MAKE THAT CALL RIGHT NOW TO EVERYONE AND HOPEFULLY WE CAN, UH, GET SOME CALLS IN.
THEY CAN CALL MY OFFICE ANY ONE OF THESE COUNCIL MEMBERS' OFFICE AND LET'S SEE WHAT WE CAN DO FOR Y'ALL.
THAT'S IN ADDITION TO THE 318
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR ME? THANK YOU, SIR.
THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE TIME FOR SURE.
AND THE OPPORTUNITY, AND WE WANNA MAKE IT AN EVEN BETTER PART OF THIS CITY GOING FORWARD.
AND I THINK WE ARE, WE'VE JUST GOT A LITTLE HICCUP HERE.
SAFE, HAPPY, HEALTHY RECOVERING.
UM, IT IS, UH, A GREAT HONOR TO BE UP HERE.
IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHO I AM, Y'ALL.
UM, INITIALLY, BUT BATON ROUGE IS HOME NOW.
UM, CAME HERE FOR UNDERGRAD, UH, GRADUATED.
WENT UP TO GRAD SCHOOL FOR UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO BOULDER, WENT BACK TO LAKE CHARLES.
I TAUGHT MIDDLE SCHOOL HERE IN BATON ROUGE UP UNTIL 2021.
UM, THEN WE OPENED UP BRASS DOWNTOWN, WHICH IS HOW I GOT INVOLVED LIVE AFTER FIVE.
AND HOW I REALLY KNEW THAT BATON ROUGE WAS MY HOME AND WHAT LIVE AFTER FIVE COULD BE, AND WHAT LIVE AFTER FIVE IS FOR THE CITY.
SO I'M HERE ASKING FOR SAME THING.
WE GOT, SAME THING WE GOT MAYBE A LITTLE MORE, BUT WHAT I WAS ABLE TO DO WITH THE 75,000 PLUS THE 7,500 SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET THAT WE GOT FROM THE CITY, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME.
SO IF YOU LOOK ON THE PRESENTATION, IF YOU LOOK ON THE SECOND PAGE, YOU'LL SEE THIS IS FROM DDD DATA PLACER AI, THAT THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE VERO ACTUALLY WERE ABLE TO, UM, GROWTH OR TO, UH, TRACK GROWTH FOR THE FIRST TIME.
THE DD HAS THIS, UM, THIS DATA SOFTWARE THAT ABLES TO, THEY CAN TELL HOW MANY PEOPLE COME INTO THE CITY, WHERE THEY COME FROM, BUT NOT INDIVIDUALIZED.
SO EVERYBODY'S PRIVACY'S PROTECTED.
BUT FROM THE BUDGET THAT WE WERE JUST ABLE TO DO, WE HAD A 39% INCREASE IN CROWD DESCENDANTS, 39% JUST WITHIN THIS YEAR.
UM, THIS I THINK HAS TO DO WITH NUMBER OF, NUMBER OF REASONS, WHICH YOU GO TO THE NEXT THING.
WE HAD BIGGER BANDS, WE HAD SOUTHERN AVENUE COME PLAY.
THEY'RE ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE.
THEY JUST GOT OFF A 12 LEG TOUR WITH THREE
[01:50:01]
OTHER PEOPLE.THEY WERE HEADLINING WITH THREE PEOPLE, JOHN MELLENCAMP, BOB DYLAN, AND WILLIE NELSON.
I KNOW I EMAILED WILLIE NELSON'S TEAM TO SEE IF HE CAN MAKE A GUEST APPEARANCE.
I DID NOT HEAR BACK UNFORTUNATELY.
UM, BUT BOOKING THOSE BIGGER BANDS, BUT ALSO DOING TARGETED ADVERTISEMENTS, BOOKING 'EM ON THE RIGHT DAYS.
SO SOUTHERN AVENUE, THEY'RE A MEMPHIS BASED SOUL BAND.
DO Y'ALL KNOW THE CLOSEST BIG CITY TO OXFORD, MISSISSIPPI, MEMPHIS SOUTHERN AVENUE PLAYED THE DAY BEFORE THE OLD MISS GAME.
UH, WE HAD LIL NATHAN ZKO, BIG TIMERS, OUR BIGGEST CROWD OF THE SEASON.
WE KNEW HE WOULD HAVE A LARGE DRAW FROM LAFAYETTE.
WE KNEW HE'D HAVE A LARGE DRAW FROM BATON ROUGE FROM NEW ORLEANS.
THAT WAS THE FRIDAY BEFORE THE SOUTHERN HOMECOMING GAME.
THAT WAS OUR BIGGEST CROWD WE'VE HAD YET.
UM, ANOTHER REASON, AND THIS IS WHERE THE SUPPLEMENTAL INCOME CAME FROM, UM, AND WHAT WAS SPENT TOWARD IS THE BRASS BAND.
THE SECOND LINE THAT WALKS DOWN THIRD STREET, UH, LED CONCERT GROWERS DOWN TO ALL THE LOCAL BARS ON THIRD STREET.
WENT TO A DIFFERENT BAR EACH TIME.
UM, WE KNEW WHICH ONES WE DON'T NEED TO GO BACK TO.
UM,
AND THEY LEFT THEIR, UH, IDS BACK WITH THEIR, UH, RESPECTIVE PEOPLE IN THE VIP AREA.
UM, SO THEY COULD NOT GET IN FUN TIMES.
BUT THE SECOND LINE AFTER THE SOUTHERN AVENUE, AFTER GEORGE PORTER JR.
AFTER LIL NATHAN ZKO, BIG TIMERS, HUNDREDS WALK DOWN THIRD STREET AND THEY CONTINUE.
THE SECOND LINE CONTINUES PLAYING FOR ADDITIONAL 30 MINUTES INSIDE THE BAR THAT WE GO TO.
AND THEN ALSO INCREASED ADVERTISING.
WHENEVER I CAME IN, I BECAME THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR IN JANUARY.
UM, I LOOKED AT THE BUDGET AND REALIZED THAT PER SEASON THEY WERE ONLY SPENDING A HUNDRED DOLLARS ON SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING, ON ANY ADVERTISING THAT WASN'T AN IN KIND DONATION.
UM, SO I JUST, I INCREASED THAT SIXFOLD $600 PER SEASON, A HUNDRED DOLLARS A CONCERT, GIVE OR TAKE.
UM, AND I THINK WITH ALL OF THAT IS HOW WE GOT THAT 39% INCREASE.
NOW, I'VE TALKED ABOUT DOWNTOWN A LOT, BUT LIVE AFTER FIVE DOES NOT JUST AFFECT DOWNTOWN.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE, UH, WHERE THE CROWD IS COMING FROM, WHERE'S THAT 39% COMING FROM, IF YOU LOOK AT THE MAP, WHICH I DON'T KNOW IF THE MAP'S IN COLOR OR NOT.
UM, SO IF YOU DO LOOK AT THE MAP, YOU'LL SEE A HEAT MAP OF WHERE PEOPLE ARE COMING FROM.
AND THIS IS NOT BASED ON POPULATION DENSITY, THIS IS BASED ON OVERALL POPULATION.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE AREAS OF CENTRAL DENIM SPRINGS, WHAT IS NOW ST.
GEORGE, UM, THOSE PEOPLE ARE COMING AND YOU CAN SEE IT ON THE MAP, THE RED SPOTS, BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE THE HIGHER POPULATION DENSITY AS, UH, BATON ROUGE PROPER DOES.
BUT PEOPLE ARE COMING FROM EVERYWHERE.
THEY'RE EVEN COMING FROM, AS YOU CAN SEE, GROSS TET FROM ROSEDALE, FROM PLAQUEMINE, ADDIS.
PEOPLE WHO WOULD NOT BE IN OUR CITY PARISH THAT NIGHT, BUT THEY'RE COMING TONIGHT.
THEY'RE COMING TO LIVE AFTER FIVE.
THEY, AND WE COULD EVEN BREAK DOWN EXACTLY HOW EVEN MORE REPRESENTATIVE LIVE AFTER FIVE'S CROWD IS BASED ON WHO MAKES UP THE CROWD.
SO IT CAN ACTUALLY BE BROKEN DOWN BY INCOME, BY RACE, AND UH, BY AGE.
SO SOME IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE, PARTICULARLY WHEN IT COMES TO WHO LIVE AFTER FIVE IS SERVING.
IF YOU ADD UP THESE PERCENTAGES, 75% OF THE PEOPLE ATTENDING LIVE AFTER FIVE HAVE A HOUSEHOLD INCOME OF LESS THAN A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, 50% LESS, ROUGHLY 50% LESS THAN $50,000 AS A HOUSEHOLD INCOME.
THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO NOT NECESSARILY STRUGGLING, NOT NECESSARILY IMPOVERISHED, BUT PEOPLE WHO REALLY CHERISH THE FREE ENTERTAINMENT THAT LIVE AFTER FIVE PROVIDES.
AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, IF YOU LOOK ALSO 75% HAVE AN INCOME OF OVER 25,000, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY DO HAVE MONEY TO SPEND WHEN THEY'RE DOWNTOWN.
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IF YOU LOOK AT THE AGES, IT IS ALMOST EVENLY DISTRIBUTED.WE HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, HIGHEST IS IN BETWEEN THAT IMPORTANT 25 TO 35 RANGE THAT EVERY SINGLE TELEVISION ADVERTISER IS TRYING TO ADVERTISE TO.
THAT IS THE HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF 20%.
BUT EVERYTHING FALLS WITHIN THAT 15 TO 20% RANGE OF AGE DISTRIBUTION.
AND ALSO WHEN YOU LOOK AT ETHNICITY, NOW THESE ARE NUMBERS COMPARED TO LOUISIANA OVERALL, BUT THESE ARE NOT NUMBERS COMPARED TO EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH NUMBERS, THE PERCENTAGE WHEN IT COMES TO ETHNICITY OF WHO COMES ALIVE AFTER FIVE MATCHES UP WITHIN TWO PERCENTAGE POINTS OF THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF EAST BATON ROUGE.
WE HAVE 59% OF OUR CROWD ARE BLACK EAST BATON ROUGE.
AND OUR OTHER TWO DIFFERENT, THAT 2% DIFFERENCE IS MADE UP IN THE WHITE POPULATION THAT COMES.
SO ALL THAT TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHERE PEOPLE ARE COMING FROM, AND PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHO IS COMING, IT MATCHES UP PRETTY MUCH ALL OF BATON ROUGE, ALL OF EAST BATON ROUGE IS COMING TO LIFE AFTER FIVE AND THEY ARE SPENDING MONEY.
IT'S A FREE CONCERT, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY HAVE MONEY TO SPEND ELSEWHERE.
WHETHER IT IS GETTING DINNER ON THE RIDE BACK THAT'S IN YOUR DISTRICT, WHETHER IT IS GOING TO THE BARS THAT ARE DOWNTOWN, WHETHER IT IS GOING TO A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT DISTRICT GONNA MEET UP WITH FRIENDS, THEY ARE SPENDING MONEY.
SO LIVE AFTER FIVE HAS A CASH BUDGET OF $220,000.
$75,000 OF THAT COMES FROM THE CITY.
EVERYTHING ELSE IS PRIVATELY RAISED.
UM, SO FROM THE CASH BUDGET THAT WE GET, NOT JUST FROM Y'ALL, BUT FROM PRIVATE FUNDERS AS WELL, ACCORDING TO VISIT BATON ROUGE DATA LIVE AFTER FIVE HAS A ECONOMIC IMPACT THIS YEAR OF $890,000.
THAT IS MONEY THAT IS GOING TO THE SALES TAX.
THAT IS MONEY THAT IS GOING TO BUSINESSES THAT CAN STAY OPEN TO PAY THEIR OCCUPATIONAL TAX.
THAT IS PEOPLE REALIZING THAT BATON ROUGE ISN'T SO BAD AND DECIDING TO STAY HERE FOR A LONGER TIME.
YOU KNOW, THAT'S A FOUR TO ONE RETURN ON INVESTMENTS.
NOW, THAT'S A LOT OF NUMBERS, IT'S A LOT OF DEMOGRAPHICS, IT'S A LOT OF WHAT IFS, WHAT IFS, WHAT IFS.
BUT THERE'S A A FUN STORY THAT JUST HAPPENED THIS SATURDAY THAT I HAD TO INCLUDE.
SO WHAT MAKES LIVE AFTER FIVE SPECIAL? WHAT IS SO IMPORTANT ABOUT IT? WELL, THERE'S A COUPLE NAMED JOHN AND MARY CATHERINE.
I JUST WENT TO THEIR WEDDING ON SATURDAY.
UM, YOU GO TO LIVE AFTER FIVE, YOU MIGHT RECOGNIZE JOHN.
THERE'S BEEN VOLUNTEER THERE FOR THE PAST YEAR.
UM, WENT TO THE WEDDING AND I LEARNED A LOT OF THINGS PARTICULARLY DURING THEIR VOWELS.
VOWELS THEY HAD WRITTEN TO EACH OTHER.
BUT ONE THING THAT SURPRISED ME IN BOTH THEIR VOWS THAT THEY HAD WRITTEN SEPARATELY THAT THEY HAD NOT SEEN LIVE AFTER FIVE WAS MENTIONED FOUR TIMES.
JOHN INTRODUCED MARY CATHERINE TO HIS KIDS AT LIVE.
LIVE AFTER FIVE IS WHERE ESSENTIALLY THEY BECAME A FAMILY WHERE THEY FELL IN LOVE LIVE AFTER FIVE MADE.
JOHN AND MARY CATHERINE REALIZE THAT THEY WANT A FAMILY HERE.
THEY'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE ELSE.
THEY'RE PLANNING ROOTS HERE AND THEIR PAY SALES TAX, THEY'LL PAY OCCUPATIONAL TAX, THEY'LL DO ALL THAT.
IT BENEFITS US ECONOMICALLY, BUT ALSO IT BENEFITS US SPIRITUALLY, CULTURALLY THAT BATON ROUGE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO TO LAFAYETTE TO GO SEE A SHOW.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO TO NEW ORLEANS TO GO EXPERIENCE LOUISIANA CULTURE.
IT IS HERE AT THE CROSSROADS OF LOUISIANA, WHERE LOUISIANA CULTURE THRIVES.
AND THAT IS WHAT LIVE AFTER FIVE DOES.
NOW IF YOU LOOK AT THE PHOTOS THAT I PROVIDED, THEY ARE JUST A SNAPSHOT OF LIVE AFTER FIVE.
YOU SEE A COUPLE WHO'S BEEN MARRIED FOR 30 YEARS WHO ARE SHOWING OFF THEIR DANCING SKILLS.
YOU SEE A YOUNGER COUPLE TRYING TO PRACTICE THEIR SKILLS TO GET UP TO THAT LEVEL.
YOU SEE KIDS EXPERIENCING THE EXCITEMENT OF A LIVE CONCEPT FOR THE FIRST TIME YOU SEE KIDS MAYBE NOT BEING ABLE TO FORMULATE IT, BUT SAYING THAT GUY UP THERE LOOKS LIKE ME AND I WANT TO DO THAT ONE DAY.
[02:00:01]
THIRD STREET IN A WAY THAT TYPICALLY PHOTOS LIKE THAT ARE ONLY IN NEW ORLEANS, BUT THEY'RE HERE.UH, LIVE AFTER FIVE IS ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT MUSIC AND CULTURAL THINGS THAT BATON ROUGE HAS.
WE HAVE THE DATA TO BACK UP THAT IT IS ECONOMICALLY, ECONOMICALLY JUSTIFIABLE.
AND WE ALSO HAVE THE STORIES THAT I'M PRETTY SURE ALL OF YOU HAVE AT ONE POINT OF GOING LIVE AFTER FIVE, HAVING A GREAT TIME, AND HAVING THAT EXPERIENCE THAT MADE YOU WANNA STAY HERE.
I JUST ASK AS USS KISS USS KID DID AS JUVENILE COURT DID INVEST IN BATON ROUGE, INVEST IN WHAT MAKES PEOPLE STAY HERE.
BECAUSE WHEN PEOPLE STAY HERE, IT ALLOWS US TO GROW AND ALLOWS US TO, TO BE WHO WE ARE.
UH, SO I WANT TO FIRST OF ALL THANK YOU FOR WHAT Y'ALL DO AND BRING BRINGING ENTERTAINMENT TO BATON ROUGE.
I THINK Y'ALL ARE AN ESSENTIAL PART OF THE FABRIC OF WHAT WE DO HERE AND, AND WHAT ATTRACTS PEOPLE TO OUR CITY.
UM, AND, AND MAY, MAYBE MY NUMBERS ARE OFF AND ANGIE CAN TELL ME, BUT WHEN I LOOK AT AT $890,000, I THINK IT'S, IT IS POWERFUL.
BUT WHEN I MULTIPLY THAT TIMES 0.02 AND I FIGURE OUT WHAT THE RETURN IS ON TAX THAT GOES TOWARDS IT, IT MAY BE OFF A LITTLE BIT.
AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE DIRECT IMPACT IN TERMS OF A FEEL GOOD MM-HMM.
AND WE TALK ABOUT HOW IT, THIS BUDGET CUT, UM, THAT'S HAPPENING DUE TO THE ST.
GEORGIA CORPORATION AFFECTS HOW WE LIVE, WORK AND PLAY.
UM, I GOTTA TELL YOU, I LOVE COMING DOWN THERE.
AND IT'S A PRIORITY FOR MY FAMILY TO SPEND TIME THERE BECAUSE I LOVE IT.
BUT THE ADDITIONAL MONEY THAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR AFTER HEARING FOLKS LIKE JUVENILE COURT, WHEN WE HAVE A GUN VIOLENCE FRENZY WITH YOUNG TEENS, THEY'RE LOOKING FOR 75,000 OR WE HAVE THE USS KID THAT'S GONNA SHUT DOWN IF WE DON'T FIND A WAY TO FUND IT.
IT'S NOT THAT YOU'RE NOT IMPORTANT BECAUSE YOU ARE, YOU'RE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.
IT'S JUST WHERE YOU ARE ON THE IMPORTANT, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE IMPORTANT, IMPORTANT, URGENT, YOU KNOW? YES.
WHERE ARE YOU ON THAT QUADRANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS FUNDED? AND I HOPE THAT WE HAVE LIVE AFTER FIVES ALL OVER THE CITY, NOT JUST DOWNTOWN.
I HOPE YOU GROW AND, AND, AND YOU MAKE IT.
BUT FOR RIGHT NOW, I THINK THAT YOU GUYS ARE URGENT, BUT NOT URGENT.
AND I'M SORRY, YOU'RE A PRIORITY.
UM, YOU'RE IMPORTANT, BUT YOU'RE IMPORTANT, BUT NOT URGENT AT THIS POINT IN TIME BASED ON SOME OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE HEARD.
SO, AGAIN, I'M NOT AGAINST IT.
I THINK WHAT YOU'RE ASKING FOR IS IMPORTANT, IS VIABLE TO THE CULTURE OF THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE, BUT I THINK IT NEEDS TO COME AROUND AND MEET YOUR BUDGET SUPPLEMENT, UM, FOR THAT SECOND PHASE ALIVE AFTER FIVE IN THE FALL.
I THINK THAT'D BE A BETTER TIME WHEN WE SETTLE, WHEN WE TAKE SOME OF THE URGENT AND IMPORTANT THINGS LIKE PUBLIC SAFETY MM-HMM.
SO, UM, YOU MIND IF I RESPOND? ABSOLUTELY.
SO GOING BACK TO JUVENILE COURT, THEY, THEY NEED THAT MONEY.
BUT ALSO WHEN YOU LOOK AT WHAT LIVE AFTER FIVE DOES FOR THE SAFETY AND OVERALL SAFE CULTURE AND SAFE FEELING OF BATON ROUGE, WE'VE HAD A 39% INCREASE IN ATTENDANCE WITH ABSOLUTELY NO INCIDENT OF EVERY PART OF BATON ROUGE COMING TOGETHER AND REALIZING THAT THEY CAN HAVE A GREAT TIME TOGETHER.
FAMILIES, KIDS, I THINK LIVE AFTER FIVE PROMOTES THAT FAMILY STRUCTURE THAT JUVENILE COURT IS TRYING TO PROTECT AS WELL.
UM, NOW I KNOW THEY DO IT IN A MUCH MORE DIRECT WAY, BUT I THINK LIVE AFTER FIVE IS STILL AN ESSENTIAL COMPONENT TO THAT.
AND THE 75,000 IS NOT, UM, I'M ASKING FOR 75 MORE.
SO I'M ASKING TO RESTORE THAT 15,000 TO KEEP IT BACK FROM, 'CAUSE OUR CURRENT
[02:05:01]
BUDGET WOULD BE AT 60,000 FOR 2025.AND I WANT TO TELL YOU, I'M, HAVE YOU, I WANT YOU TO TAKE A TOUR, THE JUVENILE FACILITY AND THEN COME BACK OH, YES.
AND TELL ME THE PRIORITY LEVEL OF THAT 15.
AND I'M NOT, I'M NOT, I TELL YOU, I'M NOT ARGUING WITH YOU.
YOU COULD COME TO ME AND SAY THAT EVERY KID THAT THEY WANTED TO SAY WAS GONNA BE ALIVE AFTER FIVE AND THE MURDER DIDN'T HAPPEN THAT NIGHT.
BUT WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IN SOME OF THE COMMUNITIES THAT I SERVE IN THE, THOSE KIDS ARE NOT COMING ALIVE AFTER FIVE WHEN THEY HAVE CERTAIN ISSUES IN THOSE COMMUNITIES, THEY DON'T WANT TO BE IN THE SAME POPULATION BECAUSE THAT BEEF BETWEEN THOSE TWO DIFFERENT SIDES WILL CAUSE YOU TO SHUT LIVE AFTER FIVE DOWN IF THE WRONG THING HAPPENS THERE.
SO I CAN TELL YOU THAT NOT THAT ALL OF 'EM AREN'T COMMON SMOKE MAYBE.
BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF FOLKS ARE THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING DOWN IN OTHER AREAS OF TOWN WHILE Y'ALL AT LIVE AFTER FIVE.
AND AND THOSE KIDS ARE NOT TYPICALLY GOING TO BE IN THE SAME AREA TOGETHER.
OTHERWISE, IT PROBLEMS WOULD OCCUR.
I JUST FOR PERSONAL, FOR PERSONAL, UM, CURIOSITY, I DID LOOK UP THE PAST THREE YEARS OF LIVE AFTER FIVE DATES AND GOOGLED BATON ROUGE MURDER AND NO JUVENILE MURDERS HAVE OCCURRED AT LEAST WITHIN THE PAST THREE YEARS OF WHERE I LOOKED DURING A LIVE AFTER FIVE DATE.
AND I, I THINK THAT'S GREAT DATA.
I WOULD GO TO BRPD AND PULL THE REAL DATA.
AND IF THAT'S THE CASE, I SAID I GIVE YOU 500.
I WOULD, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT.
I WOULD, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT AS WELL.
I'M JUST, I'M CURIOUS AS WHAT IT DOES.
COUNCILMAN HUDSON, UH, LUKE, HOW DO YOU SAY YOUR LAST NAME AGAIN? LOON.
SO MY, MY MY, UH, SPANISH SPEAKING STUDENTS ALSO CALL ME, UH, MR. VOYA 'CAUSE IT IS FRENCH FOR, OR IT IS SPANISH FOR ONION.
SO, SO YOUR SPECIFIC REQUEST, JUST SO I CAN MM-HMM.
IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE ALSO ASKING FOR AN ADDITIONAL 15,000.
SO THAT WOULD BE, IF THERE WAS ANY, ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDING THAT COULD COME BECAUSE THAT DIRECTLY, UM, UH, HIRED THE SECOND LINE BAND THAT I THINK ACCOUNTED FOR A GOOD PORTION OF THE OVERALL 39% INCREASE IN ATTENDANCE.
SO MY FIRST QUESTION IS ON THE SECOND LINE BAND.
THAT, THAT, THAT MONEY IS STRICTLY FOR THE BRASS BAND THAT PLAYS DOWN.
IT'S FOR THE BRASS BAND AND FOR THE POLICE TO BLOCK OFF ROADS AS WE WALK DOWN.
AND SO, WELL FIRST LET ME MAKE SURE THAT, JUST FOR THE SAKE OF THE PUBLIC, MY UNDERSTANDING LIVE FIVE IS NOT A CITY PARISH ENTITY ANYMORE.
IT'S NOT A CITY PARISH, IT NEVER WAS FUNCTION.
YOU GUYS ARE A, A NON, OR YOU'RE A NONPROFIT OR YOU'RE A PRIVATE COMPANY, OR WE ARE A NON, WE ARE A NONPROFIT.
SO IT IS, IT HAS NEVER BEEN OFFICIALLY AN ARM OF THE CITY.
UM, IT WAS PREVIOUSLY PUT ON BY THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, UM, UP UNTIL THIS PAST YEAR.
UM, WHICH WAS 5 0 1 C SIX, WHICH PREVENTED, YOU KNOW, GRANT OPPORTUNITIES AND POTENTIAL DONATIONS.
UM, AND ALSO IT KIND OF GREW SO MUCH THAT IT GREW OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION BECAUSE OF HOW MANY PEOPLE IT WAS USUALLY STARTED TO GIVE DOWNTOWN WORKERS.
UM, A LITTLE SOMETHING TO DO ON FRIDAYS.
SO, SO I ASKED THAT QUESTION TO, TO GET TO THIS, WHICH IS YOUR NON-CITY PARISH REVENUE.
HOW ARE YOU DOING THERE YEAR OVER YEAR? WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? AND ARE YOU INCREASING ELSEWHERE? WE ARE INCREASING ELSEWHERE.
UM, WE CURRENTLY, BECAUSE WE'VE HAD, WE'VE HAD SOME ISSUES WITH THE ROLLOUT OF THE 5 0 1 C3, UM, AND CHANGE THE GO FROM DBA TO LIVE AFTER FIVE INC.
UM, WHERE JUST THAT THERE WAS INITIAL HESITANCY, SOME FROM SOME DOWNTOWN PEOPLE WHO HAD GIVEN US MONEY BEFORE, UM, THAT WE JUST HAD TO OVERCOME THEIR FEARS OF LEAVING DOWNTOWN PERMANENTLY.
BUT WE'RE NOT LEAVING DOWNTOWN.
WE WILL HOPEFULLY INCREASE OUR NUMBER OF SHOWS THAT WE DO TO COME TO COUNCILMAN HURST DISTRICT TO COME TO YOUR DISTRICT, UM, HOPEFULLY WORK WITH MUNICIPALITIES, CITY PAR, YOU KNOW, CITY'S BUDGETS, UM, TO HOPEFULLY WORK WITH THEM TO GET FUNDING FROM THEM, BECAUSE AS WE CAN SEE, IT IS NOT JUST A DOWNTOWN OR EAST BAT OR CITY OF BATON ROUGE, UM, EVENT.
IT IS AN EVENT WHERE PEOPLE FROM EVERY ONE OF YOUR DISTRICTS COMES AND LOOKS FORWARD TO COMING.
BUT JUST TO CLARIFY, WE'RE NOT GONNA END UP IN A SITUATION WHERE YOU'VE GOT MULTIPLE EVENTS IN, IN DIFFERENT MUNICIPALITIES ON A SINGLE NIGHT.
RIGHT? NOT ON, NOT ON A SINGLE NIGHT, NO.
THAT, THAT'S MAINLY MY, MY QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW, IF, IF THE CITY PARISH MONEY
[02:10:01]
IS NOT GONNA BE THERE, AND I I'LL JUST TELL YOU, I DON'T THINK IT'S GONNA BE THERE THIS YEAR.UM, THAT'S MY RECOMMENDATION IS I'M WORKING AS IF IT WASN'T.
APPRECIATE YOU COUNCILMAN MOOCH.
SO, UH, YEAH, I, LOOK, I'VE COME DOWN LIVE AFTER FIVE, EVERY OPPORTUNITY I GET, I THINK I'M MAD ONE OR TWO, UH, OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS.
BUT, UH, YOU'VE DONE A GREAT JOB WITH IT.
YOU'VE, I'VE SEEN YOU EXPAND IT.
I'VE SEEN YOU WORK HARD AT IT.
I'VE SEEN, UH, I MEAN, THE DISCUSSIONS THAT WE'VE HAD WITH THE CROWD ABOUT THE CROWDS AND EVERYTHING ELSE, THE SECOND LINE SUPPORTING THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES THAT LIVE AFTER FIVE HAS DONE AS FAR AS GROWING.
UH, AND THEN YOU'RE MARCHING TO PEOPLE DIRECTLY TO THIRD STREET, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED FOR YEARS ABOUT OUR ENTERTAINMENT AREA AND SO ON AND SO FORTH, AND HOW TO GET THE CROWDS.
YOU KNOW, I, I REMEMBER WE'D END UP AT EIGHT O'CLOCK, UH, WE'D END THE CONCERT OR WHATEVER, AND EVERYBODY JUST KIND OF DISPERSED, WELL NOW THEY'RE ACTUALLY GOING THROUGH THIRD STREET AND EVERYTHING.
WHAT DO THEY FOLLOW IN THE SECOND LINE OR JUST IN NATURAL GROWTH OF THIRD STREET? SO I, I COMMEND YOU ON THAT.
I, I THINK I HAVE TO AGREE WITH MY COLLEAGUES.
I, YOU KNOW, WHETHER WE COULD SQUEEZE IT OUT OR, OR WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE EXTRA $15,000.
BUT MY QUESTION IS, IS WHAT OF CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS? MM-HMM.
AND I SEE CORPORATE SPONSORS ALL ACROSS THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE, UH, WASTE MANAGEMENT, UH, REPUBLIC, ALL THESE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE THROWING THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS EVERY FIVE OR SIX WEEKS INTO A PARTICULAR EVENT OR SOMETHING.
UM, HAVE YOU HAD ANY CONTACT WITH SOME OF THESE LARGE, YOU KNOW, WHO ARE YOU THE CORPORATE SPONSORS? SO HAVE THEY GROWN OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS? THEY HAVE, THEY HAVE GROWN.
BUT WITH, SO JUST IN PARTICULAR, WASTE MANAGEMENT AND REPUBLIC, MOST OF THOSE ARE IN KIND DONATIONS.
IN EXCHANGE FOR, THEY'RE NOT ACTUAL CASH DONATIONS.
UM, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS, IT IS, UM, IT, IT EBBS AND FLOWS WITH THE ECONOMY.
UM, THEY OFTENTIMES SPEND MUCH MORE IN EMPLOYEE RETENTION OR, YOU KNOW, IF THEIR SECOND QUARTER HAD A, HAD A 2% CUT.
THAT IS COMING OUT OF PHILANTHROPIC DONATIONS.
SO, UM, IT TENDS TO EBB AND FLOW, BUT I CAN SAY JUST OFF THE TOP RIGHT HERE, UM, LET'S SEE IN, LET'S GO TO SPONSORS.
SO FOR THIS PAST YEAR IN PRIVATE SPONSORSHIPS FROM CITI, FROM, FROM OUTSIDE ORGANIZATIONS, UH, JUST FOR THE SPRING WE HAD, UH, 36,500 THAT WAS SPONSORED IN CASH.
UM, AND FOR THE FALL, LET'S LOOK AT THAT REAL QUICK.
THAT WAS FOR THE FALL 36,500 AND FOR THE SPRING WE HAD A 44,000.
SO THERE WAS A DROP IN THIS PAST.
SO, SO YOUR FALL SEEMS TO BE PRETTY MUCH HIGHER.
WHAT WE HAVE TWO PRETTY STRONG DOWNTOWN GROUPS.
UH, DDD, DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT AND, UH, VISIT BATON ROUGE.
UM, I, THEY BELIEVE THERE'S A ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORRIDOR OR SOMETHING.
HAVE THOSE, DO THOSE GROUPS VISIT, VISIT BATON ROUGE? UM, FINANCIALLY PUT IN OR JUST, UH, FOR SUPPORT VISIT? BATON ROUGE, UH, DOES GIVE 20,000.
AND, UH, THE DDD DOES NOT GIVE ANYTHING MONETARILY YET.
HERE WE ARE SUPPORTING THE DDD AREA SPECIFICALLY, UM, IN THAT AND AS FAR AS MONETARILY, NOTHING.
UM, AS FAR AS BUSINESS SPONSORSHIPS FROM THE DOWNTOWN, UH, BUSINESSES, UM, IS THAT GROWN OR STABLE OR, YOU KNOW, I GET IT THAT YOU'RE SENDING PEOPLE THEIR WAY, BUT IS ANY OF THAT RETURNING BACK TO YOU AS FAR AS ANY SPONSORSHIPS AND STUFF? NOT IN ANY WAY AT THE MOMENT.
SO THE ONE WAY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO PAY FOR THE SECOND LINE BAND IN THE SPRING, UH, WAS BECAUSE BOUDREAUX AND THIBO HAD SPONSORED THAT SECOND LINE BAND
[02:15:01]
IN TOTALITY WITH CASH.AND EVERYTHING, UM, BOJO AND TIPTOES AND A LOT OF OTHER, UM, UH, BUSINESSES ASSOCIATED WITH THAT, THAT BAR OWNER HAVE SHUT DOWN.
UM, AND I HAD WENT TO LIVE AFTER OR WENT TO DOWNTOWN BARS, TRY AND MAKE THAT UP.
AND IT DID NOT COME CLOSE TO WHAT, WHAT, WHAT WOULD BE NEEDED.
YEAH, I JUST, AGAIN, I, I'VE SEEN THE CROWDS GROW AND GROW.
I MEAN, FROM THE POINT THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, I KNOW WITH THE LAWN AND EVERYTHING, BUT I MEAN, ROW LIVE AFTER FIVE WAS BASICALLY REVERSED AND IT WAS JUST ON THE SMALL ON SIDE AND EVERYTHING.
AND OF COURSE YOU OUTGROW THAT AND YOU SEE THE WHOLE EXPANSION TO THE OTHER SIDE AND EVERYTHING.
AND THEN, LIKE I SAID, I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT, YOU KNOW, RESTAURANTS OR WHOEVER ELSE, HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, 500, A THOUSAND, UH MM-HMM.
UM, BECAUSE I, I BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU'RE DOING AS FAR AS FEEDING THE DOWNTOWN BUSINESSES AND STUFF.
SO HOPEFULLY, YOU KNOW, WHERE WE GO WITH THIS.
HOPEFULLY WE CAN MAKE UP AT LEAST THE 15 MM-HMM.
DO Y'ALL, UM, DO Y'ALL ASK FOR DONATIONS OUT THERE? IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S EVER SO WE HAVE ASKED FOR DONATIONS LIKE DIRECTLY IN THE PAST? UM, I HAVE NOT PERSONALLY DONE THAT YET.
UM, SO IT MIGHT AFFECT THE EFFICACY OF IT, BUT I KNOW, UH, PREVIOUSLY WHEN IT HAS BEEN DONE, UM, IT WAS FOR, FOR NIL.
I, I SAY THAT, I KNOW WE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS WITH, WITH YOU PO MM-HMM.
AND I KNOW WHEN THEY STARTED THAT THEY HAD A, A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE WHO WERE ON THAT COMMITTEE WALKING AROUND WITH LITTLE PADDLES, LITTLE FANS AND MM-HMM.
YOU KNOW, EVEN A LITTLE BIT, IT JUST MIGHT TICK UP.
IT'S SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.
THAT IS ONE THING I DEFINITELY PLAN ON IMPLEMENTING FOR THE, UH, FOR THE UPCOMING SEASON.
I ALREADY HAVE THE QR CODE MADE AND EVERYTHING.
I WAS JUST CURIOUS, HAVE Y'ALL THOUGHT ABOUT USING HIGH SCHOOL BANDS FOR THE SECOND LINE OR A GROUP OF HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AS OPPOSED TO THE BAND THAT YOU'RE PAYING? THAT WAS MY INITIAL, UM, ACTUAL PLAN.
I REACHED OUT TO A FEW HIGH SCHOOLS AND, UM, DID NOT HEAR ANYTHING BACK.
I WONDER IF WE COULD HELP YOU WORK ON THAT.
NEXT WE'RE GONNA HEAR FROM THE HEART COUNCIL.
UH, THE BEST NEWS YOU GUYS ARE GONNA HEAR TONIGHT IS THAT I THOUGHT I ONLY HAD THREE MINUTES, SO IT'S GONNA BE QUICK
UM, NO, THAT'S A, THAT'S ACCURATE.
UM, I'M JONATHAN GRIMES, I'M PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE ARTS COUNCIL OF GREATER BATON ROUGE.
OUR ORGANIZATION HAS HAD A 50 PLUS YEAR HISTORY WITH THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE AND HAS BEEN ABLE TO PROVIDE THE CITY WITH PROGRAMS THAT HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY AND POSITIVELY IMPACTED THIS CITY, ECONOMICALLY, CULTURALLY, AND EDUCATIONALLY AS THE OFFICIAL ARTS AGENCY FOR THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE, PURSUANT TO CITY RESOLUTION 98 30 AND PARISH RESOLUTION 16,258.
OUR ORGANIZATION IS UNIQUELY SITUATED TO ASSIST IN THE CITY'S PLANNING, PROGRAMMING, AND IMPLEMENTATION FOR CULTURAL ACTIVITY FOR THE PAST.
UH, WHEN WE RECEIVED OUR BUDGET REQUEST, UH, FROM THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT, UH, FOR A A 10% AND A 20% REDUCTION, WE IDENTIFIED TWO PROGRAMS. UM, ONE THAT HAS BEEN WITHSTANDING FOR 18 YEARS AND ONE THAT'S FAIRLY NEW, UH, FOR THE PAST 18 YEARS.
SUNDAY IN THE PARK HAS PRODUCED OVER 250 CONCERTS.
ARTISTS HAVE RANGED FROM KAREN BRIGGS TO REBIRTH BRASS BAND, AND EVEN A VERY YOUNG TROMBONE SHORTY.
THIS PROGRAM HAS ALSO HIRED MORE THAN A THOUSAND MUSICIANS AND TECHNICIANS DIRECTLY.
UH, THESE LOCAL AND REGIONAL EMPLOYEES ARE LIVING HERE SPENDING THEIR EARNINGS ON HOUSING, FOOD, ENTERTAINMENT, AND OTHER GOODS AND SERVICES, WHICH STIMULATES OUR LOCAL BUSINESS ARTS FOR EVERYBODY.
AS A NEW PROGRAM WE JUST STARTED THIS YEAR, UM, BUT HAS NATIONAL CONNECTIONS TO THE ONE NATION, ONE PROJECT AND THE NATIONAL LEAGUE OF CITIES, WHICH WAS REFERENCED EARLIER.
UM, WE HAVE WORKED HARD TO HAVE BATON ROUGE RECOGNIZED AS A CITY WHO INVESTS IN THE HEALTH OF ITS CITIZENS THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, THE INVESTMENT BY THE CITY LAST YEAR OF $150,000 BROUGHT PROGRAMMING TO EACH OF THE
[02:20:01]
12 METRO METRO DISTRICT AREAS ALL FREE WITH ACCOMPANYING HEALTH SERVICES SO THAT ARTS, SO THAT THE ARTS IMPACT ON HEALTH COULD BE QUANTIFIED.THIS, UH, THIS PROGRAM WILL PLAY A VITAL ROLE IN THE GROWTH OF THE HEALTH DISTRICT IN BATON ROUGE INTO THE FUTURE.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP THE REACH AT ALL 12 DISTRICTS FOR THE SUCCESS AND REPORTING OF THIS PROGRAM, AND THIS FUNDING IS KEY IN THE FUTURE GROWTH OF THIS DATA AND HEALTH AWARENESS IT BRINGS TO CITIZENS.
THE PROPOSED 2025 BUDGET OPERATE OPERATING BUDGET REDUCES THE INVESTMENT FROM THE CITY, UH, BY $83,480 FOR THE FREE ARTS ACCESS PROGRAMS SUNDAY IN THE PARK.
AND ARTS FOR EVERYBODY ARE TWO PROGRAMS THAT ARE VITAL TO THE CITY.
AND I'M HERE TO ASK YOU TO, THAT THESE PROGRAMS BE FUNDED AT THE SAME LEVEL AS THEY WERE IN 2024.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANYTHING ELSE THAN WE ARE ADJOURNED?