Plans edge forward for Rouzan library branch

Although library board members joked about being good at doing nothing, they took a small step forward at their meeting Thursday by voting to uphold an ad-hoc committee recommendation to build a south Baton Rouge branch at the proposed Rouzan development. The recommendation also calls for the East Baton Rouge Parish Library system to tweak its agreement for a land donation at Rouzan, a housing-and-retail complex planned by developer Tommy Spinosa of Perkins Rowe bankruptcy infamy, in order to protect itself if Rouzan falls through and the branch property is left with no parking, utility provisions or other surrounding infrastructure. A lawsuit against the Metro Council set for trial in June could nullify zoning for the traditional neighborhood development, or TND, along Perkins Road. “It’s possible all those arrangements would vanish,” board member Stanford O. Bardwell said. “We could be left without the various support elements.” For the full story, click here.—Todd R. Brown

Council to vote on Fair Share recommendations

The Metro Council will hear recommendations from a 19-member task force before voting on the implementation portion of its current Fair Share policy Tuesday. The initial policy requires that economically disadvantaged businesses must be considered for all city-parish contracts with an inclusion goal of 25%, but does not currently provide a way to enforce it. The task force, appointed in August, will address changes that should be made, including guidelines for support from other agencies, the role of a DBE director and the certification process for DBEs in the city-parish. The 25% goal, while hotly debated in task-force meetings, will remain the same pending information from the city-parish’s purchasing and contracting departments in the group's recommendations.—Emma James

The taxman cometh

The holiday decorations and advertisements popping up across Baton Rouge should remind businesses that the end of the year is closer than they think. That means the Dec. 31 deadline to file year-end taxes is looming ever closer—and now is the time to prepare.

“Now is the time to get your books in order and get your questions ready. There are no stupid questions,” says John Gautreau, director of tax consulting services at LaPorte Sehrt Romig Hand. “Make sure to have that conversation with your CPA.”

Businesses taxed as partnerships, including most LLCs or S corporations, which choose to accelerate expenses and defer income at the end of the tax year into the next shouldn’t necessarily use that method this year, Gautreau says. The reason? The top individual rate is set to rise to 39.6% in 2011. A proposal in front of the U.S. Treasury seeks to accelerate that increase to 2010. For the full story and a list of more business tax changes, click here.—Emma James

Editor: Lombardi only one talking

LSU System President John Lombardi is one of the few people proposing ways to cut $150 million from the state's higher education budgets, says Business Report Executive Editor JR Ball. "Lombardi took to the microphone late last month and let fly with suggestions on how to solve the $150 million riddle in five easy steps, including one overhauling the wildly popular TOPS, a scholarship program designed to keep our best-and-semi-brightest students from fleeing the state," Ball says. Say what you want about Lombardi, but at least he's suggesting something. "The silence and utter lack of real ideas coming from these so-called experts and leaders is more vexing than the problem they’re trying to solve," Ball says. Read the full column here. Send comments to editors@businessreport.com.

Chamber backs Biz2School

The Baton Rouge Area Chamber is endorsing a program launched by the state Department of Education that looks to match up schools and companies. Biz2School serves as a kind of online dating service, with schools posting profiles that discuss what services they need from companies, such as job shadowing, internships and mentoring, while companies list the services they provide for schools. The program aims to give students the skills they need to fill workforce needs.

Gas prices down slightly

The cost of a gallon of gas is dropping slightly across Louisiana and Baton Rouge, just in time for Thanksgiving. According to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report, the average price today for a gallon of regular unleaded was $2.50 in metro Baton Rouge. That's down from $2.52 a gallon last week. Statewide, the average price of a gallon of gas fell 2 cents in the past week, from $2.54 to $2.52. AAA says the region including Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas should see a more than 7% increase in Thanksgiving travel, after a 40% decline in 2008.

Meanwhile, oil prices edged down toward $77 a barrel today after a drop in many stock markets and amid concern about the strength of the global economic recovery. By early afternoon in Europe, benchmark crude for December delivery was down 26 cents to $77.20 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, recovering from $77.07 earlier in the day. The contract gave up $2.12 to settle at $77.46 on Thursday. Crude prices were dragged down by uncertainty about the economic outlook, including concerns about deflation and a possible double-dip recession.

Alligator Bayou Bar back in business

On Nov. 1, the Alligator Bayou Bar had a grand reopening, where a crowd welcomed the old hangout back with open arms, music and Cajun food. Though only open once a week, the bar has been a destination for locals for generations. The old building that houses it was moved from St. Gabriel in 1954 by owner Cornelius Williams, and served as a blues bar and hangout until the mid-1970s. For the next 20 years, according to manager Jamie Brasset, "I don't believe that it was known as much for music as it was for being 'the Alligator Hilton.'" Still, in the past Alligator Bayou Bar has been host to the likes of Willie Nelson and regional acts such as Tout Les Soires, Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Ernest Scott & the Funk Children and Lil' Hub & the Wheels. In 1993, Frank Bonifay and Jim Ragland purchased the land that the bar was on when they purchased the Alligator Bayou and Bluff Swamp area. The bar remained open until 2006, when the popularity of the Alligator Bayou Tours exploded. However, with the Bayou Tours on hold, Ragland and Bonifay decided to bring back the bar. Open 8 p.m. until 2 a.m. on Sunday nights, the bar features live music from the Blake Harlow Band, Debbie Landry and other local musicians. There is a $5 cover, and food is served. For band information and directions, call 677-8297 during the week. For more dining news in and around the Capital Region, read 225 Dine by clicking here.

Oprah pulling plug on show in 2011

Oprah Winfrey is set to announce today that her powerhouse daytime television show, the foundation of a multibillion-dollar media empire with legions of fans, will end its run in 2011 after 25 seasons on the air. Winfrey planned to announce the final date for The Oprah Winfrey Show during a live broadcast, according to her production company, Harpo Productions Inc. She said at the beginning of the show that she had some news to share and that she would discuss it at the end of the show. Winfrey, 55, is widely expected to start up a new talk show on OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, a much-delayed joint venture with Discovery Communications Inc. that is projected to debut in 2011. OWN is to replace the Discovery Health Channel and will debut in some 74 million homes. An OWN spokeswoman declined comment.

Poll: Preis should sell Spanish Town properties

Fifty-eight percent of people who responded to a Daily Report poll say that Richard Preis should sell his controversial Spanish Town properties to individual homeowners. Twenty percent say he should partner with another developer to build apartments there, 15% say he should keep the properties and fix them up and 7% were unsure. Almost 1,000 people participated in the poll. The Metro Council voted this week to send the Preis back to the HPC for a full hearing. If the HPC rules against him at its Dec. 1 meeting, he can return to the Metro Council to appeal.

Today's question: Do you agree with a call by Chas Roemer, a state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education member, to shut down the state Department of Education for a complete overhaul?