Editor’s note: This story has been changed since original publication to clarify estimate details for the proposed Mosquito Abatement and Rodent Control facility
Baton Rouge’s next mayor start earning more annually than Mayor Kip Holden currently does if the Metro Council authorizes a measure this evening to increase the position’s pay, effective Jan. 1, 2017.
Casey Cashio, council administrator and treasurer, recently submitted a report to council members recommending an annual salary of $157,000 for each year of the next mayor’s four-year term. Holden earned $146,590.03 last year, which was 7.1% higher than his 2013 salary of $136,858.16, according to city-parish records. Holden, who is term-limited and cannot run for a fourth term, is running for lieutenant governor this fall. He is set to earn $152,317 this year.
Per the city-parish Plan of Government, the Metro Council must set the salary for the incoming mayor every four years, and one year before he or she takes office. That means the Metro Council has some time to set the salary and could opt to change the amount or defer the issue to a future council meeting.
To come up with the recommended salary for the next mayor, Council Budget Officer Joe Toups requested the salaries of mayors in eight southeastern U.S. cities of comparable size to Baton Rouge. Seven cities responded, with salaries ranging from $117,000 to $180,000. Averaging those salaries came out to $143,716.78. Toups and Cashio then performed several calculations, adding to that figure the 3% annual salary increase that all public employees receive to come up with the recommended $157,000.
Also this evening, the council will consider allowing City Court judges to begin imposing a new technology fee in criminal, traffic and civil cases, with the money funding the purchase and maintenance of a new case management system.
Lynn Maloy, clerk of court and judicial administrator, says a law passed during the recent legislative session created the technology fund and recommended a $10 fee per case to pay for the fund. However, the City Court judges have decided to impose a $5 fee.
Based on calculations using the $5 fee, Maloy says they expect to collect between $240,000 and $270,000 annually. The new case management system is estimated to cost between $500,000 and $1.5 million, depending on what features court administrators want in the new system, and about $160,000 to $200,000 annually for maintenance and support, Maloy says.
Also on this evening’s agenda is an introductory item to allocate an additional $3.93 million to cover the construction of the city-parish’s Mosquito Abatement and Rodent Control facility. The council initially approved $6.5 million for the project after the initial estimate of $5.9 million by Crump Wilson Architects for the 45,000-square-foot facility.
Plans for the facility were later altered and expanded, causing the estimate to grow to $8.5 million. The Metro Council and Crump Wilson then terminated their contract, and RCL Architecture was hired. RCL Architecture drew up plans for a 65,000-square-foot facility and estimated it would cost $8.7 million.
The $3.93 million being requested includes $1.73 million for any extra costs that might be incurred through testing, permits and inspections.
The Metro Council convenes at 4 p.m. on the third floor of City Hall, 222 St. Louis St. See the full agenda.
—Ryan Broussard
