The Metro Council has received Mayor Kip Holden’s bond proposal, a $748 million package split into three separate components representing public safety, infrastructure and economic development/recreation projects. The council, which is on summer break and is not scheduled to meet again until July 27, now has less than one month to decide whether to place the proposal on the Nov. 19 ballot. The deadline is Aug. 10. The breakdown of the bond proposal is as follows:
—Public safety: $350 million for a parish prison ($151 million), juvenile detention center ($44 million), public safety complex ($102 million) and city hall consolidation ($52 million); calls for a 0.25% sales tax and 2.15 mills in property tax for 20 years.
—Infrastructure: $366 million for drainage improvements ($194 million), traffic signal replacement and synchronization ($53 million), bridge replacement/repairs ($79 million) and a 1,300-space parking garage for River Center/downtown ($37 million); calls for a 0.25% sales tax and 0.75 mills in property tax for 20 years.
—Economic development/recreation: $32 million for completion of River Center phase II renovations; calls for 0.25% sales tax and 0.25 mills in property tax for five years (no bond would be issued for this component). For the full story, click here. —Steve Sanoski
