Publicly speaking about his proposed $748 million bond issue for the first time since presenting it to the Metro Council about two weeks ago, Mayor Kip Holden says he won’t get into a war of words with the council over the details as when similar bond issues failed in 2008 and 2009.
“This year I’m not going to get into the back and forth, with bombs being tossed from the council side and bombs being tossed from the mayor’s side,” says Holden, addressing the Baton Rouge Press Club this afternoon. “I feel this way: As long as I have told the people of East Baton Rouge Parish directly what is needed and the consequences of inaction, then I feel I have done my job.”
The mayor says that doesn’t mean he won’t take input from the council on the proposal and consider some changes. For example, after considering comments from Councilman Joel Boé, he has decided to move the $52.3 million consolidation and renovation of the Governmental Building from the public safety segment of the thee-part bond to infrastructure improvements.
With that change in mind, the three components of the proposal now total $298 million for public safety, $428 million for infrastructure improvements and $32 million for economic development/recreation.
The Metro Council is set to vote on whether or not to send the bond issue to voters on Aug. 10. A public hearing will likely be held during the meeting. See a copy of the mayor’s bond proposal as sent to the Metro Council here. —Steve Sanoski
