Holden vetoes two Metro Council ordinances

Mayor Kip Holden has vetoed two ordinances recently approved by the Metro Council: one that would have reduced the authority departments have over awarding contracts and another that would have changed rules for police escorts of oversized vehicles on city-parish roadways. Holden referred comment on both vetoes—which he made Thursday and says are his first since taking office—to official documents he has sent to Council Administrator Brian Mayers. “I’m a little shocked,” says Metro Councilman Ulysses “Bones” Addison, who introduced the latter ordinance, which passed 9-1 on Nov. 22. “I thought the administration and the police department were in favor of this.” Currently, oversized vehicles meeting certain size limits require a pair of police escorts while on city-parish streets. The ordinance in place since 1997 specifically says it must be two officers from the Baton Rouge Police Department. Addison’s ordinance gave companies needing an escort the option of using any “bona fide law enforcement agency.” In his letter to Mayers, Holden says the policy is in line with many other cities and there have been few if any complaints about it. Addison says he’s placing the item back on the agenda for the next Metro Council meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 14, for the council to consider overriding the mayor’s veto; a veto would require a two-thirds majority vote. The other ordinance Holden vetoed would have reduced from $50,000 to $17,500 the contract amount maximum that departments can award without Metro Council approval. Of his reason for the veto, Holden writes, “This reduction would have a detrimental effect on the city-parish’s ability to meet its obligations in a timely manner, will impede our ability to compete with private competitive entities, will impair our ability to meet deadlines … and will hurt minority companies competing for professional services contracts.” —Steve Sanoski