Going down: October sales and vehicle tax collections in East Baton Rouge were down 17.1% year over year, according to the latest data from the city-parish Finance Department. Combined tax collections for the city and parish in October were $15.67 million, compared to $18.93 million in October 2016. Vehicle tax collections were down 56% to $1.3 million, while sales tax collections declined 9.6% to $14.3 million. Despite the October decline, year-to-date collections for the city-parish are up 2.5% to $161.3 million. Read the full report.
New chief: Bart Thompson, a 35-year veteran of local law enforcement, has been named chief of the LSU Police Department. Thompson joined the department in 2010 and has served as acting chief since September. He has been a major with the department for the past six years and supervises 65 certified police officers in uniform patrol, computer operations criminal investigations and communications. He also serves as the incident commander for LSU home football games. Prior to working at LSU, Thompson was a commissioned Baton Rouge Police Officer for 31 years. Former Baton Rouge Police Chief Carl Dabadie Jr. also reportedly applied for the position.
Settlement: Louisiana is getting $207,135.91 out of a $13.5 million settlement with Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, the state attorney general’s office has announced. The company has settled with all 50 states and the District of Columbia to resolves allegations that it engaged in unfair, deceptive, or misleading practices in marketing prescription drugs as helpful for heart attacks, heart failure, strokes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. They were not, the AG’s office says. Read more.
Editor’s note: The offices of Business Report will be closed on Monday, Dec. 25, and Tuesday, Dec. 26, in observance of the Christmas holiday. Daily Report will not be published those days. Daily Report will return on Wednesday, Dec. 27. Have a safe and happy holiday.
