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East Baton Rouge Parish voters will see BREC on the June 27 ballot, and I want to make sure everyone understands exactly what they’re being asked to approve.
Two Cents is an opinion column authored by Business Report Publisher Julio Melara. The viewpoints expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Business Report or its staff.
This is not a new tax. It is not a funding mechanism for BREC’s ambitious plans to modernize and transform the parish park system. It is in no way related to the decisions BREC is making about reimagining City-Brooks Community Park or consolidating underutilized properties and reinvesting proceeds into new or existing facilities.
It is, as simply as I can say it, money to keep the parks open.
The proposed millage renewal would continue the existing 3.96-mill property tax for another 10 years. Voters first approved this millage in 1987. They renewed it in 1997, 2007, and again in 2016. And they should do so again in 2026.
The purpose of the millage has not changed. It funds the daily, unglamorous, essential work that makes BREC’s 170-plus parks and facilities usable: mowing the grass, lining the ball fields, paying the lifeguards, replacing the light bulbs, sweeping the gym floors, fixing the water fountains, staffing the summer camps and community programs that keep our residents healthy and connected.
If you have followed BREC’s story over the past year or so, you know the organization has worked hard over the last year to restore public trust and operational integrity.
Strong and decisive leadership under Interim Superintendent Janet Simmons and her team has led to greater transparency, sincere community engagement, improved financial management, and significant strategic plan progress.
Simmons’ success in an interim role was made possible by a restructuring of the BREC Commission and the installation of nine new commissioners in 2025: Chair Mike Polito, Vice Chair/Central Mayor Wade Evans, Treasurer Carl Stages, Zachary Mayor David McDavid, St. George Mayor Dustin Yates, Lon Vicknair, Collis Temple III, Dr. Murelle G. Harrison and Marshall Ortego.
Their willingness to make tough decisions and implement much-needed operational changes, coupled with their recent outside-the-box selection of Brooks Williams as superintendent—has ushered in a new era of sound governance and strong leadership at BREC.
Williams, currently the city manager and CEO for the City of Ferris, Texas, arrives Aug. 3 with exactly the kind of turnaround experience this moment calls for. The June 27 vote will determine whether his initial focus will be sustaining momentum or filling a $25 million hole in the budget.
Do we want BREC to be able to maintain what we already have while laying the groundwork for better parks and a brighter future? Do we want the parks to stay open, the programs to continue, the camps to run this summer and every summer after?
If voters reject the millage renewal, the answer to all of those questions becomes “not at the current level.” Simmons told the Baton Rouge Press Club that BREC would be forced to immediately begin reducing hours, scaling back programs, deferring maintenance and downsizing staff. A system that serves every ZIP code in this parish would abruptly shift gears from drive to reverse.
I have spent years watching communities wrestle with the question of whether to invest in their public institutions. The ones that pull ahead are almost always the ones that answer yes to public quality-of-life investments. Not because tax revenue comes with a money-back guarantee, but because it reinforces a core value: We prioritize our shared civic life.
BREC’s parks are at the heart of that civic infrastructure. They are where children learn to swim. Where families make memories. Where seniors stay active. Where “residents” become “neighbors.” Where culture meets community.
Maintaining that requires consistent, reliable funding. EBR Parish voters have made that commitment for the last 40 years. BREC has earned our support for 10 more. Vote yes on June 27.
