Proposed changes to Plan of Government goes before Metro Council again

A series of proposed changes to the East Baton Rouge Parish Plan of Government, originally introduced to the Metro Council one year ago, will be reintroduced to the council at its meeting Wednesday.

The Plan of Government committee’s drafted changes first came before the council in July 2019, but the process was stalled so the committee could solicit greater public input. It was further delayed because of more pressing issues that arose due to COVID-19, according to committee chair and council member Donna Collins-Lewis.

“It’s my last term, so I wanted to make sure this was presented to the council before I leave in December,” says Collins-Lewis, who’s been meeting with council members in recent weeks to discuss the amendments. “I don’t want it to be something that falls by the wayside.”

In the most recent version of the draft, many of the committee’s proposed amendments remain the same as last year. However, this one does include a process for filling vacant council seats—an issue that fell under the microscope in mid-2018, after council member Buddy Amoroso’s death. 

Under the revised proposal, all council vacancies must be filled within 20 days of the vacancy regardless of the time left in the council member’s term. A vacancy with more than one year left in the term would be filled by appointment within 20 days, but then an election would be held.

One of the other major proposals—which Collins-Lewis believes will generate the most scrutiny—would change the makeup of the Metro Council, creating 10 single-member council districts, rather than the current 12, and adding two at-large members. One at-large member would qualify from a citywide residence, while the other qualifies from a parishwide residence. Both, however, must be elected by a parishwide vote. The council would select one of the two at-large members to serve a two-year term as mayor pro tem.

Council members who have served three consecutive terms would be allowed to serve one term as an at-large member, while an at-large member who has served three consecutive terms could serve one term representing a council district. 

The committee also suggests changing the role of the mayor’s chief administrative officer to act more like a city manager, a position that would require higher qualifications and would specifically supervise agencies that report to the mayor. The proposal would also create two additional positions: a chief of staff and an executive counsel in the mayor’s office.

Other key recommendations include:

• Requiring that the mayor’s executive annual budget be submitted to the Metro Council by Oct. 15 and adopted by Dec. 31, giving the council an additional 30 days to review it.

• Limiting the mayor to two consecutive terms, instead of the current three.

• Placing appointment of the planning director and planning commission members under the mayor’s authority.

The Metro Council will consider the proposed amendments at its Oct. 28 meeting. Collins-Lewis hopes voters will be able to decide on them in an election March 21.