The next meeting of the Shreveport City Council will be on Nov.8. This will be a combined administrative conference and regular meeting necessitated by the Veteran's Day holiday on Monday, Nov. 11.
Two important agenda items should be approved by the council after several voting delays.
The first is the sale of $29.8 million bond sale from the 2021 bond propositions for a new Shreveport Police Department headquarters building and three substations. The new headquarters building is to be constructed on the present site at 1234 Texas Avenue.
Substation sites have been identified for north Shreveport and west Shreveport. The third location in southeast Shreveport has not been identified.
The second is the sale of $88 million bond sale from the 2024 bond propositions. These proceeds will be spent for shovel-ready infrastructure improvements for streets and drainage projects. These proposed spending has been identified to the council, and
progress on these projects will be reported by the newly approved monitoring companies.
The council has delayed these votes pending definitive action by the Arceneaux administration on moving personnel out of the decrepit Texas Avenue headquarters on a temporary basis, pending construction of the new headquarters and substations.
The city has now identified the needed locations and plans are being made for the relocation of all personnel housed and operated out of the Texas Avenue building.
Another issue that has yet to be resolved is the location of a permanent SPD substation on North Market. The donation to the city by the North Shreveport Business Association required that a substation be located on the property for 25 years.
This restriction has caused concern to several council members, although the fact that the reverter clause is not automatic may have abated this issue. The City has spent $300,000 on site preparation for this location.
The Council's delays were merited and the response by the Arceneaux administration has been timely and appropriate. At the last council meeting, two members indicated they wanted to vote on the two bond issues at the next meeting, and councilwoman Ursula Bowman has recently issued a press release stating her support for both the 2021 and 2024 bond sales.
It’s time for the council to approve both the proposed sales. Additionally, it’s time for a decision on the NSBA North Market location be made.
Further delay is not merited and will most likely increase construction costs. Good government principles support votes on all these three issues at the Nov.8 meeting.
John came to Shreveport in January of 1977 when he was transferred to Barksdale AFB.
He’s been active in Shreveport politics since deciding to make Shreveport his home.
John practiced law for 40 years and he now monitors local politics. He regularly attends Shreveport City Council and Caddo Parish Commission meetings.
John is published weekly in The Inquisitor, bi-monthly in The Forum News, and frequently in the Shreveport Times.
He enjoys addressing civic groups on local government issues and elections.