Over the next few weeks, the city and parish councils will debate the administration’s proposed budget. What comes out on the other side is a roadmap to LCG’s operational plan.
As columnist Geoff Daily likes to say, the budget is a beast, much more than any one person can tackle on their own. Its hundreds of pages compile hundreds of millions of dollars in big decisions.
Understanding what the budget says isn’t always easy. The language of accounting is tricky and unfamiliar even for seasoned journalists and elected officials. The Current’s budget guru Geoff Daily is here to help.
Use the Q&A tool at the bottom of this page to ask him questions about the budget. (You’ll have to register with an email to ask questions.) He’ll answer them on an ongoing basis and pop in every Wednesday at 3 p.m. for office hours.
Keep up with the process along the way. Below is the schedule for upcoming budget meetings:
- Budget Overview July 28, 1 p.m.
- LUS, LUS Fiber July 30, 9 a.m.
- Police, Fire, Cajundome July 30, 1 p.m.
- Parks, Community Development, Planning, City Marshal, City Court, Administration August 6, 1 p.m.
- Corrections, Registrar of Voters, Assessor, Library, District Court, District Attorney, Public Health and more August 13, 9 a.m.
- Drainage, Public Works, Roads August 13, 1 p.m.
- Public Hearing August 18, 5:30 p.m.
- Wrap-up August 27, 1 p.m.
- Final Adoption September 10, 5:30 p.m.
News + Notes
‘End of the line’ tent camp for homeless people broken up
Safety concerns forced the move, but aid workers say they aren’t sure where those pushed out of the encampment will go.
Workers are leaving big cities. Can Lafayette attract them?
Tech and other knowledge workers are leaving megastar metros like New York and Seattle. Does Lafayette have what it takes to attract them?
New data shows Louisiana is losing college grads to Texas and other states
From 2005 to 2020, Louisiana’s largest population centers lost a net 317,000 residents, many of whom were young and college-educated.