9/21 Council Preview: Setting millage rates, more money for drainage and rent assistance, and a host of property assessment challenges
Here’s a selection of items on the agendas for this week’s meetings of the City and Parish councils.
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Budgets
OPINION: Uncertainty is at an all-time high. Lafayette needs a fiscally responsible budget.
The roles have reversed from the 2020 budget cycle, and now the City Council ought to play budget hawk.
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7/20 Council Preview: Introducing budgets, building a new jail and redeveloping the Oil Center
Up for votes and discussion are a host of issues, including next year’s budget, how to spend the $83.5 million of fiscal recovery money, taking first steps to build a new jail, rezoning the Oil Center, investing $1 million in parks, and more.
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COLUMN: The city of Lafayette is trapped in consolidated government
For the city to control its own affairs, this failed experiment in consolidation must end so our city can be free to govern itself.
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Library System forced to reconsider expansions, including Northside branch
The gist: Two library expansions and a new Northside branch may be reconsidered if the library’s property tax is not increased to offset revenue lost from declining commercial property values in the parish. The Lafayette Parish Library System stands to lose almost $750,000 in annual revenue if the Parish Council approves of Mayor-President Josh Guillory’s […]
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COLUMN: LCG passes budget that solves nothing
Lafayette’s city and parish councils passed a compromise budget that doesn’t address any of the city’s or parish’s major budgetary problems.
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COLUMN: The troubling economics of fixing the Buchanan garage
The Buchanan garage is a dilapidated property on prime real estate Downtown that’s been condemned because of government neglect. While it’d be great to get it back into commerce, the economics of Mayor-President Guillory’s plan don’t add up and they risk the financial health of the courthouse and the jail.
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COLUMN: Lafayette’s top 10 unresolved budget issues
LCG’s budgetmaking process can be complicated in a normal year, and this is far from a normal year. Newly split councils, a mayor-president deadset on slashing budgets, and an uncertain economy has created a perfect storm for a tense budgetmaking process. As the councils round the corner on amending this budget, these are some of the top issues still to be resolved.
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COLUMN: Cutting quality of life services will backfire, hurting Lafayette’s economy for years to come
In order to be economically competitive as a city, Lafayette needs to offer quality of life amenities. In the rush to cut budgets, Mayor-President Guillory is putting the city’s quality of life at risk, reducing its ability to retain and attract people, especially young families.
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Council Preview 8/18: A report on the LUS report, go-cups (again), early voting in North Lafayette, splitting up city and parish parks
Here are the highlights for Tuesday night’s city, parish, and joint council meetings. To view the full agendas click here, select 8/18/2020 from the dropdown menu, and then click on the agenda or agenda item you want to dive into.
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Coronavirus dropped Lafayette’s total assessed property values for the first time in 30 years
The decline in property values could reduce LCG’s revenues by millions. That drop will force the City and Parish councils to either raise millage rates or cut their budgets further.
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COLUMN: Parish government isn’t ‘living within its means’
Parish government has been on life support for years now. With the city’s finances now strained, it’s time for the parish to get serious about living within its means.
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