Baton Rouge voters rejected the proposed Plan of Government changes. Here’s what it means

Area voters decided against sweeping changes to the city-parish’s Plan of Government Tuesday night.

The ballot initiative of amendments failed by a vote of 103,709 (59%) to 70,721 (41%). The unofficial turnout was 59.4%, according to the Secretary of State.

Among the most substantive changes was the proposal to do away with the position of chief administrative officer and introduce the positions of chief of staff and city-parish manager in its stead.

District 3 Metro Council member Rowdy Gaudet spearheaded the efforts to educate voters on the proposed changes.

Other changes that were proposed: 

• Requiring the council budget officer to attend all budget hearings conducted by the Office of the Mayor-President and the Finance Department.
• Moving up the submission date of the mayor’s expense and capital budgets to the Metro Council from Nov. 15 to Oct. 15, providing an extra month for budget evaluation.
• Pushing back the date of adoption of the expense budget by the Metro Council from Dec. 15 to Dec. 31, providing additional time for budget evaluation.

“The results of this election send a clear message from our voters,” Gaudet says. “The majority of our residents are largely satisfied with the current direction of the parish. I respect their decision on the Plan of Government amendments and recognize the importance of continuing to engage and inform the community about the benefits of modernizing our government structure.”

Gaudet says he does not have plans at this time to get the amendments on a future ballot but intends to remain engaged with residents about the topic. 

He adds that the need for more efficient and responsive governance is still a critical conversation. “We are committed to reflecting on the outcome, listening to the community’s feedback and working to build trust and consensus as we move forward together.”