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On Nov. 5, East Baton Rouge Parish voters will decide the fate of a set of sweeping changes to the city-parish’s Plan of Government.
Speaking at the Press Club of Baton Rouge’s meeting Monday, District 3 Metro Council member Rowdy Gaudet described the proposed amendments to the document as “critical” to the future of the city-parish.
“These amendments are an effort to make our government more efficient, more transparent and more responsive to the needs of our residents,” Gaudet said.
The Metro Council in 2017 formed a committee to study and recommend possible amendments to the Plan of Government. The group met monthly for almost two years. The proposition on this November’s ballot stemmed in large part from the work of that committee, according to Gaudet.
It’s worth noting that Gaudet himself isn’t a huge fan of how the proposition will be presented to voters on the November ballot—he described the language of the ballot item as “legal speak” that doesn’t do a great job of communicating what the proposition actually entails. So, with that in mind, what does the proposition actually entail?
Among the most notable amendments:
- Candidates for Metro Council would be required to have been a resident of the district in question for at least one year before qualifying for office.
- References to a specific compensation for council members—currently $1,000 per month—would be removed. The Metro Council would be required to approve compensation for council members by ordinance at least one year prior to the beginning of each term.
- The Metro Council would be required to adopt ordinances “governing qualifications and reporting” for members of certain boards and commissions.
- Candidates for mayor would be required to have been a resident of the parish for at least two years before qualifying for office.
- The position of chief administrative officer would be done away with and the position of city-parish manager would be introduced. The city-parish manager would be appointed by the mayor but would be subject to Metro Council confirmation. The mayor would be able to remove the city-parish manager at any time. According to Gaudet, the city-parish manager would “run the day-to-day operations” of city-parish government.
- The position of chief of staff would be introduced to the mayor’s office. The chief of staff would be responsible for developing policy, engaging with the community and maintaining relationships with council members.
- The position of executive counsel would be introduced to the mayor’s office. The executive counsel would provide “independent legal advice” to the mayor.
- The mayor would be required to give a “State of the Parish Address” at a special Metro Council meeting no later than Jan. 31 of each year.
- The Metro Council would be given 37 extra days to evaluate the city-parish budget at the end of each year.
The East Baton Rouge Parish Plan of Government was adopted in 1947 and has since been amended 17 times.
Read all of the proposed amendments here.
