Despite BREC spending thousands of dollars in look-how-great-we-are TV commercials, voters on Nov. 5 should deliver a harsh but necessary truth: “We aren’t fools, and we’re not buying their gold hype.”
Rolfe McCollister Jr. is a contributing columnist. The viewpoints expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Business Report or its staff.
It is sad that it has come to this. Parks and recreation are essential to our quality of life in East Baton Rouge Parish. But the facts that the publicity machine doesn’t want you to know demand that prudent taxpayers force BREC to get its financial and operational houses in order before approving millions in taxes.
Here’s something not mentioned in the commercials: On June 6, when BREC finally filed its 2021 audit—that’s right, 2021—with the legislative auditor, the organization was so far behind with its submissions that it was just 25 days away from triggering a hearing by the Fiscal Review Committee, comprising the attorney general, state treasurer and legislative auditor. Revised Statute 39:1351 says the failure to provide an audit, as required by law, “to the Legislative Auditor for a period of three consecutive years shall automatically remove a political subdivision from being considered financially stable and place them into financially at-risk status.”
Had the hearing been held and with a unanimous vote, an expert would have been chosen to take over BREC’s fiscal operations. An order by the AG would then be filed with the 19th Judicial District Court for final approval. Does that sound like a gold-worthy performance to you?
The three-year-late 2021 audit shows revenues of $84 million, with $70 million coming from ad valorem taxes. However, the legislative audit notes multiple findings of material weaknesses and significant deficiencies. Raise your hand if you think the financial news would look any better in the unfiled audits of the past two fiscal years.
Another inconvenient truth: An agency filing an audit just one year late is placed on a “noncompliance list” with the state treasurer and is prohibited from receiving state appropriations. This designation of incompetence has prevented BREC from receiving money for years, costing the organization $679,000 and counting. The cash is sitting idle in a state treasurer’s account.
A BREC commissioner tells me there is also “gold” from the federal government that can’t be spent due to the same audit restrictions.
Our state and federal governments are telling BREC no, yet it expects parish voters to say yes? Really?
If that’s not enough evidence to infuriate you, the BREC Commission, in a 7-2 vote, with Commissioners Nathan Rust and Dwayne Rogers opposing, decided this month to roll forward its property tax millages, scoring an additional $6 million in tax revenue without a vote of the people. They could have “rolled back” the rate to collect an amount equal to last year while saving parish property owners money.
BREC essentially argued that it needs the money more than you. Maybe BREC wouldn’t need the money so badly if it had an operational clue and did what’s necessary to unfreeze the hundreds of thousands of state and federal dollars it can’t touch due to incompetent management.
Let’s face it, BREC is a “fool’s gold” operation.
On the Nov 5 ballot, BREC will push two millage renewals. One is a 6.2-mill tax renewal for capital improvements. It’s a 10-year tax but I am told the new plan shows only three years of capital projects. The rest is a “trust us” situation. Ha.
The other is a 20-year, 3.523-mill renewal of the Imagine Your Parks tax. The two millages equate to about 65% of BREC’s budget. If both measures pass and add the other property taxes BREC collects, the resulting 14.463 mills will generate at least $78 million in year one. That’s a lot of money—especially for an agency that doesn’t file timely audits.
So, will we get evidence that BREC is spending its money wisely before the November election? BREC has yet to produce audited financials for 2022 or 2023, yet officials want us to trust them. Seriously? Again, this is the same BREC that came within four weeks of having its financial operations potentially taken over by the state.
In April, BREC CEO Corey Wilson told the Press Club that the “most important thing to share was that all the taxes would remain the same.” Huh? Is he talking about tax dollars or tax millage rates? Those of us who own property care about tax dollars, and that “remain the same” claim went out the window the instant his commission brazenly voted to roll forward the millage rate.
Is BREC being truthful, or greedy?
Our tax assessor sent notices showing the mandatory four-year property reassessment results. While the fact that property values increased isn’t shocking, the percentage increase was eye-catching to many—and the result of several short-term economic factors.
The bottom line is that BREC, the public school system, and every other taxing authority that rolls forward its millage rate will get a property tax increase at our expense. What these agencies don’t want you to know is that the amount of property tax revenue each collects is all but guaranteed to grow annually as property sales set new assessment values and new property comes into commerce.
Daily Report noted that an update on the master plan presented to the BREC Commission in late July declared many “transformational” projects currently underway will not come to fruition if the Imagine Your Parks tax is not renewed. That sounds like a threat to me.
Either BREC started projects without the money to finish them—despite tax collections increasing at a rate above inflation—or got too grandiose with its plans, or used the money to fund operations or projects outside the scope of the dedicated tax call. But no matter which, the verdict is mismanagement.
And officials, who aren’t elected and who answer to voters only when needing a tax approved or renewed, want us to trust them with more of our money over the next 10 or 20 years? Talk about gall.
There’s a more compelling case for firing some folks at BREC. But who will do it, BREC commissioners?
BREC complains it doesn’t have enough money, yet the agency is the largest property owner in the parish, with 184 parks covering 5,600 not-so-golden acres. That is insane. Frisco, Texas, the fastest-growing city in America, has six parks, each between 100 to 250 acres in size. Quality—not quantity. Austin has 27 parks covering 10,800 acres.
Prudence demands that BREC sell or donate at least 100 of these properties to neighborhoods, private entities or churches. How about selling surplus land in disadvantaged communities at a discount to homebuilders or businesses willing to open and generate economic growth in these neighborhoods? Now, that is a gold medal plan.
I went on the Statista site and found that for the “largest number of recreation and senior centers per 20,000,” Baton Rouge ranks No. 1, topping Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Miami, Chicago and Tampa. When it comes to the “largest number of ball diamonds per 10,000,” we rank 11th. Finally, for the “largest number of public basketball hoops per 10,000,” Baton Rouge checks in at No. 3. Quantity or quality?
Daily Report mentioned BREC says it will likely recommend closing between 10 and 15 neighborhood recreation centers. (Probably those with no A/C.) That’s all? Of course, BREC has not disclosed which facilities yet, and I bet it won’t until after the votes are in.
BREC wants millions upon millions of your tax dollars for the future. On Nov. 5, you have the chance to send a message. Does BREC deserve your trust for another 10 or 20 years?
If there’s any doubt, it’s OK to say, “No, not right now.” Demand that BREC first clean up its operations, demonstrate some fiscal efficiency and get its audits in order, freeing up the withheld state and federal dollars. Give it a year and then ask again next November.
I know BREC has some facilities people enjoy, like the golf courses at Santa Maria and Beaver Creek, Highland Road Park, Liberty Lagoon, The Independence Park tennis center and theater, Magnolia Mound, the Bluebonnet Swamp Center, Howell Park, a quality soccer complex (primarily operated by the local soccer association) and the Raising Cane’s dog parks. Some will like the new zoo, and the organization offers many programs for children across the parish. But is it a gold medal system? No.
We’re all aware of BREC’s 2022 award from the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration. However, this award is not for possessing high-quality parks or excellent facilities, a fact made clear after speaking with top landscape architects, big city park executives, and two award judges. A competing organization submits a written application with no photos, and no one comes to inspect a single park or facility. I know because I read BREC’s submission and spoke to judges who know how the process works.
The application focuses on how much land and park facilities an organization controls and how much money it spends. It also asks about the number of programs offered and equity across all socioeconomic sectors—in short, the quantity of all things “park and recreation” as self-reported. I know many may get mad at me for taking the shine off the “gold medal,” but I had to share the truth, as this award is being used to validate BREC’s work and justify a “yes” vote.
I asked the two judges if they were aware that in 2022, when BREC got the gold, our zoo had lost its accreditation (it got it back in 2024). They seemed surprised by this. BREC didn’t note that in its application. I am sure the judges also didn’t know about the absent audits, but that subject isn’t raised on the application. But as the people paying for BREC, you should have all the information before you vote.
This was a hard column to write but I have done my homework and unfortunately will vote “No” this November.
