[{"_1":2,"_97":-5,"_98":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,73,85],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":55,"_72":55},"mediaId",6083404,"mediaKeyId","2934375-7d01e2714859eb94012fabc236c912af","parentId",2934375,"title","City proclaims April Sexual Assault Awareness Month; local nonprofit STAR to provide free advocacy and services","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",9000000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2934375-7d01e2714859eb94012fabc236c912af&start=9000&end=9000","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2934375-7d01e2714859eb94012fabc236c912af/thumbnail_9000000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6083404/Central/East-Baton-Rouge-Parish/Louisiana/City-proclaims-April-Sexual-Assault-Awareness-Month-local-nonprofit-STAR-to-provide-free-advocacy-and-services","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6083404-cec7858443a2f6291bdedc4d32b5d1c7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771179621&Signature=AMsih7OhaLYH7w7I8QQ3W2UTzCjR670COqVFxvyZi8Qc-jacuzc1LHwA8qh9tJaVs1cJYh1~r7SSAkflPeFSSryWs2BORYApcLjifVYeF0OLzsYSVbb48cjUjo0cjapolCt~arEb9BOA5w~ASdetM63HMsDgrP8kQQSHfYQUec~2BUbr8tgIwsPXXDG4Rjj65OevkLz-FRoRbHzQwjXNZMzvPOEf1UWcnqV49k9FbpI1DoliQxMw~WLCYs-MqbXK3RJisvAuBJxJMKOfVR~bBy9s6XolJoLVXIE9X3HDzP7~Ul4a8~d94xZ8CGEIHI-~IQYl41lMkV8IxrRMj-imfw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-04-09T12:00:29Z","article","At the start of the council’s proclamations, Council presented a proclamation recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and invited Ashley Severson, a representative of Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response (STAR), to describe services the nonprofit provides.

Severson told the council STAR offers free, confidential services including counseling, case management and legal support, and that advocates will accompany survivors to hospitals, to law enforcement interviews and to court when requested. She said STAR also maintains a prevention-focused social change team and operates centers in Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Alexandria.

Severson asked council members to share STAR’s contact information with residents; she said the group’s website (STAR ngo) lists resources and ways to reach an advocate. \"We offer free counseling services, free legal representation, as well as case management services,\" she said, summarizing services available without proof of insurance or proof that an assault occurred.

Mayor and council members thanked Severson and said staff would share the nonprofit’s contact information through city channels to raise awareness of available services.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Council Meeting - 4/8/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The council read a proclamation recognizing April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month and heard from Ashley Severson of STAR (Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response), which offers free counseling, legal representation and accompaniment services across multiple parishes.","taxTitle","Central, East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana","taxId",68593,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":74,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":75,"_41":76,"_43":77,"_45":78,"_46":79,"_48":80,"_50":81,"_52":82,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":83,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":84,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":55,"_72":55},6083409,"Council pauses vote on updated public-records fees after lengthy debate over email delivery and video charges",73,586330,660270,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2934375-7d01e2714859eb94012fabc236c912af&start=586&end=660","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2934375-7d01e2714859eb94012fabc236c912af/thumbnail_586330.jpg","/articles/6083409/Central/East-Baton-Rouge-Parish/Louisiana/Council-pauses-vote-on-updated-public-records-fees-after-lengthy-debate-over-email-delivery-and-video-charges","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6083409-6d23f8343c48a910ff6241df449f6bc5/orig.mp4?Expires=1771179621&Signature=ReZMVxWI-eiKZv1ANdHzq8PU~z~TFNMtC9klsoVum~U5U7pkKO22nLydkrvxi4s1a0zKOu5tZhZxe~y~XhgPEAZ2p-521939J2GCxtGfAe9h~xw2H4F-yhgzqoBYyJ57YwXkl32ZPOW5guondQLRns0WqBRa7yTtxdwZ~2yorD2yiAiu-Dis2uOm6ipa81TTvc59HEVNvQPebsTUcUNfNUbLDl4YKKcVSUut84M0GdeGcfhSXafjbGNGHJydLFHO55h48n3WBv0z-s~HkkbrxLIrCgVKRAcxF~RFSvgrHc6N7UwkdqLXV6F1Qh0GTxGDrWjkDcGytRv537krlEMPJg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Council members debated a proposed resolution to update fees for public-records requests and then deferred final action to the council’s first May meeting to allow staff to refine language and respond to several questions.

The proposed changes would: update fees to reflect surrounding communities’ rates, allow the city to send records by email (the current policy did not allow email), permit electronic delivery (USB) or physical media (CD) and introduce a structured fee for police video footage. Staff said the proposals are not intended to be revenue-generating but are intended to better reflect staff time and file volume.

City staff explained the city’s public-records workload has grown in volume and complexity and that the existing fee schedule dated from 2005. A city official said the city produced documents that cost about $13,600 to assemble in one recent year while charging roughly $300, producing a net shortfall; staff presented updated fee comparisons from peer communities.

Council members raised several issues: whether email delivery should be charged (many said it should not), whether residents should pay less than businesses, how to handle deposits for large requests, and how to price video footage that requires redaction. Staff proposed a model similar to the Louisiana State Police schedule for videos (a base fee for short clips and a per-minute charge for footage exceeding a threshold); staff also recommended changing the video line item to a single “video” fee rather than itemizing body/dash/in-car cameras until ordinances and procedures were updated.

Councilmember Froehlich and others argued the city should not make it harder for residents to access records and said the fee schedule should prioritize public access while covering staff burdens. Some council members proposed allowing residents to view records in person for free as required by law. Others said the city should align with peer municipalities and add modest fees for voluminous requests or specialized redaction work.

After extended discussion the council substituted a motion to defer consideration. The measure to update the fee schedule and the proposed updated public-records form will return to the council at its first May meeting. Staff was asked to provide a more detailed breakdown of proposed charges, a clearer policy on email delivery and recommended language for redaction and video fees so the council could decide whether to adopt the proposed schedule or adjust specific line items.","The council discussed a proposed update to public-records fees, including email delivery, USB/CD charges and video redaction fees; members asked for more detail and deferred final action to the first May meeting.",{"_33":86,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":87,"_41":88,"_43":89,"_45":90,"_46":91,"_48":92,"_50":93,"_52":94,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":95,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":96,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":55,"_72":55},6083414,"Council defers vote on $1.8 million Delta Regional Authority culvert grant after questions about obligations and scope",456,2424000,2880000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2934375-7d01e2714859eb94012fabc236c912af&start=2424&end=2880","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2934375-7d01e2714859eb94012fabc236c912af/thumbnail_2424000.jpg","/articles/6083414/Central/East-Baton-Rouge-Parish/Louisiana/Council-defers-vote-on-18-million-Delta-Regional-Authority-culvert-grant-after-questions-about-obligations-and-scope","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6083414-b12c318818cc418aeee76c2efd06e6fa/orig.mp4?Expires=1771179621&Signature=doNh6fbQQG5qJrXKIb7znppMYxuZVdYoD6WPnFwK1rU~ANokRDZMoH9HhwGia8fCRxG8CCYWZ-xlMu3yuiWewGxdnPZ1LL2RfbS29hVKe5vHzGKDl6BqPVnhBYj7SoNE7McXBZ9s7x1Whg9kqCi7NWGmXAekFAjziyMO4GlXs4ekU9JW17TKt5-jZu0RJkhQA0Yj2hDSnvUR4oOGZH2jv9nw0qG-Ii0OB~oU7l8x7eJpZclFQp9Gi8h1Vs83dkgXIt4vS9XnXGSZ~j-QmkLNPtvAvtZC5jQiLPpsorBCyym1vQR39LU~8bswrw7vke2i0rHZFCOVA0LNLU5p~bkndQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Council members deferred action on a resolution supporting a $1.8 million Delta Regional Authority grant application for culvert improvements after several members pressed staff for more detail on scope, bid estimates and the city’s potential obligations.

The council’s questions centered on whether the DRA award would obligate the city to cover cost overruns and whether the award would be sufficient to complete the list of drainage projects identified in the city’s drainage master plan. Councilmember Le asked whether the ordinance requires the city to complete all listed projects if the grant covers only part of the work, saying, “If we get to 1.8 million and we say, hey, that only gets us 75% of the way there, are we allowed to … ?”

A staff member identified as Wade told the council a formal bid package is not yet available and that project costs remain preliminary: “I do not have a bid package on this yet. This is the preliminary stages … we’ll have to go to design and do the studies.” Wade said the four culvert crossings identified in the drainage master plan are the focus and that the DRA money targets projects in the Hubs Bayou watershed and Saunders area.

Council members repeatedly asked whether accepting the grant would legally or contractually obligate the city to complete all projects on the list, or to cover overages. Staff said the city would likely be obligated to perform the work the city accepts as the grant recipient but could not definitively answer how grant conditions would apply until a formal agreement is drafted.

Several council members said they supported pursuing outside funding but wanted clarity on exposure, project prioritization and whether the city would be asked to commit additional local funds. One councilmember suggested deferring the item so the administration could provide the grant application text, anticipated scope, a preliminary estimate of total project costs and whether the city would be on the hook for overages.

The council voted to defer the resolution to the council’s next meeting (the first May meeting), giving staff time to obtain a bid package or clearer cost and obligation language from the DRA and project engineers.","Council members asked how a $1.8 million Delta Regional Authority grant would be spent, whether the city would be responsible for cost overruns and whether projects are mandatory. The council deferred the application to the next meeting to gather more detail.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

City proclaims April Sexual Assault Awareness Month; local nonprofit STAR to provide free advocacy and services

Council pauses vote on updated public-records fees after lengthy debate over email delivery and video charges

Council defers vote on $1.8 million Delta Regional Authority culvert grant after questions about obligations and scope