Metro Council deletes Crossroads contract, approves grants, demolitions, audits and appointments

At its March 26, 2025 meeting the East Baton Rouge Parish Metropolitan Council deleted a proposed federal government relations contract with Crossroads Strategies LLC, signaled the mayor’s office will seek a new federal lobbying contract with Cornerstone Strategies, and approved a sequence of administrative, public‑works and finance items from the agenda.

Mayor’s office representative Mason Batson told the council the mayor’s office intends to pursue Cornerstone Strategies for federal lobbying work and that the existing item with Crossroads Strategies was being deleted so a separate contract with Cornerstone can be introduced at a future meeting. Batson said the change would save the parish approximately $100,000 on the contract. "Our federal lobbyists will now be, assuming we get approval, Cornerstone Strategies," Batson said on the council floor.

The council voted to delete Item 89 (Crossroads Strategies LLC) after members debated the matter on the record; one council member voted in opposition. The council then moved through a long list of items on the agenda and recorded approvals for routine…