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Votes at a glance: Metro Council passes contracts, grants and routine approvals; deletes several contested agenda items
Summary
The East Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council approved multiple contracts, grants and administrative actions on March 12 and deleted contested items after public hearings. Key approvals included an amendment with Waste Management Renewable Energy for landfill gas collection, grants for police canine program, and several transportation and drainage
The East Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council, meeting March 12, approved a number of routine and project-specific items and deleted multiple contested items after public hearings and executive-session discussion.
Key approvals and actions (major items enacted by council vote):
- Item 53: Authorized the mayor-president to execute an amendment to the contract with Waste Management Renewable Energy LLC to expand the gas collection system at the North Landfill, for an amount not to exceed $530,027. Motion by Councilman Hudson; second by Councilwoman Amorosa. Motion carried.
- Item 55: Amended the 2025 operating budget for the Jewel J. Newman Center, appropriating $63,340 from fund balance for operational support, repairs and improvements. Motion by Councilman Kenny; second by Councilman Dunn Jr. Motion carried.
- Item 56: Directed the finance director to refund an erroneous sales-tax remittance to Restaurant Depot in the amount of $134,959. Motion by Councilwoman Harris; second by Councilwoman Adams. Motion carried.
- Item 57: Accepted a $7,500 grant award from the United States Police Canine Association/American Kennel Club for the Baton Rouge Police Department. Motion carried after council Q&A about canine costs.
- Item 58: Accepted a $4,740 subgrant award under the National Crime Victims Rights Week Community Awareness Project. Motion carried.
- Item 59: Entered into a Community Services Block Grant contract with the Louisiana Workforce Commission for $1,499,183 (FY2025) for human services programming. Motion carried.
- Items 60-71: The council approved a series of administrative contracts and agreements, including audiovisual meeting-production services (Item 60, $62,268), ESRI GIS software maintenance (Item 61, $117,985), utility relocation and appraisal services tied to the MoveBR capacity projects (Items 6320267), agreements with the Louisiana DOTD for infrastructure projects (Items 682069), and supplemental agreements with HNTB for infrastructure grant-management services (Item 70). Motions were approved by recorded voice and carried on the floor.
- Final acceptance: The council accepted final construction costs for several drainage projects (e.g., Woodridge filings 1-3 drainage improvements) and approved change orders and final payments as listed in the agenda.
Contested items and deletions: Several controversial items were deleted or deferred after public comment and executive-session discussion. Most notably, item 54 (the library millage rededication resolution) was deleted after heavy public comment; several offer-of-judgment items related to litigation stemming from off-site police detentions were also deleted (see separate coverage).
Procedure notes: Many items on the docket were grouped for consideration and approved together by motion. The council used standard motions (mover/second) and recorded "motion carries" for routine approvals; in contested matters members used substitute motions (approval vs. deletion) and the chambers voting machines for recorded votes on some motions.
Ending: The council adjourned after completing the published agenda and several extended public-comment periods. Several high-profile items will require continued negotiation outside the council chamber (library funding, litigation settlements).
