Metro Council votes to put 9.5‑mill library renewal on June 27 ballot after extended public hearing

The East Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council voted on Feb. 11 to place a proposed 9.5‑mill, 10‑year dedicated library renewal before parish voters on the June 27, 2026 ballot.

The council’s vote followed a lengthy public hearing in which library leaders and dozens of residents and stakeholders described planned repairs, capital projects and the system’s role in supporting seniors, students and neighborhood meeting space. Katrina Stokes, director of the East Baton Rouge Parish Library, asked the council to approve the renewal at the reduced rate of 9.5 mill so the system could continue maintenance and planned capital work without tapping the general fund.

The library’s presentation emphasized building repairs and equipment replacement needs. Assistant library staff described replacement of failed boilers and chillers at multiple branches and listed usage metrics to justify the request. “This millage is a small investment with a powerful return,” Katrina Stokes said, adding that the proposed rate is lower than what was previously levied and that the library has “demonstrated strong fiscal responsibility.”

Speakers from the public largely urged the council to put the measure on the ballot. Multiple supporters said they wanted voters to decide and noted the library’s services for children, seniors, job seekers and small‑business owners. “If the library says they need 9.5 mills to operate as well as they do, I trust them,” one resident told the council. Several board members and library staff walked through deferred maintenance and the capital plan, saying the rate allows the system to restore frozen positions and fund long‑deferred projects.

Critics and a subset of council members challenged the rate and cited the library’s rising fund balance. Opponents, including a public commenter who said he had reviewed audited financials, suggested a lower millage (8.0–8.5 mills) could maintain core services without building substantial reserve growth. In response, library staff and finance officials explained governmental accounting rules that restrict the use of fund balance for recurring operations and said the library’s capital and operational responsibilities differ from systems that separate capital and operating funds.

Council debate combined those fiscal questions with process clarifications. Councilwoman Jen Rocca emphasized the council’s procedural role: it was voting to place a dedicated millage on the ballot, not adopting the tax itself. After substitute and original motions, the council approved the substitute motion to put the 9.5‑mill proposal on the ballot. The roll call recorded nine yes votes (Godet, Demoe, Dunn Jr., Hurst, Rocca, Noel, Coleman, Kenny, Harris) and three no votes (Adams, Hudson, Amarosa).

What happens next: The approved measure will appear on the June 27, 2026 ballot. If voters approve it, the dedicated millage would fund library operations and capital projects beginning in the 2026 tax year and continue for 10 years as specified in the resolution.

Sources: presentations and testimony by Katrina Stokes, Laurie Judge and Mary Stein for East Baton Rouge Parish Libraries; public testimony and council roll‑call during the Feb. 11 Metropolitan Council meeting.