Bossier City Council pauses action on Bossier Arts Council termination, places East Bank management with city

The Bossier City Council on Feb. 17 moved to delay a decision to terminate its joint cooperative agreement with the Bossier Arts Council and, for the interim, placed management of the East Bank facilities under city control.

The action — a motion by Councilman Brian Hammonds, seconded by Councilwoman Ross — continues consideration of the first-reading ordinance until March 3, 2026, and suspends the council's payments and management authority to the arts council during that period. The motion passed on a roll-call vote, 4–3 (Hammonds, Ross, Gerard, Maggio in favor; Chris Smith, Cochran, Cliff Smith opposed).

The measure follows extended public comment from dozens of supporters and stakeholders who said the Bossier Arts Council provides cultural programming, student opportunities and federal grant leverage for the East Bank district. Speakers included local artists, nonprofit partners and board members who described the council's role in events such as VetFest and student-art exhibitions.

Nathan Hicks, representing the arts council, asked the council for more time to resolve accounting and audit issues and "simply asked for a 2 week moratorium" to contact the legislative auditor and attempt to remove BAC from a list of noncompliance, citing efforts to engage a CPA firm and to produce outstanding quarterly reports. Jeremy Heffner, identified as interim director of the Arts Council, told the council he had submitted a quarterly report and a funding request to the CPA Angela Williamson on Jan. 21 and that the organization had engaged an accounting firm to begin remedial audits.

City council members said they were sympathetic to BAC's cultural role but raised concerns about stewardship of taxpayer funding. Council members noted the city provides roughly $130,000 in annual operating support and in-kind contributions (a city-owned building and associated utilities and maintenance) and emphasized the legal and financial risk posed by protracted noncompliance with the state legislative auditor. Council members pressed BAC leaders on why board oversight and internal controls had not detected repeated reporting failures; BAC representatives said turnover, a weak executive director and staffing disruptions had contributed to lapses.

As conditions of the continuance the council asked BAC to seek and deliver, within the two-week window, a letter or other documentation from the legislative auditor or the city auditors showing a "path to compliance" or a timeline for remediation. Council members required that any such documentation be sent to the mayor's office, the chief administrative officer, the finance director and the city clerk.

Councilman Gerard and others said the pause balances the council's duty to protect taxpayer funds with community concerns. Council members also directed that East Bank management and any pavilion scheduling be handled by the city during the interim period.

The council noted that the ordinance at first reading could require a second reading to take final effect if the item proceeds after March 3. BAC representatives said they are working with an accounting firm and expect the audit work to take months, while some board remedies and an initial audit package could be ready in the near term. The council will reconvene consideration at its March 3 meeting.

Clarifying details: the council's annual support figure for BAC was described in the meeting as approximately $130,000 and the council's finance director confirmed the building has been treated as an in-kind donation in prior filings. BAC told the council its CPA engagement and initial audit work had been re-activated in the week prior to the hearing and that a first set of documents could be ready for accountants by mid-March; the legislative auditor's process to render a clearing or compliance notice was described as potentially taking months depending on the depth of remediation required.

Next steps: BAC must provide evidence of contact and a plan from the legislative auditor or auditors to the mayor's office, CAO, finance director and city clerk ahead of the council's March 3 meeting. The city will manage East Bank operations while the matter is pending.