Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council Meeting – October 22, 2025: Recognitions, Proclamations, and Legislative Actions
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Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council Meeting – October 22, 2025
The Metropolitan Council convened on October 22, 2025, beginning with a recognition ceremony honoring individuals and organizations, followed by a regular council meeting at 4:00 p.m. The council reviewed an annual report from the Bridge Center for Hope, declared two emergency items, processed numerous condemnations, and approved a range of resolutions, contracts, and budgetary amendments. Key discussion centered on opioid settlement fund disbursement and juvenile detention center infrastructure funding.
Recognitions & Proclamations
- Breast Cancer Awareness Month – Proclaimed October 2025, with a moment to acknowledge survivors.
- EMS Stars of Life – Three employees (Braxton Empson, EMT of the Year; Dylan Mosenheimer, Paramedic of the Year; Luann Jarrow LeBlanc, Communications Officer of the Year) were awarded stars of life medals and certificates for their recognition at the national American Ambulance Association event in Washington, D.C.
- Louisiana State Queen Sugar – Olivia Daigle, 2025–2026 Louisiana State Queen Sugar and Miss Congeniality, was recognized for her role as ambassador for the sugarcane industry (supporting over 19,000 jobs and $4 billion economic impact).
- Domestic Violence Awareness Month – Proclaimed October 2025. Councilwoman Tawana Harris noted 19 domestic violence homicides in Baton Rouge in 2025 and highlighted resources (Butterfly Society, IRIS, YWCA). Survivor Angela Smith shared her story.
- Top Teens of America & Nubian Cruisers United – Recognized for community service and leadership.
- T‑Shirts by You & Go Transports – Owner Kelly Gote was recognized for investing in District 7 by revitalizing a blighted property at 4761 North Street.
- Glen Oaks High School Mr. & Miss – Elijah Banks and Malaysia Hamilton were honored.
- Students of the Year – Karen Whitfield (Scotlandville Magnet High School, 4.4 GPA) and Connor Rankins (Progress Elementary) received certificates.
- One Million Steps to Safety 5K – Shanita Vasquez promoted the October 25 pedestrian safety walk/run.
- LSU Homecoming King & Queen – T'Senery Gray and Lena Walker were recognized.
Bridge Center for Hope Annual Report (Item 182)
Charlotte Claymore, Executive Director, reported that since opening on February 11, 2021, the Center has served 13,766 individuals, admitting 13,019 (95% admission rate). Of those, 9,840 walked in voluntarily; 3,179 came via first responders (BRPD 54%, EMS 25%, sheriff 17%). The homeless disposition is 8.62%. The Center launched mobile crisis response (40 hours/week, crawl‑walk‑run approach). Councilwoman Amorosa’s public hearing had no objectors.
Emergency Items (183–184)
- Item 183 – Approved an agreement with Razor LLC for airport passenger transport (5 years, $5/pickup). Declared emergency to meet deadlines.
- Item 184 – Proclaimed October 2025 as Dysautonomia Awareness Month. Carmen, founder of Dysautonomia Louisiana, shared her personal story and noted the condition affects over 70 million people worldwide. The resolution passed unanimously.
Condemnations (Items 81–121)
The council adopted DPW recommendations with modifications:
- Proceed immediately: Items 84, 94, 96–98, 102, 104–111, 113–114, 116–118.
- 30‑day deferral (to November 25): Items 82, 90, 92, 95, 99–101, 115, 119–121.
- December 10 deferral: Items 83, 85, 86, 93.
- January 28, 2026 deferral: Items 81, 103, 112.
- Deleted: Items 88, 89, 91, and 122 (rescinded due to potential litigation).
- Item 111 was later reconsidered and deferred to December 10.
Discussion Items
- Item 125 & 126 (PILOT agreements) – Approved annual payments in lieu of taxes for Housing Preservation Inc., despite email comments in opposition.
- Item 129 (Legal services contract) – Deferred to November 25 at the Parish Attorney’s request; six email comments opposed.
- Item 132 (Opioid settlement funds) – Approved $186,350 for LASAC to train 40 addiction counselors and 20 peer recovery specialists, plus $200,000 for Baton Rouge High Team and United BR of the Grove. Council heard detailed discussion on disbursement delays. Kelly Leduff, Executive Director of Federal Programs, clarified that $3.5 million in 2022–2024 settlement funds had been allocated; an additional $3.6 million for 2025 was received. Six of ten contracts are executed; four are pending due to missing documents (e.g., insurance certificates). Councilman Dunn Jr. urged improved tracking and communication with vendors.
- Item 135 (Juvenile detention center funding) – Approved $200,000 from the state for critical building needs. Dr. Wade explained the request was for infrastructure upgrades (mechanical systems, safety, quality of life). A public comment by Hakim Mohammed questioned whether funds could be better used for education; Dr. Wade confirmed the funds are restricted to construction.
- Items 133–134, 136–181 – Approved without public comment, including professional services amendments, budget adjustments, settlements, adjudicated property sales, change orders, final acceptances, and low bid awards (e.g., airport taxiway extension $16.4M, road rehabilitation $3.1M, O’Neal Highway segment $11.9M).
Key Outcomes
- All proclamations and recognitions were adopted unanimously.
- Item 182 (Bridge Center for Hope report) received without objection.
- Items 183 and 184 passed after emergency declarations (two‑thirds vote required, no opposition noted).
- Condemnation schedule was approved as modified by council motions.
- Item 122 (rescind contract award) was deleted due to litigation concerns.
- Item 129 was deferred to November 25.
- Opioid settlement contracts will be tracked with updated vendor communications; council requested a schedule of future settlement dollars.
- Item 111 was reconsidered and deferred to December 10.
- All other consent and regular items received unanimous approval (specific vote counts not recorded, but no opposition voiced).
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. Y'all can hear me? All right. We'd like to welcome you all to our Metropolitan Recognition meeting for today for the October 20 second meeting. Um, first we're going to start with an input um with Mayor President Sid Edwards who will recognize the breast cancer awareness month. Yes. I'm I'm sorry, I'm not Mayor Sid Ellis. Uh Kelly Leduff, Executive Director of Federal Programs. So we'll start with uh Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Uh, first of all, good afternoon. Thank everyone for being here today. Um, I'd like to recognize October as Breast of Cancer Awareness Month, a month we honor the survivors and remember those we lost. We stand with everyone currently fighting this disease. We also want to thank organizations, health care workers, and advocates who continue to raise awareness and support early detection and treatment efforts. Let's continue spreading the awareness and encouraging regular screenings that save lives. And now that that part's out of the way, I'll speak from the heart a second. I know for a fact this is an issue that affects a majority of families, including mine, my my grandmother, who's now deceased that was a survivor of breast cancer. So is anyone here that's a survivor of breast cancer that would like to come up and be acknowledged. That's a good good room. So we good on that. Thank you. Yeah. So next we have EMS Stars of Life Recognition. We are proud to recognize three of our standing employees who have been selected for the National Stars of Life Award in Washington, D.C. You want to go through the names? Yeah, I got it. All right. Thank y'all for having us here and giving the opportunity to recognize our folks because today we're recognizing three outstanding members of our department, our EMT of the year, our paramedic of the year, and our communications officer of the year. Each of these individuals has also been selected to represent our department and the city at the on the national stage at the American Ambulance Association Stars for Life, uh, where they will join EMS professionals from all across the country to be honored for their service. While they're there, they'll get an opportunity to meet U.S. House members, Senate members, and take part in events celebrating the work of EMS providers nationwide. Uh our department couldn't be prouder. These three individuals truly represent the best of the best at their provider level and their positions within our department. And what makes this award especially meaningful is that our of the years is nominated by their peers. They are recognized for their excellence uh and how they stand out within their ranks. This is not the motivation from administration. This is uh recognition for the work that they do. Um our EMT of the year, Braxton Empson Empson, uh he's been with our department for two years. And even though that short time, he's made a strong impression on his peers. He's been working full time while attending paramedic school, which is not an easy task. Uh so he's committed to growth and his excellence and a great example uh of his work ethic. And I wouldn't be surprised one day back whenever he successfully completes paramedic school that he may be back up here recognized as paramedic of the year and not EMT of the year. But at this time, I'd like to recognize uh present you, Braxton. Could you come up? Yeah. And present you with your stars of life medal on behalf of the department and American Ambulance Association. Our paramedic of the year, Dylan Mosenheimer. Dylan has been with East Batten Root GMS for eight years. He's a preceptor, which means he takes the time to train and mentor the next generation of medics, and something that takes both skill and patience. But another uh interesting point is Dylan is a legacy paramedic.
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