The Metropolitan Council of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish met on November 12, 2025, to conduct regular business, including recognition of veterans, approval of multiple contracts and budgets, and a lengthy debate on the creation of a new Economic Development District for the Plank Road corridor.
The meeting was extended by motion and adjourned after completing all business.
Welcome everybody to the presentation portion of our council meeting this November 12, 2025. We have the uh mayor's chair of the advisory council on veterans' affairs for a presentation. Good morning, good evening, Council members, and uh happy November. I'm very pleased to be here. My name is Elena Branzera. I'm the chair of the Mayor's Advisory Council on Veteran Affairs, and I want to tell you on behalf of myself as a Marine Corps veteran and all the veterans and the active duty members that are sitting behind us. I'd like to tell you thank you so much in advance for continuing to recognize them, their service and their sacrifice, and also their contributions to our local community and to uh partnerships with the mayor's advisory council, Metro Council, the mayor's office, and the state, because together when we work the way that we are working, we truly can celebrate the people that are behind us and look at their contributions as meaningful. I'd also like to thank you for the proclamation in honor of Veterans Month. Where with 12 signatures, the City of Aton Rouge honors the strength and sacrifices of the families, caregivers, and survivors of our veterans and our current service members. And whereas tours of duty, deployment, and rotations are difficult for our military and their families. We marvel at the devotion of military families and their resilience to uproot their lives every few years and to move to a new community. Whereas to be a veteran or a service member is to have endured and survived challenges. Most Americans will never know. Families who put their lives on the line and on hold so that our military can hold the line to represent the best of America, and we will always remember what they do for our nation. Now be it resolved that we, Metropolitan Council members of the City of Baton Rouge and the Paris of East Baton Rouge, do hereby honor and recognize the month of November as Veterans Month. In witness thereof, we here to set our hand in the official signature and cause this day, November 12th, 2025. Council members, thank you so much for what you do. I'd like to first recognize by district the members that are here, and I'd like to start with District 2, Anthony Kinney to recognize your veterans, please. First off, we have Mr. Jeffrey Charles Gray. Um he was a communication specialist in United States Army. Um I like to bring him on up. Let's give Mr. Gray a round of applause. Next up, Mr. Warren A. Reese, a retired senior chief petty officer, E8 Mind Man. Let's give him a round of applause. All right, next up, Mr. Lonnie Ron, E5, United States Army. And last but certainly not least, Miss Brenda Rogers, Sergeant United States Army. So to these four distinguished veterans, as we celebrate you all today for your service and leadership to our great country. Isn't it with gratitude and recognition of your years of service in United States Army, your courageous dedication, sacrifice are commendable, and we are forever indebted for all that you have given to protect our freedom in our nation. Thank you for your service. Next, we'd like to uh recognize Councilmember Rowdy Goday, District Three with his veterans. I'll welcome up and please, family, y'all come and join him. I'll I'd welcome y'all uh to come and surround him. Camera shy, they're camera shy, camera shy. Uh thank you, Councilmembers. I'll read a little bit from the um the certificate uh that Mr. Marcus or Sergeant Barnadez is going to receive today uh in recognition of his honorable service uh to the United States Army, faithfully serving as a sergeant, voluntary voluntarily enlisting in 1972, receiving his honorable discharge in 1979 during his service. Uh he served as a 74 Delta computer machine operator, stationed in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and also traveling to bases to locations including Germany, Korea, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and Fort Polk here in Louisiana. His commendations include the National Defense Service Medal, awarded awarded for continuous active military service during designated conflict periods, and the Good Conduct Medal, denoting three years of continuous exemplary behavior, efficiency, and fidelity. Following his service, Sergeant Barnadez continued his commitment to our nation by serving voluntarily in the U.S. Army Reserves for an additional year. After his military career, he continued serving this community through education, retiring in 2019 as an associate horticultural professor at the Baton Rouge Community College, and a longtime and very proud resident of the Guardian community. He certainly exemplifies service, leadership, and dedication to others. Kind of nervous the long-tailed cat in a room for the rocking chairs. Then I left my glasses and I had to bore out somebody else's glasses, so that's two strikes, so let me see, let me get the dirty one. No strikes, okay.