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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Metro Council Meeting June 10, 2026: Presentations, Homeless Outreach Contract, and DHS Task Force Debate

Metropolitan Council — Wednesday, June 10, 2026

BodyBaton Rouge, Louisiana

SessionMetropolitan Council

DateWednesday, June 10, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:17:31

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:03

Welcome everybody to the presentation portion of our meeting is June twelfth, twenty twenty-six.

0:09

We're gonna have uh first councilwoman Tuana Harris to rec recognize Clay Young.

0:17

Well, since she's not oh, there she is.

0:21

Good afternoon, everyone.

0:22

Thank you so much, Mayor Pro Tim Brandon.

0:24

No, what a tremendous opportunity to honor such a young man, Mr.

0:30

Clay Young, who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, dedication, and service to the residents of our community through his unwavering commitment to uplifting and empower others, empowering others, and through his vision and stewardship of the Inspiration Center.

0:47

He has created opportunities for growth, support, and positive transformation for countless individuals and families.

0:56

And the Inspiration Center has become a beacon of hope within District 7, the best district in the parish, I might add, providing encouragement, resources, and a pathway toward a brighter future for those it serves.

1:11

And Mr.

1:11

Clay's compassion, perseverance, and commitment to community development have strengthened neighborhoods and inspired meaningful change throughout our city and his efforts to efforts to exemplify the highest ideals of public service, community engagement and leadership.

1:33

Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, to Wana Harris, councilwoman for District 7, do hereby extend the certificate of appreciation to Mr.

1:42

Clay Young in recognition of his outstanding contributions and express sincere gratitude for the invaluable work he continues to do for the community.

1:52

It is my honor to present to you, Mr.

1:55

Clay Young.

1:57

The one and only, the one and only who gives and gives and gives and never stop giving.

2:03

And he never says no to Councilwoman Harris.

2:08

Come on up here.

2:10

Oh thank you.

2:13

No, go ahead.

2:14

That's about all you need to do.

2:16

The great people in the community, glad to work with so many to do great things here.

2:20

But again, thank you.

2:22

Man, that was short.

2:24

Can we go up here?

2:30

No, I was just trying to help you out.

2:32

All right.

2:38

I want all of us to come down for a second and get a picture.

3:15

All right, everybody look my way for me.

3:17

Hi, big smile for me.

3:19

All right, good.

3:20

Three, two, one.

3:22

One more like that.

3:34

Thank you.

4:01

Next, we're gonna have a presentation by Councilwoman Laurie Adams to recognize Amanda Martin.

4:17

All right.

4:18

Good afternoon, Councilmembers.

4:21

Um normally I would plan to do this, the last meeting of June, um, ahead of July 4th and the um the 250th birthday of America celebration, but I won't be here for the last week of June.

4:34

Um, but I wanted to um to call everybody's attention to and recognize Amanda Martin, owner of Steadyville, which is a district eleven business, um, for the book that she is actually in New York City um launching today, that is a children's book inspired by her work through Studyville to uh to increase reading um among children and also to increase um knowledge and interest in civic education.

5:03

So um everybody will see I've purchased a copy of the book for each of you to take home for you so your families will have this um as a remembrance um of the 250th birthday of America and hopefully a book that you enjoy um reading with your children and grandchildren.

5:19

So Amanda, because she's in New York City couldn't be here with us today, but she did send a video.

5:25

Justin good afternoon, Mayor Edwards and members of the Baton Rouge Metro Council.

5:34

Thank you so much for accommodating me via video.

5:38

I am actually in New York City on a book tour for my children's book, Henry the Star Spangled Spaniel.

5:46

I'm Amanda Martin.

5:47

I'm a Baton Rouge business owner.

5:49

I own Studyville, where we do a lot of tutoring uh all ages, but we do a lot of K through five literacy tutoring.

5:57

And in our tutoring sessions, we um needed to create our own curriculum that was specifically tailored to tutoring, and thought we should really get a mascot so we can make this fun for the kids.

6:09

And so we thought, well, why not a little dog?

6:12

And then while we're at it, and we're teaching the kids how to read, why don't we also teach them about history, civics, and American history?

6:21

And so Henry, our little Spaniel, start has a hundred comprehension lessons right now, where he's teaching kids literacy in the science of reading method and history.

6:34

So this is his first adventure.

6:37

He wakes up on July 4th, and it's his birthday, and his grandmother gives him a dog house, and he sees everybody in the city setting up for fireworks, and he's like, Oh my goodness, is this for me?

6:51

And they're like, No, Henry, it's America's birthday too.

6:55

And he's really curious about that.

6:57

He asks a lot of questions.

6:58

He's a curious little Spaniel, and he goes into his doghouse and he is whooshed back to Philadelphia July 4th, 1776, where he witnesses the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

7:13

Now you'll have to read it, but he he ends up safely back in present day time with his grandmother, where she calls him her star spangled spaniel.

7:22

I am thrilled to be on this book tour, uh, bringing national attention to Baton Rouge.

7:28

Uh who knew we'd be published by Simon and Schuster and Forefront Books, and being in New York, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, DC.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Safety████████████████████████████████████████40%

Community Engagement████████████████16%

Procedural████████████████16%

Immigration Policy█████████9%

Homelessness██████6%

Youth Programs███3%

Public Engagement███3%

Immigration Enforcement██2%

Economic Development█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Metro Council Meeting June 10, 2026

The Metropolitan Council held a regular meeting on June 10, 2026, beginning with presentations recognizing community leaders and a high school valedictorian. The council unanimously approved the consent calendar and then debated two major items: a contract amendment for homeless encampment cleanup and a cooperative endeavor agreement with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for a task force focused on violent crime. Following extensive public comment and council discussion, the DHS agreement was approved on a 7-3 roll call vote.

Consent Calendar

Approval of minutes from May 27, 2026 Metro Council meeting and June 2, 2026 Airport Commission meeting.
Introductions of multiple resolutions and condemnations (items 2-14) were read and moved to committee.
Routine approvals of items 59 (amended contract for community outreach), 60 (janitorial services), 61 (EMS substation design), 63-72 (budget amendments, contracts, and other authorizations), 73-74 (board appointments), 75-78 (change orders and low bids) were passed with little or no discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

Amanda Martin (via video, owner of Studyville) presented her children's book Henry the Star Spangled Spaniel, recognized by the council for promoting literacy and civic education.
Angel Franklin (valedictorian of Baker High School) was recognized for her academic achievement and announced she will study kinesiology at Southern University.
Marcella Hernandez (licensed social worker) opposed item 62, expressing concerns that the DHS task force could lead to immigration enforcement, erode trust, and divert resources from crime prevention programs.
Reverend Alexis Anderson opposed item 62, citing ongoing fear in immigrant communities and arguing the agreement would harm families.
Christina Casas (community organizer) opposed item 62, emphasizing the need for crime prevention investment rather than federal enforcement.
Rosalie Washington opposed item 62, questioning the source of guns and calling for funding to community organizations.
Sarah Lewis IO (community advocate) asked why the partnership was needed now, noting that existing community programs had been defunded.
Tanya Wolf (advocate for detained immigrants) questioned the distinction between HSI and ICE, raised concerns about collateral arrests, and requested the council read the full agreement.
Salomon Panewa (rescue and recovery volunteer) described loss of trust in law enforcement and urged investment in education and health.
Scott Sonye (Navy veteran) opposed item 62, citing erosion of trust in federal law enforcement.
Amelia Herrera (Afro-Latina community member) shared personal experiences with ICE profiling and opposed the agreement.
Enola Geyer (Freedom Road Socialist Organization) opposed item 62, contrasting the $1.15 million with inadequate compensation to victims of police misconduct.
Milton Mitchell Jr. questioned who benefits from increased policing and civil asset forfeiture.
Roxana Chapa (court interpreter) reported that fear of ICE is causing people to avoid court and report crimes, and opposed item 62.
An email comment in opposition to item 65 (Move BR project) was noted.

Discussion Items

Item 59 – Contract Amendment for Community Outreach Coordinator
- The mayor's office requested a $35,000 increase (total $70,000) for John T. Kennedy to clean up homeless encampments and address 311 backlogs.
- Councilman Hearst questioned duplication with DPW and blight department services. The mayor's office responded that Kennedy works alongside DPW, focuses on areas that DPW cannot due to staffing or hazmat issues, and uses his own vehicle.
- After further questioning about legal authority and hazmat certification, the council approved the motion with a second.
Item 62 – Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with DHS Homeland Security Investigations
- The agreement would accept $1,157,000 in federal funds to renovate unused space at BRPD headquarters for a task force combining federal, state, and local law enforcement to target violent gun crime, gangs, and drug trafficking.
- Chief Murphy emphasized that the task force would not involve ICE or immigration enforcement, and that this merely consolidates existing partnerships under one roof for better coordination.
- Public speakers overwhelmingly opposed, arguing that HSI is part of ICE, that the agreement could be expanded, and that it would increase fear and undermine community trust.
- Council members debated: some supported the deferral for community dialogue, while others argued that rejecting the grant would push the task force to another agency, removing council oversight.
- A substitute motion to approve the item was made and seconded. After a roll call vote, the motion carried 7-3.

Key Outcomes

Item 62 approved (7-3 roll call: Goday, Moak, Adams, Noel, Hudson, Amorosa, Coleman voted yes; Hearst, Kenny, Harris voted no). The agreement will move forward to allow use of federal funds for renovations.
Item 59 approved (unanimous voice vote). Contract amendment for homeless encampment cleanup passed.
All other items on the consent and regular agenda were approved by voice vote or without objection.
Appointments: Dr. Deanna Curris Martin was appointed to the Lane Regional Medical Center board; Ali Renhoff Martinez was appointed to the Chaffalaya Trace Commission.
Meeting adjourned after the votes.

Meeting Transcript

Welcome everybody to the presentation portion of our meeting is June twelfth, twenty twenty-six. We're gonna have uh first councilwoman Tuana Harris to rec recognize Clay Young. Well, since she's not oh, there she is. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much, Mayor Pro Tim Brandon. No, what a tremendous opportunity to honor such a young man, Mr. Clay Young, who has demonstrated exceptional leadership, dedication, and service to the residents of our community through his unwavering commitment to uplifting and empower others, empowering others, and through his vision and stewardship of the Inspiration Center. He has created opportunities for growth, support, and positive transformation for countless individuals and families. And the Inspiration Center has become a beacon of hope within District 7, the best district in the parish, I might add, providing encouragement, resources, and a pathway toward a brighter future for those it serves. And Mr. Clay's compassion, perseverance, and commitment to community development have strengthened neighborhoods and inspired meaningful change throughout our city and his efforts to efforts to exemplify the highest ideals of public service, community engagement and leadership. Now, therefore, be it resolved that I, to Wana Harris, councilwoman for District 7, do hereby extend the certificate of appreciation to Mr. Clay Young in recognition of his outstanding contributions and express sincere gratitude for the invaluable work he continues to do for the community. It is my honor to present to you, Mr. Clay Young. The one and only, the one and only who gives and gives and gives and never stop giving. And he never says no to Councilwoman Harris. Come on up here. Oh thank you. No, go ahead. That's about all you need to do. The great people in the community, glad to work with so many to do great things here. But again, thank you. Man, that was short. Can we go up here? No, I was just trying to help you out. All right. I want all of us to come down for a second and get a picture. All right, everybody look my way for me. Hi, big smile for me. All right, good. Three, two, one. One more like that. Thank you. Next, we're gonna have a presentation by Councilwoman Laurie Adams to recognize Amanda Martin. All right. Good afternoon, Councilmembers. Um normally I would plan to do this, the last meeting of June, um, ahead of July 4th and the um the 250th birthday of America celebration, but I won't be here for the last week of June. Um, but I wanted to um to call everybody's attention to and recognize Amanda Martin, owner of Steadyville, which is a district eleven business, um, for the book that she is actually in New York City um launching today, that is a children's book inspired by her work through Studyville to uh to increase reading um among children and also to increase um knowledge and interest in civic education. So um everybody will see I've purchased a copy of the book for each of you to take home for you so your families will have this um as a remembrance um of the 250th birthday of America and hopefully a book that you enjoy um reading with your children and grandchildren. So Amanda, because she's in New York City couldn't be here with us today, but she did send a video. Justin good afternoon, Mayor Edwards and members of the Baton Rouge Metro Council. Thank you so much for accommodating me via video. I am actually in New York City on a book tour for my children's book, Henry the Star Spangled Spaniel. I'm Amanda Martin. I'm a Baton Rouge business owner. I own Studyville, where we do a lot of tutoring uh all ages, but we do a lot of K through five literacy tutoring. And in our tutoring sessions, we um needed to create our own curriculum that was specifically tailored to tutoring, and thought we should really get a mascot so we can make this fun for the kids. And so we thought, well, why not a little dog? And then while we're at it, and we're teaching the kids how to read, why don't we also teach them about history, civics, and American history?

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