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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

East Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council Meeting – August 26, 2026

Metropolitan Council — Wednesday, August 26, 2026

BodyBaton Rouge, Louisiana

SessionMetropolitan Council

DateWednesday, August 26, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 2:13:54

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

0:00

You ready?

0:13

I am standing live in the council chamber of East Baton Ridge Parish.

0:17

A good to have all of you tuned in for our broadcast this afternoon.

0:21

Wish you were here with us.

0:22

And of course, you're invited at any time on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at four o'clock.

0:28

We'd love to have you with us.

0:30

We're set to go, and at this time, here is the mayor president pro temba East Baton Ridge Parish, Councilman Brandon Nolan.

0:37

Thank you, Dennis.

0:39

Welcome everybody to the Metropolitan Council meeting this Wednesday, August 26th, 2026.

0:44

We're going to call the meeting to order.

0:47

We have a quorum.

0:48

We're going to have the invocation and pledge led by Chris Landry, Director of EMS.

0:52

Chris.

1:02

Thank you.

1:03

Dear Heavenly Father, we ask for your guidance as we gather here today to conduct the business of this community.

1:10

Grant us clarity and thought and honesty of purpose as we deliberate on matters that affect the lives of our citizens.

1:18

Help us listen well to speak with respect and to make decisions that serve the greater good of East Baton Ridge Parish.

1:25

Give us the wisdom to see beyond our differences and the patience to work through our disagreements in good faith.

1:32

We are grateful for the men and women who serve this parish in this chamber and beyond it.

1:38

And we ask for continued strength and safety for all those who protect and serve this community.

1:44

May this meeting be productive and may our work here today reflect the trust that you have placed upon us.

1:51

Amen.

2:07

One way or another, pause is going in there.

2:25

All right.

2:25

Thank you, Mayor Protep.

2:26

Council members.

2:33

One of the things the senior council members did not tell me.

2:43

So today I want to recognize Miss Madison Stewart.

2:45

Miss Stewart, come on up.

2:47

This will be her final week working at City Hall.

2:51

Um, she accepted a brand new job out of Washington, D.C., so I am very proud of her.

2:55

Um, she has been a phenomenal rock star in my office, and so I wanted to make sure um she get her flowers.

3:01

I know she has some positive interaction with you all, and so um Madison, I just want to make sure we give you your flowers.

3:06

So you want to say anything to the council?

3:08

Um thank you all.

3:10

It has been a fun way a year, almost two years working here.

3:15

Always been so nice meeting everybody, working in the community with you all.

3:18

So thank you for the opportunity, uh, Councilman.

3:21

I always be reaching back out to the office.

3:24

That's pretty much all I have to say.

3:30

All right, so Ms.

3:32

Stewart, even though um I got outbidded by your job out of Washington, D.C., um, I am very excited for you.

3:38

Thank you for your service to the city of Baton Rouge and District 2.

3:41

We're going to miss you.

3:42

We know you're not going far.

3:43

Um, but uh um all the metro council members have signed a special certificate of recognition.

3:49

So please, when you see this certificate, know this is your hard work you've done, not just for my district, um, but the small token effort that you've done for all of us here at City Hall.

3:57

So congratulations.

3:58

Let's give a round of applause.

4:19

Uh Mayor Pro Tim, I'd like to call for a personal point of privilege to recognize an organization.

4:42

Uh good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen of the council, ladies and gentlemen that are in the audience with us today.

4:48

It is my privilege today to stand for before you and recognize the American Legion and the important work its members do on behalf of our veterans, their families, and our communities.

5:00

Founded in 1919, the American Legion has a long, desert distinguished history of service with a focus on research, training, veteran care, civilian care, all right here in Louisiana.

5:11

The Department of Louisiana represents more than 14,000 American Legion members.

5:17

Many American Legion members also serve through other organizations, such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, disabled American veterans, and vets, and Vietnam veterans of America.

5:30

Collectively, these organizations represent and advocate for approximately 40,000 veterans across Louisiana.

5:40

The American Legion service extends well beyond advocacy.

5:45

Local posts provide meeting space, direct support, and resources for veterans and opportunities for young people through programs such as Boy State and American Legion Baseball.

5:58

These programs strengthen our communities while promising leadership, citizenship, and service.

6:08

Councilman Hearst.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Engagement██████████████████18%

Procedural████████████████16%

Water And Wastewater Management█████████████13%

Economic Development████████████12%

Procurement and Contracting████████████12%

Veterans Affairs████████8%

Transportation Safety█████5%

Public Health████4%

Public Works███3%

Summary of Proceedings

East Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council Meeting – August 26, 2026

The Metropolitan Council of East Baton Rouge Parish met on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, at 4:00 PM in the council chamber. The meeting included recognition of outgoing staff and the American Legion, approval of consent items, and discussion and votes on numerous ordinances, resolutions, contracts, and property matters. Key themes included economic development districts, technology contracts, drainage projects, library landscaping, river center management, and a new healthcare clinic in Scotlandville.

Consent Calendar

Minutes Approval: The minutes of the August 12, 2026, regular meeting and the August 19, 2026, zoning meeting were approved by motion (Amarosa/Hearst) without opposition.

Public Comments & Testimony

Penny Main Landry spoke on multiple items, expressing opposition to economic development districts (EDDs) as dual taxation, criticizing tech company contracts (Tyler Technologies, Google) for poor delivery, opposing the $100,000 supplement to the library landscaping contract (item 92), questioning the value of consultants for the River Center, and urging transparency for EDD meetings. She also commented on the Cortana Corridor EDD rebate, noting that the original purpose was allegedly a community center, not new businesses.
Gerald Glass read a prepared statement about the dangers of backdoor agreements and expressed confidence in Mayor Edwards regarding the River Center (item 104).
Penny Main Landry also questioned the deletion of the DOTD maintenance agreement (item 98) and requested more detail on state road contracts.
Byron Como (American Legion National Executive Committee) thanked the council and presented certificates and coins to each council member for their support of veterans.
Elaine Branzera (Mayor’s Advisory Council on Veteran Affairs) presented a certificate of commendation from Mayor Edwards to Byron Como.
Mary Stein (Library Director) clarified that the landscaping contract increase was due to an administrative omission of special services in the original request.
Jill Kitter (Visit Baton Rouge) explained the timeline for the River Center management transition RFP.
Constable Terrica Williams spoke on items 106 and 107, thanking state legislators for constable funding.
Paul Sawyer (Amite River Basin Commission) and Fred Rayford (Transportation and Drainage Director) provided details on the Bayou Manchac restoration project (item 110).

Discussion Items

Item 85 – Bayou Fountain Economic Development District: Council voted to delete the item after Penny Landry’s comments and one email opposition. Motion by Rocka, second by Hearst, carried.
Item 86 – Noise Ordinance Decibel Thresholds: Council voted to delete the item (Moak/Dunn), carried.
Item 90 – Tyler Technologies Inc. Agreement: $480,000 for maintenance of Munis and Executive Software platforms. Penny Landry criticized tech company performance. Council approved (Moak/Amarosa), carried.
Item 91 – Google Cloud Services Agreement: $220,000 for first six months (migration + cloud) and $224,000 per year for subsequent four years. Approved (Moak/Dunn), carried.
Item 92 – Library Landscaping Contract Amendment: Increase by $100,000 (total $175,659.56) for irrigation, mulching, and special landscaping. After discussion with Mary Stein and Councilman Moak’s questions, Council approved (Dunn/Coleman), carried.
Item 98 – DOTD Maintenance Agreement: Council voted to delete the item after discussion (Coleman/Amarosa), carried. Councilwoman Rocka noted the street list is available in the agenda attachment.
Item 102 – Cortana Corridor EDD Sales Tax Rebate: $2,290,573.11 rebate. Councilman Dunn Jr. explained the district’s three purposes (infrastructure, facade, community center) and reported $2,310,670.45 collected over six years. Council approved as amended (Dunn/Moak), carried. Amendment corrected resolution number to 55878.
Item 103 – XI Mobile Sales Tax Rebate: $285,115.24 to the Redevelopment Authority. Approved as amended (Hurst/Kenney), carried. Amendment corrected the period to December 31, 2025.
Item 104 – River Center MOU with Visit Baton Rouge: Councilwoman Coleman explained the interim management roadmap. Penny Landry requested transparent meetings. Approved (Coleman/Moak), carried.
Item 105 – River Center Professional Services with Total BS LLC: $250,000 for first year, $275,000 for second year. Penny Landry opposed due to non‑compete and consultant costs. Councilwoman Coleman made amendments to correct the funding source (River Center Capital Improvement Fund) and term (2026-2028). Approved (Coleman/Moak), carried.
Item 106 & 107 – Constable’s Office Cooperative Endeavor Agreements: $50,000 and $80,000 for first responder equipment and transport van. Constable Williams spoke. Approved contingent on budget supplement (Kenney/Dunn), carried.
Item 109 – Habitat for Humanity Development Agreement: $250,000 in HOME funds. Approved contingent on grants review (Coleman/Amarosa), carried.
Item 110 – Bayou Manchac Restoration Design: $1,749,968.28 for Arcadis U.S. Inc. design contract. Fred Rayford and Paul Sawyer highlighted 100% federal funding ($29.8 million) and historic regional cooperation. Approved (Dunn/Coleman), carried.
Item 112 – Retirement System Amendment: Amended definitions and employer contribution percentages. Approved (Rocka/Kenney), carried.
Item 115 – Montesanto Bayou Drainage Project: $2,380,868.52 from Louisiana Office of Community Development for retention pond and channel improvements benefiting 50-100 homes. Councilman Hearst discussed dumping issues. Approved (Kenney/Coleman), carried.
Items 117-121 – Move BR Supplemental Engineering Contracts: Totaling nearly $2 million for additional design services. Penny Landry criticized cost. Councilman Dunn noted an oversight in item 120 location. Approved (Dunn/Moak), carried.
Item 124 – Food Sales Threshold Suspension for Perkins Road Overpass: Suspended city requirement during Move BR construction; state requirement remains. Councilwoman Rocka encouraged businesses to contact State Rep. Dixon McMahon. Approved (Rocka/Moak), carried.
Item 142 – Scotlandville Community Center Lease to Baton Rouge General: Emergency item for lease to establish a primary care clinic with mental health, labs, and more. Councilman Kenney and hospital representative Eric Showalter spoke. Approved (Kenney/Moak), carried.

Key Outcomes

Approvals: All consent calendar items, introductions, condemnations (with delays), and emergency items passed. Motion to delete items 85, 86, and 98 passed.
Amendments: Items 102, 103, 105, 106, 107, and 109 passed with amendments (typo corrections, funding source clarifications, contingent approvals).
Vote Tallies: All votes were unanimous voice votes; no roll calls were recorded.
Directives: Council directed staff to improve bid accuracy (library contract), ensure transparency for EDD meetings, and follow up on state road maintenance details.
Next Steps: Bayou Manchac design begins; River Center RFP to be issued within a week; Scotlandville clinic lease effective September 1, 2026; Move BR projects continue with supplemental engineering.

Meeting Transcript

You ready? I am standing live in the council chamber of East Baton Ridge Parish. A good to have all of you tuned in for our broadcast this afternoon. Wish you were here with us. And of course, you're invited at any time on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at four o'clock. We'd love to have you with us. We're set to go, and at this time, here is the mayor president pro temba East Baton Ridge Parish, Councilman Brandon Nolan. Thank you, Dennis. Welcome everybody to the Metropolitan Council meeting this Wednesday, August 26th, 2026. We're going to call the meeting to order. We have a quorum. We're going to have the invocation and pledge led by Chris Landry, Director of EMS. Chris. Thank you. Dear Heavenly Father, we ask for your guidance as we gather here today to conduct the business of this community. Grant us clarity and thought and honesty of purpose as we deliberate on matters that affect the lives of our citizens. Help us listen well to speak with respect and to make decisions that serve the greater good of East Baton Ridge Parish. Give us the wisdom to see beyond our differences and the patience to work through our disagreements in good faith. We are grateful for the men and women who serve this parish in this chamber and beyond it. And we ask for continued strength and safety for all those who protect and serve this community. May this meeting be productive and may our work here today reflect the trust that you have placed upon us. Amen. One way or another, pause is going in there. All right. Thank you, Mayor Protep. Council members. One of the things the senior council members did not tell me. So today I want to recognize Miss Madison Stewart. Miss Stewart, come on up. This will be her final week working at City Hall. Um, she accepted a brand new job out of Washington, D.C., so I am very proud of her. Um, she has been a phenomenal rock star in my office, and so I wanted to make sure um she get her flowers. I know she has some positive interaction with you all, and so um Madison, I just want to make sure we give you your flowers. So you want to say anything to the council? Um thank you all. It has been a fun way a year, almost two years working here. Always been so nice meeting everybody, working in the community with you all. So thank you for the opportunity, uh, Councilman. I always be reaching back out to the office. That's pretty much all I have to say. All right, so Ms. Stewart, even though um I got outbidded by your job out of Washington, D.C., um, I am very excited for you. Thank you for your service to the city of Baton Rouge and District 2. We're going to miss you. We know you're not going far. Um, but uh um all the metro council members have signed a special certificate of recognition. So please, when you see this certificate, know this is your hard work you've done, not just for my district, um, but the small token effort that you've done for all of us here at City Hall. So congratulations. Let's give a round of applause. Uh Mayor Pro Tim, I'd like to call for a personal point of privilege to recognize an organization.

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