Mayor-President Sid Edwards joined Brian Haldane Tuesday Morning to talk about his plan to utilize dollars that are dedicate to the Library System and redirect them to be able to pay for other things the City-Parish needs.
In his press release to announce the plan, the Mayor said, “To tackle the record-breaking crime within the parish, it is clear that Baton Rouge Police Department officers need strong support. This rededication of funding would give officers the highest raise ever recorded; at least 15% and up to 41% depending on rank and current salary. The average starting pay for a BRPD officer would go from $40,900 to $58,000, transforming BRPD officers from among the lowest-paid in the region to the highest-paid municipal force in the state of Louisiana. “
On the show, he added, “When it comes down to it, it’s much more than police pay is what we’re doing. Baton Rouge has issues. It’s why I ran in the first place. Our streets are not good. We have drainage issues,” The Mayor said and added other problems that need fixing.
Edwards did emphasize the point that tax payers voted to direct those dollars to the library and it would take a vote of the people to move them.
He also added that is his intention to make sure the library system remains more well funded than any other in the state. But, he said his intention is to see to it that the City-Parish is good stewards of every tax dollar collected.