Baton Rouge Metro Councilwoman Jen Racca says a proposed pay raise for Baton Rouge police officers is moving toward a final public hearing and council vote. She said city-parish leaders have spent months finding the money needed to support the raise.
Racca said the funding plan uses several revenue sources. Those include stronger-than-expected sales tax revenue tied to Bally’s, insurance savings, and money collected from red light camera tickets. She said the goal is to help Baton Rouge police with recruitment and retention while also protecting the department’s retirement system.
Some city-parish employees have pushed back because they want raises too. Still, Racca said the police raise is a starting point, not the finish line. She said Baton Rouge is still dealing with budget pressure after last year’s cuts and the failure of Thrive. Even so, she said officials are still working to identify more savings and more funding options for employees.
Beyond the pay raise issue, Racca said Metro Council members are also watching several bills during Louisiana’s legislative session. One of the biggest issues is blight. She pointed to House Bill 284 as a proposal that could help local governments clear titles on blighted properties faster after council action.
Racca said the bill is well written, but its current population cap would leave East Baton Rouge Parish out. She said a simple language change could open the door for Baton Rouge and other larger cities to use it. If that happens, the bill could help speed up efforts to clean up abandoned and blighted properties across the parish.