The continuing saga over the Mardi Gras parades of the Krewes of Gemini and Centaur has yet to be resolved. The ten year contracts of both Krewes with the city of Shreveport have expired.
Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins has announced that the parades will be allowed in the next Mardi Gras season. He also said that the city will have its proposals to present to the Krewes soon. The mayor wants to sign a two year contract with the Krewes (years 2022 and 2023).
The gordian knots are the parade routes, the parade times, and who pays for what. Not easy issues to resolve.
The established route during the term of the contract was to start on the riverfront, proceed to Shreveport Barksdale Hwy, than along E. Kings Hwy and ending at Preston Street.
The costs of security, EMS, SPAR barricade placement and Public Works cleanup post parade was born 100% by the city during the 10 year contracts.
So what are the concerns over the parade routes?
Start with the length of the routes which dictate the amount of security (overtime law enforcement), EMS, barricades and cleanup. Add to that the congestion that adversely affects the residents of Anderson Island and those in Broadmoor along E. Kings Hwy.
The Mardi Gras crowds, especially along Shreveport Barksdale , start assembling on the Friday afternoon/evening before the Sat. parade. These large crowds interfere with the weekend business traffic of Super Walmart and other retail stores in the Shreve City area as well as the Super One.
Increased sales of alcohol and snacks does not offset the normal weekend retail traffic that is lost due to the large crowds. However the heavy alcohol consumption, especially along Shreveport Barksdale, generally causes security issues.
The two parades have started in the late afternoon (4:30 p.m. originally and then later moved up to 4 p.m.) and ended a couple of hours after sundown. The floats are designed to be the most attractive at night with float lights and decorations.
This time slot lends itself to more problems.
Specifically more security is needed because of limited visibility after sundown. Additionally, crowd behavior generally becomes more problematic due to increased time for alcohol consumption and crowd dynamics of what becomes a long day for many who stake out parade stations early am, if not the night before the parade.
The mayor has said the parades will start at 3 p.m. under any new contract.
The last hurdle for both the administration and the Krewes is finances. Is the city to continue absorbing all the costs of the parades or will some if not all of it be taxed to the Krewes? The Krewes have said they can not help with parade costs.
A major policy issue is whether the city should pay these funds when there is a big concern among city employees including police and fire over increased health insurance premiums and high deductibles.
And if the city is to underwrite the parades, what is the funding source?
Projections on the economic impact of the parades has been questioned. An additional unknown is how much, if any, any bump in sales tax revenues is attributable to the parades and specifically the city's portion of the taxes offsets the city's costs for the parades.
The timing of the parade dilemma is not good. In fact it is horrible.
The council must approve the 2022 budget by Dec. The 2022 parade costs, or at least the city's portion, must be included in the budget which is expected to be constrained for many reasons including the projected payraises for city employees including police and fire.
Additionally the mayor"s bond package will be on a Dec. 11 ballot. Although the administration's publicity campaign has yet to kick off, the proposals are not receiving favorable comment on social media.
Bond proposals usually ride the coattails of the mayor's popularity. Many voters have a singular gripe about Perkins which overrides their judgement of his overall performance. His decision on the parades could be another factor affecting voters on the bond proposals.
Mardi Gras Krewes are very small in number but they make a big political noise. The parades draw large crowds of Shreveporters and parade cancellation/major revision will alienate those who live and die for the parades, and also vote.
And at the same time, many voters are tired of the costs of the parade, the congestion and the security problems they usually engender.
John came to Shreveport in January of 1977 when he was transferred to Barksdale AFB.
He’s been active in Shreveport politics since deciding to make Shreveport his home.
John practiced law for 40 years and he now monitors local politics. He regularly attends Shreveport City Council and Caddo Parish Commission meetings.
John is published weekly in The Inquisitor, bi-monthly in The Forum News, and frequently in the Shreveport Times.
He enjoys addressing civic groups on local government issues and elections.