Well, the old adage is that the wheels of government move slow, as in real slow. Such has generally been the case in Shreveport, but not last week.
On Monday (Dec. 13) the Shreveport City Council had its work session/administrative conference. The pay raise for first responders only was the primary topic of discussion and citizen comments.
On Tuesday (Dec. 14) the Shreveport city council had its regular meeting. The proposed pay raise was again the primary topic of discussion and citizen comments. The council deadlocked on this vote.
On Wednesday (Dec.15) the Mayor Perkins, CAO Whitehorn, SPD Chief Smith and Director of Governmental Affairs Africa Price were advised American Rescue Funds could be utilized for pay raises in a zoom conference with Washington officials.
On Wednesday/Thurs. (Dec. 15/16) the local media reported Perkins wanted a payroll package for all city employees by the end of the year.
On Friday (Dec. 17) Perkins and announced that a plan to give all 2000 city employees a pay raise would be presented to the council on Tues. Dec. 28.
Council members Grayson Boucher, Lavette Fuller and John Nickelson were the proponents of the pay raises for first responders. Council members Tabitha Taylor, James Green and Jerry Bowman, Jr. opposed this vote.
At the Friday press conference council members Taylor, Green and Bowman, Jr. were in attendance. Noticeably absent were council members Boucher, Fuller or Nickelson.
Needless to say, the events after the Dec. 14 Council meeting have now placed Boucher, Fuller and Nickelson in the crosshairs of vocal city employees and fiscal accountability.
The vote of the yet to be appointed interim council member for District E could be critical in the determination of who gets pay raises, when and how much.
