If ever you wanted to see a poorly drafted resolution, then go to Resolution 989 of 2022 of the Shreveport City Council. It certainly wins the prize!
The new African-American Coalition (AAC) lost big time at the council meeting on Tuesday, and rightly so.
Council President James Green has not offered any legislation since his election in December. Seemingly, this resolution was to be his centerpiece for his term as president.
Tabatha Taylor is a member of Green's church, and she often acts both as his council mouthpiece and water carrier. Apparently, she spearheaded this proposal; maybe her services for Green counts as her church tithe.
Jerry Bowman Jr. should know better, since he is finishing up year eight on the council. But he is a short-termer, so maybe he is in the coast mode.
Newbie Alan Jackson has tied his wagon to the AAC, ignoring ethics, city ordinances and state law. So his sponsorship speaks for itself.
The emergency resolution recommended and encouraged Shreveport Mayor Perkins to purchase four to six Dodge Challenger Hellcats for the Shreveport Police Department (SPD).
It was on the Monday, June 13, work session agenda.
The vehicles are to be dedicated to the Community Response Unit. These officers target pockets of city with high levels of violence and crime.
The resolution also recommended and encouraged the mayor to hire a contractor to install cameras throughout the city.
The AAC may want to learn how to count votes because it takes seven to enact an emergency resolution as a one-reader versus a two-reader.
At the Monday work session, Focus SB columnist Jon Glover questioned the purchase of $70,000 Challenger Hellcats, which are glorified hot rods on steroids.
SPD Chief Wayne Smith was called to the podium, and he explained he only wanted the basic Dodge Challengers, not the souped-up Hellcat version. He said that, fully equipped for SPD, these would cost less than 43 grand each.
Smith did not discuss the number he wanted, be that four, five or six.
Seemingly, Taylor and her AAC cohorts could have correctly identified both the type of vehicle and the number before presenting their emergency tesolution.
The recommendation for camera installation also suffered from vagueness.
There was no guidance as to the type of contractor or qualifications, the number of cameras or the funding sources for the installation and camera purchase. And unlike the suggested vehicle purchase, no last-minute clarifications were presented at the work session.
Council members Grayson Boucher and John Nickelson exercised good judgment by voting no on the emergency resolution. This means that this proposed action must come before the council again for approval.
As Councilman Nickelson noted, the mayor did not need a special resolution to purchase the vehicle.
Maybe an extra two weeks will give the AAC time to get their legislative act together with a definitive resolution.
Green asked the mayor to "get started on finding companies who can do what we ask in this resolution, then once you all get a figure of money, we can approve."
One can only hope.
The council's next regular meeting is June 28.