By Emilee Calametti | The Center Square
Records indicate the Shreveport City Council spent very little in taxpayer-funded travel over the past three years.
Only two council members – Tabitha Taylor and Jim Taliaferro – have received travel reimbursements for official business, according to public records reviewed by The Center Square.
According to the records, these reimbursement requests include transportation, lodging and conference costs for city business.
Taylor attended Caddo Parish Day at the Capitol in April and expensed $652.34, of which $208.54 was for lodging, $102 for meals, $30 for registration and $345.80 for vehicle miles.
In October 2024, Taliaferro attended the Keep Louisiana Beautiful State Conference in Baton Rouge. The total amount expensed for his trip was $908.27, which included $265.28 for lodging, $118.83 for meals, $190.83 for registration and $333.68 for vehicle mileage.
According to Chief Administrative Officer Tom Dark, the city council travel budget is $21,000, but he said they rarely spend much of it. When asked where this information could be found, Dark responded that this level of detail is not put into the budget book.
For comparison, the Bossier City Council travel and training budget was $2,940 in 2024 and $9,000 in the amended 2025 budget. Spending year-to-date for the Bossier City Council was $6,987 as of June 30. The proposed 2026 travel and training budget is $25,000.
Bossier recently amended its budget for city council travel and training, adding an additional $10,000 to the 2025 budget in September.