It appears that a majority of the Shreveport City Council will oppose the 2% water bill surcharge proposed by Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux for demolition of abandoned apartment complexes.
Councilman Grayson Bouncher announced his opposition in a recent radio interview.
Council president Tabatha Taylor issued a press release stating that "many of my colleagues" believe that the imposition of a 2% "is not a priority for this council."
Mayor Tom says the proposed 2026 stand still budget does not have funds for the demolitions of complexes estimated to cost about $3 million.
Hmmm...not a good gift for Da Mayor who celebrated his 74th birthday yesterday at a re-election campaign party featuring many Shreveport mucky muckys including a guest appearance by the new king of downtown, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson.
So, what happens next?
Well, for beginners one can expect more vagrants to inhabit the apartment complexes like the Jolie, Century Commons, The Pines and others.
Values of properties adjacent to, and near, these blighted complexes will continue to decline.
More fires can be expected at these sites from those cooking meth and the arrival of cooler temperatures.
More rats, vermin and other critters will find new "homes" exacerbating health issues.
More police and fire personnel will be called out to these blighted properties burdening their budgets.
More property destruction by squatters and those looking for building materials will occur at these locations.
What's the solution?
In a perfect world the owners of these complexes would have an epiphany and send tons of money to Shreveport to remodel/rebuild these apartments into wonderful, affordable and desirable places to live. As they say, "don't hold your breath."
A more realistic solution may be the National Guard if Governor Landry decides to send them to Shreveport. The Guard has the equipment and trained personnel to handle these demolitions including the clearing of the properties.
Another solution, which is not really a good one, is for the Council to direct that funds allocated to the Property Standards Division in 2026 be spent on apartment demolition rather than demolition of abandoned structures and grass cutting.
Assuming none of these options are politically attractive, then the Council probably only has one choice--cutting the 2026 budget of other departments to find apartment demo funds. This is how Mayor Tom has bounced the ball back to the Shreveport City Council.
Under the Shreveport charter, the mayor and his administration propose the city's annual budget. The Council must adopt the budget--either as presented or with amendments. Basically, Mayor Tom has said the 2% surcharge is my answer to this problem and if you don't like it, then what do you suggest?
Now the 2026 campaign issue for council members seeking re-election will be "why did you not get these apartments demolished?" For Mayor Tom, it will be "the Council failed to find a solution for this problem". Then the swish sound you will hear will be Mayor Tom sinking a three-pointer and the thud sound will be the Council's ball bouncing off the backboard onto the floor.