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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.

 

PART THREE: CITY OF SHREVEPORT DEPARTMENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2025

This listing was attached to Shreveport Mayor Toma Arceneaux’s State of the City Report. This is last of a three-part summary. Parts One and Two are attached below.
 
11. Public Works
 
The department constructed approximately 8.77 miles of roadway and completed repairs on 60 additional road segments. The department also managed 78 capital projects with a combined value of approximately $174.9 million.
 
The Engineering Division oversaw approximately 437.2 million in active construction projects and $81.4 million in design projects.
 
Permits and Inspections issued 9369 permits and conducted 12,682 inspections. The division returned approximately $1.37 million to the City’s General Fund.
 
Traffic Engineering Division painted 27,457 linear feet of pavement markings, installed 1,030 traffic signs and manufactured 684 signs in-house.
 
12. SPAR
 
Oversaw upgrades and improvements to parks and community centers including the Duck Pond, Anderson Island, Hattie Perry, Mamie Hicks, A. B. Palmer, Cedar Grove, A.C. Steere, Southern Hills, Querbes Golf Course and Huntington Park Golf Course.
 
Downtown Riverview spray park opened and all SPAR public pools opened.
 
Expanded youth and family programming throughout the year with seasonal camps and a new after-school tutoring program.
 
Major facility upgrades were completed including C.C. Antoine Park, electrical upgrades at Festival Plaza, replacement of the Barnwell Center roof, the public boat launch, the Southern Hills Park parking lot, and Independence Stadium.
 
13. SPORTRAN
 
Integrated 29 of the 40 new buses funded through the 2024 Bus and Bus Facilities Grant and completed the transition to compressed natural gas-powered heavy-duty transit buses.
 
Received a grant to construct a new maintenance complex at Murphy Street and Texas Avenue to improve efficiency and reduce vehicle downtown.
 
Launched a real-time bus tracking and trip-planning mobile application, a new radio network to real-time voice and data communications, mobile data terminals for bus operators, and real-time passenger technology.
 
More than 50 graduates received CDL Class B licenses and passenger endorsements.
 
Installed more than 2,000 new bus stop signs have begun installing 200 new benches and 400 bus shelters
 
14. Water and Sewer
 
Department purchased new equipment to upgrade and improve Shreveport’s water quality
 
Advanced several major infrastructure projects to strengthen the long-term reliability of  the City’s water and wastewater systems.
 
Commenced planning for more than $50 million in major infrastructure investments over the next five years
 
Implementation of Cityworks Online enhanced the functionality of the City’s maintenance management system. Integration of Cityworks with the City’s 311 citizen service request platform allows maintenance requests to be tracked efficiently and resolved more quickly.
  


PART ONE: CITY OF SHREVEPORT DEPARTMENT 2025 ACCOMPLISHMENTS


Shreveport mayor Tom Arceneaux attached to his State of the City report a listing of department accomplishments in 2025.
 
1.  Airports-SHV
 
Passenger enplanements increase by 12 percent over 2024, marking the highest passenger count in forty-four years.
 
Approximately 10,000 square feet of additional gate space was added to airport concourses.
 
The long-term parking lot was expanded by 300 spaces with plans to have an additional 700 spaces to open in late 2026.
 
At the Downtown Airport, the city completed a $7 million runway reconstruction project.
 
2.  Community Development
 
The city received a $1.5 million HUD endowment to continue the people component of the CHOICE Neighborhood Initiative.
 
Workforce Development partnered with Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport and Southern University Shreveport to launch a six-month Medical Assistant Training Program.
 
The department made targeted investments to support community services and early childhood development.
 
The $24,200,000 Bayou Grande development was completed.
 
3.  Economic Development
 
The department implemented online registration for the City’s liquor licensing process, introduced a two-year license option, moved all liquor-related documents online, and ABO card extended from two to three years.
 
The department launched a comprehensive One-Stop Economic Development portal that provides information on major developments, local business incentives, industrial sites, workforce and training programs, permitting and licensing.
 
The process for local businesses to become city vendors was simplified.
 
The city received a grant of approximately $400 thousand to support the expansion of Providence House and a $100 thousand grant for beautification projects at the airport.
 
 4.  Fair Share
 
The department hosted a six-week Business Development Course that provided training on capacity building, capital formation, and technology use.
 
The department hosted several training and engagement opportunities for the business community and hosted networking events
 
The department recommended expanding the DBE qualifications which the city council adopted.
 
5.  Finance
 
The department received the Government Finance Officers Association’s Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the City’s 2024 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.
 
The department implemented enhanced data collection processes to support more timely and accurate financial reporting.

 

PART TWO: CITY OF SHREVEPORT DEPARTMENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN 2025


This listing was attached to Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux’s State of the City report. Part One is attached below.
 
6. Fire
 
The department conducted public education efforts through 79 community programs reaching 3,000 residents, and installed over 200 smoke detectors.
 
More than 135 firefighters earned professional certifications and 20 new EMTs were certified.
 
Received delivery of 12 new fire trucks along with new rescue and marine equipment.
 
Construction of Fire Station 15 began, and renovations were completed at several existing stations
 
7. Human Resources
 
The department conducted four supervisor training classes and achieved an 89.29 percent completion rate for mandated employee training.
 
Updates were made to City policies to ensure compliance with the Family Medical Leave Act and a new Extended Medical Leave Policy was developed.
 
Introduced the FitOn Health program and a Digital Medicine program designed to promote preventive health.
 
8. Information Technology
 
Implemented a new Remote Desktop Services server to support the Shreveport Police Department and deployed Wi-Fi connectivity at several City facilities.
 
Successfully managed technical transitions for the relocation of Shreveport Police Department personnel to multiple off-site locations from the old SPD headquarters on Texas Avenue, including the two new SPD substations.
 
Began replacing outdated network equipment to increase redundancy, reduce downtime, and improve bandwidth capacity.
 
Rolled out Voice over Internet Protocol phone services which were deployed at several city departments with additional installations planned through 2026.
 
9. Police
 
Relocated personnel from 1234 Texas Avenue to several different locations.
 
Opened the first SPD substation on Monkhouse and broke ground on the third substation in Cedar Grove.
 
Implemented Operation ASK BLUE to address squatter arrests.
 
The Real Time Crime Center expanded to 84 pole camera systems and more than 2250 camera feeds and began integrating camera systems with the Caddo Parish Sheriffs’ Office.
 
Completed the department’s Indoor Police Range, continued renovation of the city jail and graduated 20 new police recruits from the Police Academy.
 
10. Property Standards
 
Department completed 773 care-of-premises clean-ups spending $1.2 million in abatement work.
 
Department completed 255 demolitions at a cost of $1.3 million.
 
Weed abatement was addressed at 6,086 properties at a cost of $512 thousand.
 
Conducted 194 bulk pick-ups along public rights-of-way, secured 25 vacant structures, removed approximately 10 thousand discarded tires, and completed 39 property clean-ups.

IS IT ILLEGAL FOR CADDO COMMISSION TO FUND LOUISIANA ROUXGAROUX

STATE REPRESENTATIVE/SHREVEPORT MAYORAL CANDIDATE PHELPS INTRODUCES CONTERVERSIAL LEGISLATION