Louisiana Citizens Against Censorship

THE ISSUE:

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On Thursday, February 6, Baton Rouge Mayor Sid Edwards announced a plan to fund a pay raise for officers in the Baton Rouge police force. On the surface, this sounds like a good thing; in the Mayor's press release he states that it will "give officers the highest raise ever recorded; at least 15% and up to 41% depending on rank and current salary." Further, he asserts, the raise would "transform...BRPD officers from among the lowest-paid in the region to the highest-paid municipal force in the state of Louisiana."

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Great! There's only one problem, however: his plan calls for funding this proposal by gutting the public library.

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We've seen this time and time again in Louisiana: voters approve a millage (tax) to support the public library; politicians see that the library is a good steward of the taxpayers' money and decide to "raid the piggy bank;" those same politicians begin a campaign to cast doubt and mistrust on the library's honesty and fiscal responsibility; once they've smeared the library through misinformation and outright lies, they ask taxpayers to "rededicate" the library's funds to other urgent needs, like drainage or roads.

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It happened in Lafayette.

It happened in St. Martin.

It's happening in Livingston.

It's happening in St. Tammany.

And now, using the exact same playbook, it's happening in East Baton Rouge.

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THE COUNTERARGUMENT:

​ 1) The claim: "Libraries in EBR Parish have accrued more than $114 million in budget surplus..."

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The Truth: The money in the library's budget is NOT a "surplus." It's a fund balance. Is there a difference? Yes, a big one: "surplus" money is revenue over and above what is needed; a fund balance, on the other hand, is money that has been earmarked for specific projects which have not yet started, including things like renovations, expansions, and development. The amount is so large because the library has a "pay-as-you-go" system - they don't ask for bonds or further burden the taxpayers, but save judiciously and spend wisely, without debt.

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2) The claim: "The library's fund balance has come from "years of overtaxation of citizens. "

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The Truth: The library carefully evaluates future needs as well as projected revenue in their millage renewal proposal. In fact, the library has called for a REDUCTION of the millage rate in the upcoming election: from the current rate of 11.1 mills to a proposed rate of 10.5 mills, the first such reduction in over thirty years. How did they arrive at this number? You can read a detailed explanation HERE. Until now, voters have trusted the library as good stewards of the money they are entrusted with, and the library has repaid that trust by delivering Baton Rouge one of the premier, award-winning libraries in Louisiana.

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​Latest Updates:

It was amazing to see how many people turned out for the Metro Council meeting! So many people showed up for their library system that a second, overflow room had to be opened - and then it filled to capacity as well. All but two who chose to speak were in support of trusting their library with a renewal of the dedicated tax.

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Info from the EBR Parish Library Regarding the millage is HERE

A printable document from the EBR Library with facts about the millage renewal is available HERE

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Press Coverage:

Future of Baton Rouge library funding unclear after Metro Council fails to pass tax renewal (The Advocate)

Metro Council meeting ends in stalemate over library tax proposal (WBRZ)

Metro council meeting runs out of time during library tax vote (WAFB)​