Baton Rouge Police Chief Thomas Morse, right, stands alongside deputy chief William Clarida during discussion over the library system's request for a tax renewal at a meeting of the metro council, Wednesday, February 12, 2025, at City Hall in downtown Baton Rouge, La.
The fate of future funding for East Baton Rouge Parish's library system remains an unknown, after the Metro Council failed to pass a millage renewal Wednesday.
The council could still approve the tax for the October ballot, but with the millage failing to pass, the path forward remains uncertain.
"We need to figure out our next steps," said Library Director Katrina Stokes. "We want to talk to the council members to try to reach a workable solution. In order to get our resolution to ask for our dedicated millage tax, it will still go to the library, it will not go into the general fund."
Last week, Mayor-President Sid Edwards pitched a plan to use funds dedicated for Baton Rouge's library system to help raise salaries for Baton Rouge Police Department officers.
That proposal -- which would move the library's funding into the city-parish general fund -- was met with opposition from library leadership, who said the mayor's words were untrue regarding the library's funds.
In particular, leaders like Stokes and Assistant Library Director Mary Stein took issue with Edwards' use of the word "surplus" and the notion of the library losing agency over its own funding.
'Everything's on the table'
Throughout the five-hour Metro Council meeting, Stokes and other library leaders could be seen periodically leaving the council chamber to speak with members of Edwards' staff and Metro Council members. Those conversations potentially led to some compromise, as Stokes and Edwards both said the possibility keeping dedicated funding for the library and money for police raises is still out there.
"Everything's on the table, let's work together," Edwards said after the meeting. "That's why I'm excited about tonight ... I want the parish to win. That's the bottom line. And I think this opens up further discussion with our leaders."
The mayor said he is still open to the possibility of the library's funding being separate from the city-parish's general fund, a major sticking point of library leadership, particularly if the library system volunteers to dedicate some of its money back to the parish.
More than 100 members of the public signed up to speak at Wednesday's meeting. All but two -- one being BRPD Chief Thomas Morse Jr. -- urged the Metro Council to approve the tax renewal.
The library had brought a reduced millage rate of 10.5, reduced from 11.1, for the council's approval Wednesday. If approved, it would have gone on voters' ballots in October.
A mill is a dollar of tax on every $1,000 dollars of assessed property value.
But the library's millage cannot exist simultaneously on ballots in October with the mayor's plan, which proposes a 9.8 mill rate in place of the library's millage. This would raise averaging starting pay for BRPD officers from $40,900 to $58,000, equating to a 15-41% bump depending on rank, the largest raise ever for the agency.
Public advocates for library funds
Metro Council chambers were at capacity, as library staff and supporters wearing blue sat throughout the room while dozens of BRPD officers in uniform lined the walls. City Hall staff opened up an additional floor as overflow to accommodate the more than 200 in attendance.
Those who spoke in favor of the library's tax included its leadership, parents, teachers, high school students and residents ranging from children to the elderly.
"I am here today to ask you to please approve the library request and allow residents to vote about this important matter," said six-year-old Valentia Hernandez said to council members, standing atop a stool to see over the podium.
Though some were unhappy to pay the $10 event parking charged at the LAZ parking garages downtown Wednesday night -- despite no events taking place at the River Center -- many said they are happy to pay the property taxes dedicated to the library, knowing what they get in return.
"That Baton Rouge residents have said yes to this dedicated tax for 30 years tells you unequivocally that our community sees the treasure that is the East Baton Rouge Parish library system," said Krista Carver. "It deserves our support."
For 2025, the library budgeted around $61.1 million to operate, and plans to have a fund balance of $92.7 million at the end of the year. Those leftover funds will be used to operate the library in 2026, as well as pay for things like renovations, extra maintenance and development.
Many said it would be wrong to rededicate money voters have chosen to give to the library for years, and asked the council to let it be left up to voters again.
In 2021, several council members tried to redirect 1 mill from the library's 10.52 millage rate and .25 mills from the 1.06 mills for Mosquito Abatement and Rodent Control. The money would have beefed up funding for the parish's flood protection system.
However, the council voted against the measure following strong opposition from library advocates.
In 2015, Baton Rouge officials made an unsuccessful attempt to convince the library board to reduce its tax millage to redirect funds toward a mental health treatment center.
'The thing that got us to the $60 million deficit'
District 12 Councilwoman Jen Racca said on Wednesday it was important for citizens to understand how the city-parish got into a position in which leaders are forced to weigh boosting funding for a major group at the expense of another -- pointing to the incorporation of St. George.
"That conversation may not be germane to have tonight ... look at you holding your leaders accountable, all 12 of us that sit up here today ... But did we support the thing that got us to the $60 million deficit? Those are conversations that we need to have," Racca said.
The library's millage could be added back to a council agenda and go before another vote on March 26. That date is two weeks after the mayor's proposal to use library funds for other departments -- including police pay -- which is set for March 12.
It is unclear what effect an approval of the mayor's proposal would have on the library's millage set for an agenda two weeks later.
Stokes said she left feeling like the mayor and his staff genuinely are open to finding a solution that lets them keep dedicated funds.
"Several of them have approached us and said, 'We understand. We want the entire parish and city to thrive,' Stokes said. "We are more than happy to sit down at the table and work with our metro council members to work on that compromise."