By james art 
East Baton Rouge Mayor-Chairman Sid Edwards has announced a plan for redirecting the parcel of the parish library to East Baton Ruzh for the financing of several initiatives, including infrastructure, public safety, mental health, reduction of rich and education.
During a press conference on Tuesday morning, Edwards revealed the “Revive EBR” initiative. He said that the purpose of the project would be to reinvest public funds from the library system to deal with some of the “the most complicated challenges facing the parish of Eastern Baton Ruzh.”
“I told you I didn’t want to raise taxes. Here we have a plan that can reduce taxes and help revive Baton Rouge and put us on the map where we should be, “Edwards said.
Edwards said the remediation of funds will be used in several areas of the city, including:
- Improvements in drainage and critical infrastructure.
- Investments in the law enforcement agencies, the community police and the intervention programs for violence.
- Expanding access to mental health resources and crisis response teams.
- Strengthening Community programs and neighborhood initiatives.
- Addressing abandoned properties and improving public spaces.
Edwards, a former high school football coach, said the East Batton Rouge library system is like a star going back to a football team.
“Our library (system) is All-Star in Baton Rouge. The rest of the team doesn’t look very good, “Edwards said.
While Edwards said the funding of funding was unjustly marked as a “police against the library”, he stressed that the funds would be used for more than just police, but said public safety had become a major problem in parish.
“The dead can’t read books. We have a problem at Baton Rouge, “Edwards said.
He also said that his administration was committed to financing the library system with the highest percentage of each library system in the country if the residence redirect would become a reality.
During the metro council meeting earlier this month, more than 100 people registered to speak in favor of the renewal of the library mill.
During this meeting, the East Baton Rouge parish library, Catherine Stokes, asked to delete the position of the meeting meeting from the agenda. If it was approved by members of the subway council, the renewal of the library mill could be placed on October 11, 2025, a vote at a reduced mill speed.
A press release from the library states that since the Council meeting ended without any affirmative actions, the library may re -enter or the same proposal or new at the next Council meeting on February 26, at which the Council may vote on March 26th Meeting S
The item, specifically aimed at redirecting the library funds to the General Fund, will be for public consultation on March 12, 2025, before the EBR metro Council.
Previously, Edwards stated that his goal was to give BRPD employees one of the highest promotions that once changed the starting pay from $ 40,900 to $ 58,000. This is an almost 15% increase in starting pay. Plus, he and his staff also work to increase up to 41% depending on the rank and salary of the current officer. If the plan is working, the police officers from Baton Rouge will pass from one of the largest initial salaries in the region to one of the highest.
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