MELVIN L. "KIP" HOLDEN
Mayor-President

2005 METROPOLITAN COUNCIL MEMBERS
January 1, 2005

Ulysses Z. Addison, Jr.
David J. Boneno
Lorri Burgess
Wayne Carter
Pat Culbertson
Joseph "Joe" Greco
Charles Kelly
Darrell P. Ourso
Byron Sharper
Mickey Skyring
Martha J. Tassin
J. Michael "Mike" Walker

January 1, 2005

Dear Citizens of East Baton Rouge Parish:

Following is a brief summary of selected highlights from operating budgets for the year 2005.

The legal framework for financial management of the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge (City-Parish) is largely established in a Plan of Government approved by local voters in 1947. That plan requires the adoption of annual operating budgets for various governmental functions. In accordance with this plan, the local government in December 2004 adopted annual operating budgets for the year 2005. At that time, a $228 million general operations budget was approved, along with a number of budgets for special operations, for a grand total of $563 million. All of the annual budgets referred to above are published in a document entitled 2005 Annual Operating Budget, which is available for review by the public at parish libraries and at the City-Parish Finance Department – Budgeting Division, located at 222 St. Louis Street, Room 452 (phone 389-3067). 

The City-Parish has separate budget processes for some state and federal grant programs, as well as for capital improvement programs such as street construction and public building construction. A summary of recurring grant programs and capital improvement programs is included in the 2005 Annual Operating Budget.

THE BUDGET PROCESS

Allocation of revenues is determined through the budget process. This process begins with the presentation by the Mayor-President (Mayor) of his goals and objectives for the City-Parish.  Departments then formulate departmental goals consistent with those of the City-Parish as a whole and submit their budget requests to the Mayor.  The Mayor reviews these requests with his staff, department personnel, and  representatives of the Metropolitan Council (Council).  After considering the needs of the community, established policies, current financial conditions, and the forecasted economy, the Mayor formally proposes operating budgets to the Council for all operations that require such budgets. The Council then considers the Mayor's proposals, holds public hearings, and enacts final budgets, which may be different from those proposed by the Mayor.  These adopted annual budgets become effective on January 1.

Responsibility for the administration of the annual operating budget is shared by the Mayor, through the Chief Administrative Officer, the Finance Director, and the staff of the Finance Department-Budgeting Division; and the Metropolitan Council, through the Council Administrator-Treasurer and the Council Budget Officer.

GENERAL OPERATIONS (GENERAL FUND)

As shown in the chart below, the 2005 budget for general operations, amounting to $228 million, is financed primarily through sales, property, and public utility taxes:

SOURCE OF FUNDS

The following chart shows the functions for which general operations money will be spent in 2005:

USE OF FUNDS

SPECIAL OPERATIONS (SPECIAL FUNDS)

About 40% of the spending authorized in the annual operating budgets relates to the budget for general operations discussed in the preceding section. The remaining authorized spending pertains to the smaller budgets for special operations or activities. The most common reason for having separate budgets for these activities is that the revenues supporting them are legally dedicated to a specific purpose. Programs funded through these special budgets include:

• Fire Protection for Rural Areas 
• Pay Enhancements for City Firefighters
• Downtown Development District
• Mosquito Abatement and Rodent Control
• Operation of the Library System
• Street Maintenance Programs
• Emergency Medical Services
• EBR Parish Communications District
• Garbage Service for Rural Areas
• Road Lighting for Rural Areas
• Animal Control Center
• Operation of the Baton Rouge River Center and Parking Facilities
• Repayment of Long-Term Debt
• Mass Transit Service
• Operation of Sewerage Systems
• Operation of the Sanitary Landfill
• Operation of the Local Airport
• Support for the City Constable
• Provision of Social Services
• Employment Training and Opportunities
• Community and Economic Development
• Gaming Enforcement Services
• Equipment Repair and Maintenance
• Equipment Replacement for Public Works
• Employees' Retirement Funds

2005 FUNDING HIGHLIGHTS

Among the more noteworthy features of the 2005 budgets are the following:

• Sales and Use Taxes, the largest source of revenue, have been slow to increase in recent years.  The estimated increase in 2005 is only 1%, which means that few new initiatives can be accommodated.  In spite of these limitations, the commitment to public safety continues, and nearly 48% of General Fund spending is budgeted for these functions.

• Phase I of the renovation and expansion of the Baton Rouge River Center was completed in late 2004. From February to July, 2005, this facility will host the annual tournament of the American Bowling Congress, which is expected to provide an economic benefit of over $60 million for the area.

• On March 14, 2002, the City-Parish signed a Consent Decree with the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Quality. The Consent Decree committed the City-Parish to spend approximately $618 million over thirteen years to minimize sanitary sewer overflows. Four Supplemental Environmental Projects will also be constructed as part of the Consent Decree. These projects will redirect septic tank discharges from neighborhood waterways into new sewer lines where the effluent will be treated at a sewer treatment plant. The 2005 budget is consistent with the long-range funding model for the sewer program.

• The Parish Library system is the busiest library system of any type in the state. It will open three new libraries in 2005 and expand the number of hours of operation. It will also begin planning for a new branch in the South Baton Rouge area, along with a new main library facility.

• Capital Outlay items were funded from fund balance for the Police Department ($1,000,000), the Fire Department ($500,000), and Public Works ($1,750,000).

• The Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, the coordinating agency for emergency and disaster activities, has received over $10 million in federal and state grants for local planning and response as well as for coordination of a regional response to any major disaster.

• In downtown Baton Rouge, work continues on new public and private projects, residential as well as commercial, governmental, and cultural. A bicycle and jogging path is being built on the Mississippi River levee, connecting downtown and LSU.

CONCLUSION

The high quality of our budget is evidenced by our receipt of the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award of the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) for our budgets for each year from 1991 through 2004. This is the highest form of recognition in governmental budgeting, and we hope to win this honor again in 2005. In addition, we were awarded the Louisiana GFOA Outstanding Budget Award eight times in the nine years that it was offered.

I would sincerely appreciate any comments from the citizens of our community relative to the budget. All citizens are invited to attend the budget hearings held in November and December of each year. Anyone interested in attending should contact the Finance Department at 389-3061 or the Council Budget Office at 389-3051 in early November of each year to obtain the schedule.

Sincerely yours,

Melvin L. "Kip" Holden
Mayor-President

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