Baton Rouge council to weigh December police-tax election
The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council is scheduled to consider whether to call a December 12, 2026, special election on renewing a property tax that would support a three-platoon system for the Baton Rouge Police Department.
The proposed levy is 0.87 mills and would run for 10 years. If approved by voters and implemented, collections would begin in 2028 and continue through 2037.
The council is set to take up the resolution August 12 at 4 p.m. The public notice identifies the City of Baton Rouge, the Police Department, the council meeting and the proposed December election.
The council action comes first
The December election is not yet final. The August 12 resolution had not been adopted in the approved public-notice material, so the council’s scheduled consideration is the next key step before voters could decide the tax question.
The notice also does not provide the final ballot language or a projected revenue amount. Those details should not be treated as settled based on the current proposal.
For residents, the immediate issue is whether the city will place the tax-renewal question before voters. The longer-term question would be how a renewed levy could support the Police Department’s three-platoon structure over the proposed 2028-2037 collection period.
Separate from the proposed pay plan
The tax proposal comes after Mayor-President Sid Edwards announced a separate police compensation proposal in March. That plan called for at least a 15% increase for sworn police personnel and a 3.5% increase for non-sworn personnel.
The City-Parish estimated that the pay proposal would cost $7.5 million for the remainder of 2026 and $12 million annually after that. Those figures describe the proposed pay increases, not projected revenue from the proposed 0.87-mill tax renewal.
The two measures are related to police funding and staffing, but they are not the same action. The council’s August 12 item concerns calling an election on a 10-year property-tax levy. The March announcement concerned proposed employee pay increases and included separate cost estimates.
What happens next
The Metropolitan Council is scheduled to consider ordering and calling the special election on August 12. If the council adopts the resolution, the proposed election date is December 12, 2026.
Voters have not approved the tax, and the election cannot be treated as final until the council acts and election officials confirm the process. The available notice establishes the proposed rate, duration, purpose and dates for consideration, but not the final ballot wording or the levy’s expected dollar yield.
The decision puts police staffing and city property-tax policy on the same public agenda. It also gives residents a defined timeline to watch: council consideration in August, followed by a possible citywide funding question in December and, under the proposal, collections beginning in 2028.
Sources
- Public Notice: Metropolitan Council special election resolution, The Advocate public notices
- Mayor-President Edwards Announces Historic Police Pay Raises, City-Parish of Baton Rouge
Look for updates to this story
Discover more from Interactive News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.