In what was advertised to be a State of the City address, Shreveport Mayor Adrian Perkins addressed an overflow Caddo Republican luncheon crowd on Tuesday.
The mayor addressed many issues, ranging from the city budget public safety and city technology.
Here are the talking points from his speech:
Budget
- The City of Shreveport had a $1.2 million budget deficit when I took office. In two years, the City’s Operating Reserve Fund has grown by approximately $24.5 million for 2021, the highest projected level in over two decades.
- My administration successfully mitigated a $23 million projected budget shortfall due to the pandemic. The City made approximately $16 million in budget cuts, resulting in an excess fund balance for 2020.
Winter Storm
- We have emergency plans in place, but we did not have emergency infrastructure.
- The City of Shreveport distributed more than 2.7 million bottles of water.
- The City of Shreveport has been helping citizens who were displaced with relocation assistance, assisting individuals with their water bills, and establishing a fund to help eligible residents with emergency repairs due to the storm.
- Following the February winter storm, my administration discussed what improvements are needed for the City’s aging infrastructure in an After Action Review (AAR).
- We will be submitting the capital improvement recommendations from the AAR to the City Council’s Infrastructure Committee and are asking them to schedule a meeting to get a consensus on infrastructure improvements. Improvements will likely include a bond proposal in addition to American Rescue Plan dollars.
- My administration must balance competing interests and an example is that of the C100 infrastructure proposal post winter storm versus Republican Council Members; public safety only bond proposal pre winter storm.
Public Safety
- Sadly, we are continuing to see a nationwide trend. This year we have already lost 25 lives to senseless acts of violence… a significant increase from last year.
- Shreveport Police continue working tirelessly alongside community partners to address this surge in crime and make our community safer. Community-oriented policing remains one of my key initiatives.
- We implemented a 6 percent raise for police officers and firefighters. We also budgeted for vehicle and equipment packages for each department.
- Efforts are underway for SPD to collaborate with mental health groups to better respond to calls.
- We are leveraging technology as well.
- City Council passed a bipartisan measure for the decriminalization of marijuana.
Economy/COVID/Race
- We have had more than 23,000 COVID cases and lost 675 lives in Caddo Parish, since the start of the pandemic.
- The City of Shreveport has partnered with LSU Health Shreveport to provide COVID testing at SPAR facilities for Shreveport citizens.
- The City of Shreveport joined community partners to create Shreve.Biz, a helpdesk for local businesses impacted by COVID-19.
- Community Development worked with SUSLA to create the Safe Reopen Fund, which made funds available to small, local businesses in the form of $500 micro-loans.
- Our initial response in being one of the first to identify hotspots garnered us a spot on the front page of the Washington Post. We also made the New York Times top 10 list of cities with slowest viral spread.
Technology
- The City of Shreveport used technology to respond to the pandemic and mitigate healthcare disparities.
- I instructed the City Engineer and Chief
Technology Officer to geo-locate COVID cases to track viral spread in our community. This information was used to direct resources and target messaging—an approach that saved lives.
- Public Safety: body cameras, 360 dash cameras, city wide surveillance cameras, real time crime center, and license plate readers to name a few
- Economic Development: In response to the problems the digital divide poses for virtual learning, the IT Department launched an innovative, first-in-the-nation approach to mapping the digital divide.
- This “mapping” is the first major step toward providing low-cost, high-speed internet for all Shreveport citizens.
Looking ahead
- We are still looking for 2021 to serve as a revitalization year for the City of Shreveport. The City of Shreveport agreed to host the 47th annual Bayou Classic between the Grambling State University Tigers and the Southern University Jaguars at Independence Stadium on April 17th. To drive tourism, the City of Shreveport created Port City Fest, which will serve as a much needed economic boost for the City and local businesses.
- Community Listening Sessions, every Thursday from April 22nd to June 3rd from 6 to 8 pm.
The mayor reminded the audience that during his first two years in office the city had faced many hardships. These included last year’s summer of civil unrest, the first city’s first hurricane, the 100 year snow/ice storm and the COVID-19 health pandemic and the resulting economic crisis.
Perkins urged the crowd to stand tall, to push back on the constant social media discourse and to recognize that ALL Shreveporters are more alike than different .
THIS ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN THE April 9 ISSUE OF FOCUS SB - THE INQUISITOR.