The city of Shreveport has received $24 million as its first tranche of American Rescue Fund Act (ARFA).
The Shreveport City Council must approve the expenditure of these funds. To date, no proposals have been received from the Shreveport mayor’s office.
The Shreveport City Council has approved the calling of a bond election on Nov. 13. The total package to be considered by Shreveport voters is $242.6 million. Four separate proposals will be on the ballot:
$70.65 million for the police and fire departments, including new fire vehicles, street lighting and a new central police headquarters;
$22.74 million for technology, including fiber optic broadband and traffic signals;
$64.7 million for water and sewer and drainage, including sanitary sewer improvements and citywide drainage improvements;
$63.375 million for streets, highways, bridges and Americans with Disabilities Act improvements;
$21.135 million for parks and recreation, including parking upgrades.
Reportedly, the challenge for the Perkins administration is prioritizing application of ARFA funding with requested bond funding, along with projecting the likelihood of success of the bond proposals.
The continual and very pressing fire truck problems of the Shreveport Fire Department should not wait until the November bond election. These issues, plus the Aug. 31 deadline to submit the first interim report to the U.S. Treasury don’t give much breathing room to the administration and the council.