One of the nadirs of the Shreveport City Council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 11, was a briefing on the 2023 budget proposed by Mayor Perkins' administration.

Those in attendance suffered through a 30-plus-minute PowerPoint presentation that was barely visible by those in the audience.

Unfortunately, no copies of the PowerPoint were made available to the media or any others in the audience.

The presentation was pathetic.

The presenter had difficulty reading the PowerPoint presentation, much less correctly pronouncing the text. This lady started off speaking in a tired, bored tone of voice that only digressed during her presentation.

The so-called budget victory of having a budget surplus overlooked the reality of federal funding that bolstered this much-needed account.

A common theme with each department's increased budget over 2022 was the major impact of the 13% pay raise for all city employees.

Chief Administrative Officer Henry Whitehorn pointed out that the operating reserves declined from $62 million to $20 million due to the 13% pay raise and increased costs.

Whitehorn warned that the recurring revenues would probably not support the pay raises next year. He was also concerned about the increased subsidy needed for solid waste.

Seemingly, most of the council members were oblivious to the budget reality and Whitehorn's admonitions. But then, that has been the trademark of most of the council members the last two years.