The Shreveport City Council clerk's office has five employees, which include the council clerk.

The Caddo Commission clerk's office has three employees, which include the commission clerk.

The total salaries of the council clerk's office are in excess of $400,000. (This reflects the salaries before the raises handed out by Councilman James Green, which have now been rescinded.)

The budgeted payroll of the commission clerk's office is $227,000. (There was one vacancy for several months this year in that office.)

There are seven council members who rely on the services of the council clerk's office.

There are 12 commissioners who rely on the services of the commission clerk's office.

The Shreveport City Council meets four times per month for regular meetings. The meetings are on the second and fourth Mondays and Tuesdays of each month. To date, that is 30 meetings.

The Caddo Commission meets four times per month for regular meetings with the exception of two meetings in July. The commission meets on the first and third Mondays and Thursdays of each month. To date, that is 30 meetings.

The council meetings are generally completed within 90 minutes.

The commission meetings are generally two hours minimum.

The Shreveport City Council has had at least one special meeting and several committee meetings this year.

The commission has had four special sessions and 41 committee meetings.

For round numbers, the total meetings of the council and committee meetings have been less than 40 through Aug. 17. (The Shreveport City Council clerk is not very responsive to inquiries on any subject.)

The commission has had a total of 75 meetings of the commission and commission committees through Aug. 17.

The council clerk's office is rarely fully staffed during the normal work day.

The commission clerk's office is almost always fully staffed during the work day.

Both the council and the commission often pass special resolutions of recognition that must be prepared by their clerks' offices. The commission has passed at least twice as many of these resolutions than the council.

The fact that the city of Shreveport's budget is much higher than the budget of the Caddo Commission (approximately $480 million versus approximately $80 million) has no bearing on the works and services of the two clerks' offices.

So why does the Shreveport City Council need more employees in its clerk's office than the Caddo Commission?

Maybe this is one reason the parish has a much higher municipal bond rating than the city.