It’s old news that the Shreveport City Council at its last meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 24 refused to take action on a proposed bond sale. The unanimous vote was based on discontent with the lack of action by Mayor Arceneaux and his administration on moving the Shreveport Police Department (SPD) Headquarters.

The problems with the SPD Headquarters (SPD HQ) on Texas Avenue have been well documented in the media. The building is slated ultimately for demolition and replacement with a smaller HQ once all the SPD substations are constructed and occupied.

This vote sent a message loud and clear to Mayor Tom, who acknowledged the same in a KEEL radio interview after the vote. This vote was the most significant setback suffered by the Arceneaux administration in 21 months.

The Council's action was preceded by a letter from council members Grayson Boucher, Tabatha Taylor and James Green expressing extreme disappointment in the SPD HQ and lack of action by the Administration. The letter from these three was unprecedented in the sense that they rarely agree on the day of the week, much less major policy issues.

Since then, SPD Chief Wayne Smith and his staff have looked at several locations in the City. Word on the street has it that the old Montgomery Ward store at South Park Mall is now the favored choice. There is some skepticism on the conditions of the old facility and to date council members have not been given a tour of the old store.

Councilman Gary Brooks will chair a Public Safety Committee meeting at Tuesday (Oct. 8) at 1:45 p.m. Brooks held a very informative committee meeting preceding the Sept. 24 council meeting and the same can be expected at this next committee meeting. Relocation of the SPD HQ will be the primary agenda item.

One can expect more pushback on Mayor Tom at the follow up Council meeting the same day if no meaningful information is provided on moving SPD HQ--either before the committee meeting or at the meeting itself. The Council will no doubt be pushing for hard information on relocation of the HQ with a moving timeline, costs of move along with the rental terms with funding source information, etc.

Good government requires checks and balances. The council's recent vote is a great example of how the legislative branch of government can push back against the executive branch. This standoff does not need to be prolonged at the expense of pro­grams and legislation that is needed to move Shreveport forward.

Mayor Tom inherited the HQ mess at 1234 Texas Avenue like many other major challenges that he has aggressively and effec­tively resolved. The wheels of government move slow, but the old adage that the "squeaky wheel gets the grease" is applicable to the SPD HQ relocation. The mayor's top priority list is one in constant change and the council vote has now moved the SPD HQ up on the list.