We have significant concerns about proposed Ordinance 7 of 2025 which I'd like to discuss briefly.
First, the site at 8509 Line Avenue has been one of the primary choices for sites for a southeast Shreveport substation. That has not changed. There were some other considerations that caused us to explore other sites as well.
One of the considerations has to do with the design of the new police headquarters at 1234 Texas Avenue. The Council has made it clear that you want that building to be built for the amount approved by the public in the 2021 bond issue, and we have been pursuing a design that would do that. One of the changes to the design, to reduce the square footage of the building, and, therefore, its cost, is the elimination of housing a patrol section there, which we had considered prior to the Council's policy indications. Thus, we must find a permanent home for two of the four patrol sections besides the substations on Monkhouse Drive and North Market Street.
We also must locate the funds for that fourth home. We had been exploring an alternative site in Southeast Shreveport that would have been large enough to house both of the remaining patrol sections. However, we have learned just today that site is not going to be feasible within the funds we have from the 2021 bond issue. That leads us back to 8509 Line Avenue.
There are some due diligence concerns about 8509 Line Avenue that we believe should be pursued before making a final decision. First, we need to determine whether the site has adequate parking to accommodate a Patrol section (and, if not, whether adjacent property is available to be purchased and at what price). Second, as with any other purchase of property by the city, we need to have an environmental assessment of the site. Third, we would need to know what the appraised value of the site is to determine if the 2021 bond funds will be sufficient to acquire the site.
Accordingly, I plan to direct that three actions be taken relative to the 8509 Line Avenue property - (1) a determination of whether the site has adequate parking to accommodate a Patrol section (and, if not, whether adjacent property is available to be purchased), (2) an environmental assessment be performed of the site and (3) if those concerns are met, to have an appraisal done to determine the property's fair market value, as well as the value of any additional property that might need to be purchased. Once those things are done, I will make a recommendation on the Line Avenue site to the Council.
I believe that there are significant legal and policy concerns with the proposed ordinance requiring the immediate purchase of the Line Avenue property. The City Charter does not grant the Council the power to direct the Mayor to take such an action. Further, I do not believe that the circumstances described in the ordinance meet the statutory criteria for an emergency.
No one disputes that there is a need to remove Police officers and other employees from the current HQ at 1234 Texas Avenue as quickly as possible. Ever since the Council first raised this issue last fall, this has been a high priority. As of this week, more than 100 SPD employees have already been moved out. By the end of March, the building should be empty.
We believe the current plan to move personnel from 1234 Texas Avenue, which we have discussed with you and which you have approved thus far, will result in moving personnel from 1234 Texas Avenue more quickly than would result from the acquisition of the Line Avenue property.
We are also concerned that the proposed ordinance directs the Mayor to purchase the Line Avenue property for "fair market value" without us knowing what that value actually is. The value could be in excess of the bond funds we have.
In the interim, we will continue with plans to move the Patrol sections to the Dean Road site which will temporarily house two patrol sections. The next step will be to present you with a proposed lease for that property. I will also work to determine the best possible site for the remaining Patrol group to be located.
We all want to get the SPD officers out of 1234 Texas Avenue and out into the community. This ordinance, by creating a City Charter issue unnecessarily and requiring us to purchase a site whose value is unknown, is not the best way to do that. We believe that the best way forward is to work together to perform due diligence on 8509 Line Avenue and hopefully determine to purchase it for a fair price. Thus, we respectfully request that the authors withdraw the proposed ordinance or that Council defeat the ordinance tomorrow.