BC debt binge foists higher rates onto residents

The reckless spending by Bossier City over the past quarter-century has come back to haunt citizens in another way, this time through increased sanitation rates.

This week, the City Council voted to jack up rates on users, inside and outside of the city. Beginning in February, the flat resident charge for water will go from $8.54 to $10.16 and the pre thousand gallon charge of $3.03 will rise to $3.61; for nonresidents, the flat rate will go from $15.80 to $18.80 and the per thousand gallon charge of $4.55 will rise to $5.41. While nonresidential users without water service won’t see increased rates for waste pickup, residents will see theirs go from $24 (curbside or disabled side yard) or $28 (side yard) to $36 monthly; commercial customers will have theirs rise from $28 to $40; churches will see theirs go up from $24 to $36; and containers for use will cost $8.50 rather than $4 (after the free first one, except for side yard pickup). The typical household would see about an $18 a month increase, with the bulk of that coming not from water but sanitation.

There wasn’t much the city could do to avoid the water rate hike. Having accepted money from the state’s Water Sector program in the forms of loans and grants, the state conditions this on sufficient revenue generation potential as determined through a rate study. The results argued that the rate structure for water since 2007 hadn’t kept pace and an increase immediately plus one built in for the next fiscal year would satisfy the program’s conditions. The FY 2026 gap would be resolved with a two percent increase on rates.

NO officials' misjudgments likely increased risk

Sadly, the tragic terrorist incident in New Orleans’ Vieux Carre, contrary to what city officials have tried strenuously to produce as a narrative, was likely preventable because of decisions made by them and their predecessors.

A very few hours into 2025 an American citizen but with potential links to the terrorist group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Daesh) swung a vehicle onto Bourbon Street around Canal Street and barreled three blocks to the east, killing at least 15 revelers and injuring dozens more before wrecking and engaging in a gun battle with police that led to his being shot and killed. It could have been worse, as later improvised explosive devices were found further east around the street and an explosion some blocks away out of the French Quarter tentatively have been tied to the action.

For many years, in contrast to a couple of decades prior, Bourbon has been open to through traffic. In 2016, city officials recognized that the relatively open nature of a byway with considerable pedestrian traffic could lead to a situation as this, so they reinstituted placing bollards on Bourbon along with removable barriers, but this system proved cumbersome and prone to malfunction because of detritus – much of it Carnival-related – interfering.

Landry effect continues, chagrining leftists

Perhaps more fun than watching the Republican Gov. Jeff Landry effect take hold is how those invested in the rather opposite agenda of his predecessor try to deflect from that.

On the heels of data centers announcing their intended arrivals in Louisiana – with one firm explicitly said to have begun making the locational move after Landry took over from the departing Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards – has come further news that the change in administrations has jumpstarted economic development in the state. After losing population in the last three years, 2024 apparently saw a small gain and along with it more jobs.

In fact, losing population was a major theme throughout Edwards’ two terms. When he left office, about 120,000 fewer people lived in the state than when he entered it. That resulted in essentially zero job growth even as the unemployment rate slid downwards to a modern low. But that was deceptive: it went down because the labor force participation rate fell to a nearly half-century low (Wuhan coronavirus pandemic excluded) as increased government benefits that Edwards backed kicked in, meaning a higher proportion of the work-able po

LA marshal compensation comparatively outsized

For different reasons, marshals of north Louisiana’s two mid-sized cities show how you can remain an honest cop yet at the same timebring home some big paydays.

That’s what a Louisiana Legislative Auditor report reveals that investigated all marshals of city courts in the state. There are almost 50, with some of the smaller jurisdictions making few demands and paying accordingly. Others, however, earn a lot more and even in some places that don’t have larger populations.

Marshals serve as enforcement officers of courts but can have duties beyond just carrying out security and court orders, as varied as state law and contracting opportunities allow. For example, Baton Rouge’s run the city jail, Bossier City’s monitors probationers from its city court and provides security for City Council meetings, and Oakdale’s has a patrol division hunting down speeders.