Input sought on Holden’s bond plan

• By SCOTT DYER
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Jul 18, 2008 - Page: 1B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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Two Metro Council members have called a Tuesday meeting to give voters a chance to sound off on tax increases Mayor-President Kip Holden has requested to pay for a proposed $989 million bond issue for projects ranging from a new prison to a riverfront tourist attraction.

But Councilmen Pat Culbertson and David Boneno are having trouble getting anyone from the mayor’s office to attend their meeting from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. Tuesday at St. George Catholic Church off Siegen Lane near Interstate 10.

Culbertson and Boneno said they want public input on Holden’s proposed Nov. 4 tax election to raise property taxes by $9.9 million and to raise the local sales tax by a half cent. The council is slated to consider the proposal Wednesday.

Holden said early Thursday he was unaware of the St. George meeting and expressed concern it may be a possible ambush to divide the proposal up into smaller tax proposals and to move the vote to the Oct. 4 election.

Holden’s chief administrative officer, Walter Monsour, said he and the mayor had already committed to speak to the Baton Rouge Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors on the bond issue late Tuesday afternoon.

Culbertson flatly denied he was trying to ambush the mayor’s proposal, noting the meeting was called to inform the public about it.

Culbertson said he wants input from voters on the timing of the election and on whether it should be divided into two smaller proposals.

At this point, Holden is pushing for a single, up-or-down vote on the proposal. It includes a proposed $145 million expansion of the River Center, a $248 million nature-themed tourist attraction on the downtown riverfront, and $596 million for other projects. Those other projects include $135 million for a new parish prison, $87 million for a public safety complex and $208 million to overhaul major drainage canals and to replace 38 bridges.

“I’d like to see it divided into two issues, the luxuries and the necessities,” Culbertson said.

Culbertson said the luxuries — the expansion of the River Center and the riverfront tourist attraction — total roughly $400 million and could be funded with a two-tenths cent sales tax and a 4-mill property tax increase.

The necessities, which includes the drainage, bridge replacements and new prison, could be funded with a three-tenths cent sales tax increase and a 6-mill property tax boost, Culbertson said.

Holden noted that the riverfront tourist attraction will pay for itself in 10 years and that a Virginia-based company has offered to build two hotels at a cost of $100 million if the city-parish completes the $145 million expansion of the River Center and parking facilities.

Holden also said he wants the council to schedule the tax election during the Nov. 4 presidential election because it will have a larger turnout than the Oct. 4 election.