Shreveport on the Rise: Mayor Arceneaux Says City Is ‘Moving in the Right Direction’

SHREVEPORT, LA

Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux believes Shreveport is hitting its stride, backed by cleaner streets, less crime, and a renewed sense of civic pride. When asked about Louisiana’s historic in-migration report and whether Shreveport is still facing an out-migration problem, Arceneaux told KEEL News:

We certainly have lost some people… but we’re trying to make our city much more attractive, and I think we’re succeeding with that.  We’ve got things moving in the right direction as a city, as a community, and that’s something we all should be very proud of.

 Historic Support for Citywide Projects 

One of the biggest signs of that progress?  Mayor Arceneaux told KEEL News it was the overwhelming passage of $256.1 million in new capital projects. 

 We hadn’t done something like that, well, actually we’d never done something that large,” Arceneaux said. “Those passed with 80% on the first two propositions and 78% on the third one, which really is unprecedented. 

 

The city has already sold the first $88 million in bonds, which brought in over $90 million due to premium bidding.

We got a really good deal,” Arceneaux said. “The interest rate was low… so we actually received a little over $90 million.

Design work for most of the projects is already underway. But Arceneaux reminded residents that public contracts take time.

We ask people to have patience. Once we start, they’re going to see a lot of work. 

More Good News: Crime Drops Across the Board 

The mayor was also quick to highlight encouraging numbers on crime. 

Our crime is very much down,” he said. “We were down in all areas of violent crime from ’23 to ’24, and so far we’re down in ’25 from ’24.

After the "Summer of Manganese" Water Quality Remains a Priority 

 Asked about the city’s most pressing challenges for 2025, Arceneaux didn’t hesitate. 

 Water is certainly one of them,” he said. “Although I think we have figured out at the plant what we need to do. Nobody likes to have colored water coming out of the tap, and certainly we didn’t either.

 

Arceneaux says the city is now treating Cross Lake for algae “around the clock” and exploring long-term capital upgrades. Arceneaux said when eating out “I always request tap water so I can taste the water,” he added. “I have noticed a very remarkable change for the positive.” 

As for last year’s “summer of manganese,” the mayor admitted:

We still don’t know what caused that… but it had never happened before, and hopefully it will never happen again.

Addressing the Squatter Problem with Compassion 

The city has also been cracking down on squatters, especially in Highland, where Shreveport police recently completed another operation. 

 It is going to continue. It’s going to spread to other neighborhoods,” Arceneaux confirmed. “As we get reports of people who are occupying properties that are dilapidated and don’t have water service, that’s what we have. 

The mayor said efforts are underway to strengthen laws.

There actually is a bill to make an improvement in Section 63 of the Louisiana Criminal Code, which will make it easier to actually charge people with trespass.

But enforcement isn’t the only focus. Arceneaux said the squatter problem actually stems from a deeper problem.

 There’s really an element of compassion that’s involved in this,” he said. “The police are not just arresting people, they’re giving people information about where they might go for more secure housing. It’s a symptom of a larger problem, and we’re trying to address that problem as well.