Mayor Perkins Urges Shreveport Voters to Approve Proposals

Shreveport voters are being asked to approve 5 bond proposals on the December 11 ballot. These proposals are aimed at addressing basic infrastructure needs and public safety concerns across the city.

Here are the 5 proposals and what they will fund

Proposition 1 - $70.65M Bond

Fire vehicles and equipment $13,550,000

Fire station #11 (Youree Drive) engine room $500,000

Fire station #12 (Woolworth Road) relocation & build $2,900,000

Fire station #14 (Greenwood Road) relocation $2,900,000

Fire station #15 (West70th) relocation $2,900,000

Fire station renovations & maintenance $1,500,000

Fire academy maintenance & renovations $4,820,000

Central police headquarters $27,500,000

Shreveport police department substations $4,500,000

City jail maintenance & improvements $2,000,000

Emergency mobile command center (LDV) $1,000,000

Street lighting $5,000,000

Proposition 2 - $22.74M Bond

City communications system (fiber optic) - broadband, traffic signals & water & sewer $20,000,000 dig once initiative $2,000,000

Proposition 3 - $64.7M Bond

Purchase of floodplain properties $2,000,000

Floodplain management plan $2,000,000

Drainage improvements $22,750,000

Sanitary sewer improvements $29,500,000

Twelve Mile Bayou raw water main improvements $4,000,000

Amiss WTR piping and valve replacement $3,000,000

Proposition 4 - $63.375M Bond

Linwood overpass $20,000,000

Streets, bridges, sidewalks, ADA improvements $41,956,690

Proposition 5 - $21.135M Bond

Huntington golf course improvements $1,000,000

Querbes park recreation center & outdoor recreation $2,500,000

Municipal Auditorium phase II renovations $1,000,000

Park/recreation center improvements $10,450,000

Parking lot overlays $2,500,000

Parking upgrades $3,000,000

Mayor Perkins' Pitch to Residents for the Bond Proposals

Shreveport’s property taxes are at a nearly 40 year low. If all five propositions pass and your home is valued at $100,000, it will cost you $137.50 a year. We have aggressively paid down our debt and are in a perfect position to go out for this bond. This bond will save the city tens of thousands of dollars in annual maintenance and utility costs, which can instead be used for preventative maintenance and quality of life initiatives throughout the city.

Before you consider these proposals you might want to know a little history. Money was approved in the 2011 bond proposal for a new fire station at the Fairgrounds. It was to be a Super Station to replace station 8 (Fairgrounds) and station 14 (Greenwood Road). The new Super Station was to be built at Missouri and Greenwood Road. That idea was eventually scrapped.

What Is the Debt of the City of Shreveport?

As of December 31, 2010, the city's audited financial statements showed $656 million in total debt. That number has climbed to more than $1 billion dollars in the audit report filed at the end of 2020. So in 10 years, the total debt of the City of Shreveport has nearly doubled.

Much of the debt (nearly $800 million) is for water and sewer bonds to improve the city's aging infrastructure.

WHAT'S ON THE NOVEMBER 13 BALLOT