How Past Bad Budget Decisions Still Shape Shreveport’s Finances Today 

Shreveport’s current budget talks are not happening in a vacuum. They are built on years of decisions made long before Mayor Tom Arceneaux stepped into office. During a recent conversation with KEEL News, he reflected on how a major move made under the Perkins administration still reaches into today’s financial landscape. 

Back in 2021, city leaders approved a 13 percent across the board raise for all municipal employees. At the time, even top officials expressed concern that the increase would be hard to sustain. According to Mayor Arceneaux, those concerns turned out to be well founded. 

READ MORE: See the 30 Largest Pay Raises by the City of Shreveport

“It kept us from being able to make pay raises for several years,” he said, noting that the decision reshaped the city’s operations for multiple budget cycles. While the increase provided immediate relief for workers, it also placed long term pressure on city revenue. “We struggled through several years as a result of it,” he added. 

How That One Vote Affected Later Shreveport Budgets 

The mayor explained that after the 13 percent raise, Shreveport had far less flexibility. Routine adjustments that normally happen every year or two became nearly impossible. Departments had to work with tighter margins and fewer options.

Even when the city experienced modest growth in certain revenue categories, the increases were often used simply to stabilize the budget rather than expand services. 

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Arceneaux said some tax collections have improved since then, but it took time for the city to catch up. That lag created a period where other investments, upgrades, or staffing improvements had to be delayed.

The earlier raise was implemented with the help of federal ARP dollars, a one time tool that helped make the numbers work but did not come with a long term replacement. 

A Cautionary Reminder for Future Shreveport Budget Decisions 

The mayor’s look back was not about assigning blame. Instead, it served as a reminder of how one large financial decision can echo for years. He stressed that current leaders must plan with caution, structure revenue conservatively, and avoid making promises that depend on money that might not repeat. 

Budget decisions rarely stay in the past. Shreveport’s experience shows how long the aftershocks can last.