Shv Chamber Boss on Bond Vote: City Must Identify Essential Needs [VIDEO]

Shreveport Chamber of Commerce President Tim Magner talks with 101.7 / 710 KEEL's Robert J Wright and Erin McCarty about the City Council's upcoming vote (Tuesday) on the $186 million bond proposal.

Magner tells KEEL listeners that the proposal, pared down from the original $220 million, is a step in the right direction. "What we're looking at is identifying those things that are essential, that needs to be done. That's the conversation we're having now. Do I wish we were having this conversation six months ago? Sure."

Magner also says that the process of putting together the plan involves both people in government and the taxpayers. "The way (Mayor Perkins) got to $220 million in the first place was to go to all the departments and say, 'Hey, what do you need?' The purpose of the citizens committee...was to vet that. The idea that there's some expertise, that folks who do this for a living, has to be respected. At the same time, we, as taxpayers, are paying for it means that we should have some input in prioritizing those things."