Baton Rouge Mayor-President Kip Holden will present his planned 2013 budget at today’s Metro Council meeting, one day before voters will decide whether he will remain for another four years.
The current Baton Rouge budget allows more than half of the allotted money for public safety, and under either of the two strongest candidates, Holden and Mayor Pro-Tempore Mike Walker, that would be unlikely to change.
Holden said his finance department began working on the budget in spring.
If another candidate is elected to office, the Metro Council will still review the new mayor’s budget and have the power to veto as it deems necessary.
This is Holden’s eighth budget, and in each he says public safety has been the number one priority.
Walker has accused Holden of having misplaced spending priorities in the past.
He said his first concern is crime fighting and “everything else comes second.”
Walker’s plan is to cut the budget in nonspecified ways to fund a more present police force.
Businessman Gordon Mese, also a candidate, acknowledged that crime is an issue in Baton Rouge, and said he would look to solve it through a community movement.
“We need to quit creating criminals,” Mese said at a debate Tuesday.
Attorney Steve Myers said he joined the mayoral race to talk about issues besides crime and traffic, but has acknowledged the need for more effective policing.
In a video on Myers’ website, he condemns Baton Rouge for spending too much money on public safety.
He calls to look for a better way to spend less money and see safer results from its use.
While candidates agree on the necessity of looking at spending for crime-fighting, each has different views on how to stimulate the economy through possible budget-affecting moves.
Holden has looked to outside sources, such as Chinese technology companies, while Walker said he would capitalize on the already-existing natural gas industry.
Walker said claims that leaning too heavily on one industry could cause collapse has not held true in the past, since the natural gas business “has always been here.”
Mese emphasized attracting young intellectuals to the community in order to foster a diverse economy, while Myers said government and economic development should be kept separate.
The election will be held Nov. 6, with a runoff on Dec. 8, if necessary.
