On Nov. 5, residents of East Baton Rouge Parish will vote on the Home Rule Charter Amendment, an initiative that if passed is poised to significantly reshape the structure of the city-parish.

The amendment, approved by the Metropolitan Council in March, provides for sweeping changes to the city-parish government — from the creation of a city-parish manager to removing restrictions on council members’ salaries.

The language of the amendment, as it will appear on the ballot, is quite technical, reading:

“Shall the Plan of Government of the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge (the “Plan of Government”) be amended pursuant to Article VI, Section 5 of the Constitution of the State of Louisiana and Section 11.09 of the Plan of Government, and be renumbered as necessary, as further described in the Summary of Proposed Amendments to the Plan of Government, which may be reviewed on the official website (http://www.brla.gov/planofgovernment) of the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge or may be obtained from the Council Administrator for the City of Baton Rouge and Parish of East Baton Rouge, and which proposed amendments are hereby incorporated by reference and made a part of this Proposition?”

What the amendment lacks in clarity it makes up for in substance; The official text of the amendment totals 64 pages. The provisions of the amendment are divided into 12 chapters, summarized on the East Baton Rouge Parish website.

While the changes the amendment would make to the city-parish government are substantial, voters will only have two options from which to choose come election day: “yes” and “no.” The amendment will either be passed or rejected in its entirety. 

Here are two of the amendment’s most significant changes:

The Creation of a City-Parish Manager

Section 4.08 of the amendment provides for the creation of a city-parish manager office. The position will replace the chief administrative officer position, currently occupied by Dante Bidwell. 

Metro Council Member Rowdy Gaudet explained the new office to WBRZ: “A professional, qualified manager oversees the departments and makes sure we’re transparent with how we’re delivering the services, are we meeting metrics with how we’re delivering the services, and then frankly how do we improve delivering those services.”

The amendment stipulates that the CPM must be nominated by the mayor-president and approved by the Metro Council. Under current rules, the CAO is appointed by the mayor-president. 

The CPM will also be required to have obtained at least a bachelor’s degree in a management-related field. Dante Bidwell has earned no such degree, though he did serve as Mayor Sharon Weston-Broome’s Chief of Staff for nearly two years. 

Two mayoral candidates — incumbent Mayor-President Weston-Broome and challenger Ted James — have criticized the proposed change, arguing that the mayor-president should have the power to name the CPM to his post. 

Removes Restrictions on Council Members’ Salaries

Section 2.05 of the amendment provides for the elimination of a set salary for Metro Council members. According to city-parish rules, members are to be paid a fixed salary of $1,000 per month. 

This figure is significantly lower than the average pay for city council members in other American cities. ZipRecruiter estimates that the median monthly salary for a city council member in America is $2,283 per month — more than double what Metro Council members are currently paid. 

The amendment would allow the Metro Council to pass an ordinance to change members’ monthly salary. If passed, the ordinance would take effect no sooner than January, 2029. 

Metro Council members are allowed to serve up to three consecutive four-year terms, meaning that current council members could theoretically be the beneficiaries of their own pay increase come 2029. 

That the language of the amendment that will appear on the ballot reveals so little about these sweeping provisions is a matter of frustration for many Baton Rouge voters on LSU’s campus. 

“I had no idea that this amendment would change council members’ salaries,” said political science sophomore Shania Raimer. “This amendment is deliberately confusing to voters … It’s obviously an attempt by the Metro Council to expand their own power.” 

The deadline to register to vote in Louisiana is Oct. 15, with early voting available from Oct. 18-29, excluding Sundays.