Tonight on 3rd Floor Theatre (The Pre-Valentine’s Day Edition)

First things first, I’m not going to do anything with the Chief of Police situation until he is allowed his public appeal. At this point, everything said is pretty much speculative (although I’d bet money that the friction with the Union plays a pretty big part). With that said, can the media get off the issue of the Mayor’s Office not discussing it? If you have an employee who you are firing or considering firing and they’ve retained counsel, you would be an idiot to not restrict your vocabulary to the words “No” and “Comment,” whether in the public or private sector. The Mayor’s Office, however, should have notified the Council immediately following White’s termination. Sharing is caring, folks.

So what’s happening today? We’re going to have our first post “committee abolition” Council Meeting. The list of agenda items is fairly long and there are a number of pretty technical issues involved, so it’s going to be interesting to see how well Mayor Pro Tempore Loupe handles the flow of the meeting. Good luck, Chandler! Here are some of the interesting items on the agenda:

Metro 21: There was a long discussion last year during Cox Communication’s franchise agreement concerning the operation of Metro 21 (the channel that shows Metro Council meetings and other public events). The City-Parish is taking back control of the operation in a somewhat uncommon reverse privatization move. While the issue tonight is simply equipment purchase, I think it will be interesting to see how well the City-Parish transitions this responsibility from Cox.

Ryan White Grant Funding: Items related to the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program appear frequently on Council agendas and involve a not inconsiderable amount of money. Two things come to mind. First, Baton Rouge is really not recognizing how serious a problem we have with HIV/AIDS in our community. Sadly, I’m guessing this is very similar to how we treated crime for such a long period (i.e. If it isn’t in our part of the community, we turn a blind eye on it). Second, considering the amount of funding and the deplorable situation we are in with regard to HIV/AIDS, a program audit may be in order to make sure this money is being spent in a way to produce the greatest impact.

Salt Water Intrusion: Item calling for the City-Parish to enter a cooperative endeavor agreement to develop a model examining salt water intrusion. This is a portion of a long term discussion concerning the sustainability of our fresh water aquifer that will likely have a significant impact on our kids and grandkids. It might turn into a big fight considering a lot of people are pointing fingers at our riverside industrial facilities as most, if not all, use the potable water in the aquifer for industrial purposes rather than using treated river water.

Red Light Cameras: This item should be the most entertaining by far. The Council has to decide whether to continue the use of red light cameras. My hope is that the Council takes a data-driven approach to this subject. Whether the cameras have reduced crashes and fatalities would seem to be the defining metric that should be considered. If the data doesn’t bear that out, get rid of them. Arguing about whether their use is constitutional or not would be much better accomplished through the Courts. They would be the final arbiters of that decision anyway. The cameras have been around for five years and have, by all accounts, issued tens of thousands of tickets. Surely a court case could be mounted?

The Council Meeting starts at 4PM today. You can catch it live on the 3rd Floor of City Hall in downtown Baton Rouge (just go to the taller of the two buildings that appear to be hardened against nuclear attack), you can watch it from the comfort of your own home on Metro 21 through (for the time being) Cox Communication, or you can catch it streaming here.