A sum of $256.4 million is on the table for voters

Early voting is this week for three bond proposals for capital improvement projects across Shreveport, and Mayor Tom Arceneaux is encouraging residents to cast their ballots.

“We want to urge people to go out and vote,” he said. “Personally, I want to urge people to go out and vote yes on all three propositions.”

The three proposals would raise about $256.4 million in funding projects across the city. The first would raise $125,140,000 for street and drainage projects. The second would raise $82 million for water and sewer projects.

The third would raise $49.3 million for Shreveport Police, Shreveport Fire Department and Shreveport Parks and Recreation.

Arceneaux said some of the projects included in the bond proposals would benefit the entire city, such as improvements at the Amiss Water Treatment Station. Other projects, such as street repairs, are unique to each city council district. He added that the costs of those location-specific projects are balanced across all council districts.

The administration has hosted public meetings throughout the city to present the details of the bond proposals.

“There hasn’t been a whole lot of attendance at those, but the people have been very interested,” Arceneaux said. “They have asked good questions, and I think we’ve done a good job explaining exactly what it is we are proposing so they can make an informed decision on how they want to vote.”

Early voting continues through Saturday, April 20. Election day is April 27.

Rain keeps city crew busy

The city of Shreveport experienced several days of heavy rain earlier this month. Arceneaux was pleased with the Department of Water and Sewer’s response.

“We had flash flood warning,” he said. “We gave out thousands of sand bags, and our people were out there working very hard. It was just rain, but it was a lot of rain.”

It was so much rain that city crews opened the floodgates at Cross Lake to avert flooding issues.

All three floodgates were opened before the storms moved through. The lake was about a foot below its normal levels at that time. It dropped six more inches after the floodgates were opened and before the rain arrived. Opening the floodgates allowed water from the lake to eventually flow into the Red River.

“The Red is a little higher,” the mayor said. “But I don’t think we had major flooding as a result of that.”

Crews also received reports of sewer issues during the rain. Crews worked throughout the city during the weather event to resolve those issues.

“The Department of Water and Sewerage remains committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all residents during this rainy season, prioritizing proactive measures and swift responses to maintain the integrity of water and sewer systems across Louisiana,” a news release said.