State and local lawmakers caught off guard by Broom’s storm water fee falsehoods

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Some Louisiana lawmakers were caught off guard when Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome moved to impose a new stormwater drainage fee on Baton Rouge property owners -- concern that is expressed in a series of text messages obtained by the WBRZ Investigative Unit.

Those records offer new insight into what went on behind-the-scenes in the weeks leading to the demise of the proposal.

While Broome insisted the fee was necessary -- and defended the process behind the plan -- the messages spotlight skepticism outside City Hall.

Councilmember Dwight Hudson relayed such concern in a message to another member of the council, writing: "I spoke with (State Representative) Rick Edmonds, who chairs House Municipal committee. He says it was never their intent to allow it on a tax bill without a vote and that he would oppose that change if someone brought it."

Hudson told colleagues that other lawmakers shared that view, noting that the fee structure was "throwing off the whole financial model of the plan."

Hudson had assumed a de-facto leadership position among council members on the stormwater fee matter.

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The messages obtained on Wednesday by WBRZ also show an overwhelming response from the public. Council members' in-boxes were flooded with emails, prompting an exchange in which Hudson asks for more space to handle the influx.

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A representative of the mayor told WBRZ that she "always planned to meet with lawmakers to discuss the importance of (the) proposal to secure a dedicated funding stream necessary for federal compliance." It did not appear any meetings were held.

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