re: Two agenda items of note for today's BR Metro Council Meeting (live stream link inside)

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Chaunnnna misused about 19 words.

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bullshite. That illiterate sack of shite doesn't know 19 words.

I recv'd a 2nd email from Freiberg. A novella

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As I said last night, thank you for taking time to share with me your thoughts concerning my vote on the levying of the Council on Aging tax. Because I always attempt to put people’s concerns above my political well-being, I regret that I have disappointed you and many other supporters; however, I hope to explain to you herein why I voted as I did last night.



Because I had grave concerns about the mismanagement of funds by the COA, I did not vote for this tax in November and encouraged others to do the same; however, the tax did indeed pass. As the taxing authority, the Metro Council is required by law to levy the tax. This is not money I am giving to this agency; these are dollars our community voted to give this agency.



Following is an explanation of the Council’s role with regard to the levy of the dedicated millage for the Council on Aging (COA). You will note that added accountability measures were included in the final Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CAE), and as a Council we have another chance to adjust the millage in November.



In summary, the Council voted to call the election in May of 2016. Trae Welch, Chauna Banks-Daniel, Donna Collins Lewis, Lamonte Cole, Erika Green, Tara Wicker, Chandler Loupe, and John Delgado (whose place I took) all voted in favor of calling the election. The voters approved the proposition on November 8, 2016. Once that election was held and the proposition approved, the Council had a ministerial duty to levy the tax. La. R. S. 39:703 states that “if the election results in favor of the proposition to levy and assess special taxes upon the property subject to taxation in the subdivision, the governing authority shall, after the promulgation of the result of the election and pursuant to the terms of the proposition submitted, levy and asses the special taxes on the property.” Because this language is mandatory, the Council had a ministerial duty to levy the millage, in an amount up to 2.25 mils. Had the Council failed to do so, the COA would have been entitled to a writ of mandamus ordering the Council to levy the tax. If such an order had been necessary, the plaintiff would have been entitled to attorney’s fees, monetary damages, and court costs.



State law and the Plan of Government provide publication and notice requirements for the consideration of a tax levy. Any vote to levy a tax must be introduced in accordance with Section 2.12 of the Plan of Government and notice of the date, time, and place of the public hearing must be read aloud and published not less than 30 and not more than 60 days prior. A deferral via a motion including the date, time, and place is permissible. However, with no sufficient motion to defer approved, La. R.S. 42:19.1.A. (2)(b) requires that the state law notice and publication requirements be met for any subsequent vote on the ordinance levying the tax. The earliest available Introduction date would be the Council’s next meeting, June 28. However, because there is only one Council meeting scheduled in July (July 26), the vote could not occur on that date (because that date is less than 30 days after notice). Therefore, it would have had to be heard at the Council meeting on August 9.



Under the provisions of La R. S. 47:1705, all tax recipient agencies are required to furnish the Assessor and the legislative auditor with all authorizing ordinances or resolutions and the millage rates to be applied to the assessed value by June 1. The Assessor may waive that deadline, and he had agreed to do so in order for the Council to consider the tax at its June 14 meeting.



The Cooperative Endeavor Agreement (CEA) considered and passed by the Council last night includes, at Section 10.2, a repayment provision which allows the City-Parish to offset any sums payable to the COA which are disallowed after audit (they are required to submit to an annual outside audit at their expense as well as a City-Parish audit at any time). At my request, The Council amended the agreement last night to include quarterly, as opposed to semi-annual financial statements. Financial audits paid for by the COA, videotape of meetings, ethics training for all staff, compliance with the State public bid law, and inclusion of a Metro Councilmember on their Board were also added.



The Council approves all City-Parish millage rates in November of each year. The millage to be levied for the calendar year 2018 will be on the November 21, 2017, Council agenda. When the millage comes back for consideration in November, the Council retains the authority to set it at any amount up to 2.25. Therefore, last night was not our “last bite at the apple.” I feel comfortable in saying that if the COA does not reform its operations in serving our elderly, many of us will not be willing to levy the full 2.25 mills in November. We have this option in November, and we were made aware at the meeting of other budget options as ways of overseeing the dispersal of funds. Thus, I voted as I did.



As an elected official, this was the most difficult vote I have ever made for all the reasons you suggest and more. However, as an elected official, I have sworn to uphold the constitution and laws of our state and nation. To abstain on that final vote was to vote no, and the tax would have failed to be levied. Levying the tax is one of these duties we are mandated to do by law; and had we not done this last night for the reasons stated above, we certainly would be facing legal challenges which would definitely cost this governing body a considerable sum.



I realize I have probably not changed your opinion of my vote; however, I hope you understand my reasoning for it. I have said all along that I would not vote for this unless I felt comfortable with the measures for accountability, transparency, and oversight of the COA; I do feel that with the significant change in their board (which has happened already) and our added accountability measures last night, we should see radical changes in how this agency does business.



I am happy to discuss this in more detail if you wish. Again, I do appreciate your taking time to share your thoughts.

Sincerely,



Barbara Freiberg

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So, I streamed that entire 4 hour council meeting last night. And eeesh. Good Lord, Sweet Jesus.... Baton Rouge. My hometown. The place I was born and raised. The place my heart will always be despite my Texas address. You are fricked.

And if the republicans and white voters don't wake the frick up immediately. It's over. It will be Detroit Jr in 10 years.

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For as tough as Councilwoman Banks was on the NBR Economic Development District Board Chairman, she was quite soft on the COA Board and director.

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this is one of my major anger points from last night. That bitch Chauna Banks drug that poor old black man thru the mud to ensure the NBR Economic Development Board had dotted all their I's and crossed all their T's. And they don't even have a budget to spend! She spent a half an hour cross examining that mother fricker like she was the defense attorney for her child and he was the perp.

Then.....frick it, let's just give Tarsha and her COA cronies a pile of fricking tax payer cash, Jus Cuz she is a good woman.

That says 2 things about her:
A) She doesn't have her hand on the money or have any power with the NBR Economic Development Board
B) She doesn't give a shite about ethics and the accountability of the tax payers $.


This shite is sickening.

.... i just don't fricking get it. How can people be so blind to this fake act of sincerity. So Tarsha and COA drag up a bus load of old people to publicly praise her efforts - that just excuses all the blatant fricking corruption she has gotten away with? So because she loves these people and her heart is in the right place - we just give her $8 million a year in taxpayers money with no accountability or oversight?

I do believe Tarsha is probably a very nice lady, who's heart is in the right place and wants to be a public servant to help the elderly of EBR.

BUT THAT DOES NOT mean she is the right person for the job.
IT DOES NOT MEAN she is the right person to in charge of a government body with an $8 million a year budget.
IT DOES MEAN she can be forgiven of blatant corruption and attempts to hide it.

Half of the COA should be in jail or at the very least ran out of Baton Rouge for good.

Don't mistake me. I don't stand against the tax itself. I stand against the thieves and con-artists in charge of that tax money! What is truly truly sad about all of this, is all of those elderly who so proudly back Tarsha, so proudly get on a bus and sit in a council meeting for hours on end for Tarsha, so proudly wait to speak their peace regarding how the COA positively effects their lives.....they are the ones getting the wrong end of this deal and will see very little if anything from this tax increase.

Barbara Freiberg - you. you had an opportunity to take a stand. You were the shield of Baton Rouge is this one particular moment. You had the opportunity to do the right thing. And you disappointed us all. You let down your constituents. You let down the tax payers of Baton Rouge. You let down your District. You FAILED Baton Rouge. Because you gave into peer pressure and fell for a phony CAE. This is no surprise seeing how you worked your way up thru the political ranks thru the EBR School Board. You will take this to your political grave! When it comes time for your term to end on the Metro Council, this vote will very likely be the one that cost you your position.

That's the exact same email she sent a friend of mine.

LSU chose to be in the chocolate city of Batonz Roooogz. LSU's new marching band song should be Welcome to the jungle.

EBRP is over with in 10 yrs or less unless people make a stand.
The 10% of trash in NBR that turned NBR into a waste land keeps moving South.
Sooner or later NBR will be all the way by Highland Road in 5 to 10 yrs.
Anything in the new Nerf (Ebonics for North) Batonz Roooogz will be destroyed by the money sucking restless natives which have already destroyed this parish.

They are too stupid to realize when you cut off the hand that feeds you that cuts off your food.

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LSU chose to be in the chocolate city of Batonz Roooogz. LSU's new marching band song should be Welcome to the jungle.

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LINK

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I realize I have probably not changed your opinion of my vote; however, I hope you understand my reasoning for it. I have said all along that I would not vote for this unless I felt comfortable with the measures for accountability, transparency, and oversight of the COA; I do feel that with the significant change in their board (which has happened already) and our added accountability measures last night, we should see radical changes in how this agency does business.

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Does she really believe this herself?

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The fact that she brought a cake, proves she was going to say yes the whole time, she played her people for fools. And by bringing the cake, she shows herself as a piece of shite. And some one claimed she ran as a Conservative? LOL, she isn't conservative.

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Has this been proven? Pic or legit source?

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some one claimed she ran as a Conservative? LOL, she isn't conservative.

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She taught at Glen Oaks. Do the math.

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IT DOES MEAN she can be forgiven of blatant corruption and attempts to hide it.

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"it ain't corruption if you don't know the rules...now 'scuse me, i gotta go get my escalade detailed so i can deliver lunches with it."