East Baton Rouge Metropolitan Council approves mayor-for-the-day homeless-services resolution and a slate of routine contracts

The Metropolitan Council of East Baton Rouge Parish met Nov. 25 and approved a mayor-for-the-day resolution urging stronger services for people experiencing homelessness, introduced multiple agenda items with amendments, and carried a slate of routine contracts and budget adjustments.

Councilman Mote presented a resolution from "mayor for the day" Juliet calling for expanded meals, temporary and permanent housing opportunities and other supports for residents experiencing homelessness. Councilman Mote moved to approve the resolution; Councilwoman Coleman seconded and the motion carried.

The council voted to introduce a package of items with amendments to items 34 and 35 and excluded item 4 (the Delmont Economic Development District ordinance) from the introduction. The clerk read introductions ranging from a proposed five-year property tax abatement for Vagabond Properties LLC to amendments to the 2025 budget and a proposed 20-year docking agreement with American Cruise Lines.

Among individual actions the council also approved: a $30,000 increase (to a not-to-exceed $130,000 total) to a legal-services contract with Blackwell and Bowman LLC for representation related to a former BRPD officer; a 12-month cooperative lease for the Jewel J. Newman Community Center at $350 per month; rescission of a 10/27/2025 recorded order in City of Baton Rouge v. Sonya Denise Lee for service/permit issues; and multiple Ryan White subrecipient contract amendments affecting public-health providers. Several condemnation/adjudicated-property items were approved or set for deferral (item 152 deferred to Jan. 14).

The council declared and approved an emergency supplemental agreement with HNTB Corporation, not to exceed $160,000, to continue engineering services for implementation of the parish stormwater master plan so the work could be approved before year-end.

What happens next: deferred items will return on future agendas (including the Delmont EDD ordinance), and departments were directed to follow up on documentation for property donations and the requested actuarial estimates discussed during the meeting.