Caddo Parish Commission votes to put $60 million sports-complex bond on Nov. 3 ballot

The Caddo Parish Commission voted to place a $60 million bond question on the Nov. 3 ballot to fund a proposed indoor multi-sports complex after residents and regional business groups spoke in support and commissioners debated the proposal’s costs and fiscal implications.

Supporters, including families and regional development groups, urged commissioners to let voters decide. “This is a game changer,” Commissioner Stormy Gage Watts said, arguing the facility would spur tourism and long-term economic activity. Sarah Nelms of the Shreveport Measure Sports Commission told the board that indoor complexes attract large youth tournaments that increase hotel occupancy and local spending.

Opponents, led by the finance committee chair, said the project is not yet ready for a ballot referendum and urged more detailed financial modeling. “I don’t think we should be voting to put this on the ballot until we’re all comfortable that we want to move forward with the project,” Commissioner John Atkins said, citing projections that showed marginal early-year returns and the potential to constrain future bonding capacity.

Parish Administrator Bryant responded to questions about the jump from an earlier $42 million estimate to $60 million, saying the amount the parish can issue depends on current and projected assessed value and that updated analyses showed the parish could issue up to $60 million while maintaining the existing 1.5 mill debt service rate. “Our legal debt margin is $228,000,000,” Bryant said, adding that issuing $60 million would not automatically increase the millage rate so long as debt service remains within current assumptions.

Commissioners debated the plan for more than an hour, with several urging caution and others emphasizing the project’s catalytic potential for redevelopment and visitor spending. After a failed call for the question, the commission moved forward and the motion to call the special election passed with seven votes in favor, three opposed and two commissioners absent.

The vote authorizes the commission to place the bond question before parish voters; it does not authorize construction contracts or site selection. If approved by voters on Nov. 3, further implementation steps — including final design, procurement and debt issuance — would follow the parish’s standard capital-project procedures.