Metro Council to discuss new tax to bump pay for BRPD officers

BATON ROUGE - Next week's East Baton Rouge Metro Council meeting will see councilmembers discussing a possible new property tax to increase the pay for local police officers.

According to a statement from councilman Matt Watson, the resolution was submitted Thursday for discussion at the Nov. 21 meeting. The tax would affect those within the city limits of Baton Rouge.

The measure will be heard before the full Council with public comment and considered for adoption on January 10, 2018. The proposal must be approved by voters within the city limits during the regularly scheduled election on April 28, 2018.

The resolution explicitly states that the eight mill assessment must be used “entirely and exclusively” to provide funds for increasing salaries and benefits of the BRPD, meaning a residential property valued at $150,000, would be taxed about $60 a year.