1. What realistically can the City Council do to improve the city's financial condition? Where should additional revenue come from?
My first approach would not be to immediately raise taxes or cut essential services. Before asking citizens for another dollar, I believe the city needs to know exactly where every dollar it already receives is going.
I would begin with a thorough review of spending, contracts, staffing costs, recurring expenses, outstanding obligations, and every available revenue source. The Council should receive regular budget-to-actual reports so we can identify problems before the end of the year instead of after the money has already been spent.
I would look for savings through better purchasing practices, competitive bidding, reviewing contracts before renewal, eliminating unnecessary or duplicative expenses, improving collection of money already owed to the city, and making sure restricted funds are used only for their intended purposes.
At the same time, Bogalusa has to grow its revenue base. My preference is to do that by expanding economic activity rather than continually increasing the burden on the people already here. More occupied homes, more businesses, more jobs and more investment mean more revenue.
I would also aggressively pursue grants and outside funding for projects that would otherwise have to be paid from local revenues.
If additional local revenue ultimately becomes necessary, I would want the public to see the financial numbers, understand exactly why it is needed, know how much is needed, and know precisely what the money will be used for before I would support it. Transparency and accountability MUST be the standard going forward!
2. How should Bogalusa pay for major water and sewer repairs?
The answer will almost certainly have to be a combination of funding sources.
Due to historical lack of maintaining these valusable assets or providing for a budgeted recurring Capital Improvement savings program for them, the condition of our water and sewer system cannot realistically be addressed out of the city's ordinary operating budget alone. We should pursue every available state and federal grant, low-interest infrastructure loan, appropriation and other outside funding opportunity.
For very large capital projects, bonds or other long-term financing may also be appropriate because infrastructure improvements serve residents for many years. But I would not support taking on debt without a clear capital improvement plan showing the project, cost, funding source and ability to repay it.
Utility rates also have to produce enough revenue to operate and maintain the system. I would not support simply raising rates as a substitute for good management. If a rate adjustment is shown to be necessary, I would want it based on an actual rate study, accompanied by a plan for how the additional money will be spent, and structured to minimize the burden on residents whenever possible.
Most importantly, we need to stop operating in crisis mode. Preventive maintenance is far less expensive than repeatedly responding to failures.
3. How should the city decide what infrastructure gets fixed first?
Infrastructure priorities should be based on objective criteria rather than who complains the loudest or who lives on a particular street.
I would prioritize projects based on:
Public safety — conditions presenting an immediate danger should come first.
Severity and likelihood of failure — collapsed drainage, failing bridges, sewer failures and serious roadway deterioration should receive priority.
Number of residents affected — projects serving larger portions of the community should receive appropriate weight.
Protection of other infrastructure — for example, fixing drainage may prevent repeated destruction of a street.
Availability of outside funding — if grant funding can pay most of the cost of a project, we should take advantage of that opportunity.
Cost effectiveness — sometimes preventive work today can avoid a much more expensive reconstruction later.
I would like Bogalusa to develop and publicly maintain a multi-year capital improvement plan so citizens can see what projects are needed, how they are ranked and what progress is being made. This information should be prominently displayed on the city's website.
4. What specific steps do you believe the city can realistically take to deal with abandoned properties?
There is no single solution to blight, and demolition alone will never solve the problem.
First, the city needs an accurate inventory identifying abandoned, adjudicated, unsafe and chronically neglected properties so that we understand the scope of the problem and can establish priorities.
Second, I believe Bogalusa needs to fundamentally improve the way Code Enforcement works. Our current system needs to be reviewed to determine whether there are more effective enforcement procedures available to the city—procedures that provide property owners appropriate notice and an opportunity to correct violations, but also establish clear deadlines, meaningful consequences for continued noncompliance, and a reliable process for following each case through to resolution.
Code Enforcement should be consistent, timely and fair. A violation should not remain unresolved indefinitely simply because repeated notices have failed to produce results. At the same time, our objective should be compliance and neighborhood improvement—not simply punishment or collecting fines.
Dangerous structures that truly cannot be saved should be prioritized for demolition based on safety and severity.
But we also need to recognize the difference between those who will not maintain their property and those who cannot afford to. I want the city to work with nonprofit organizations, churches, volunteer groups and available government programs to connect elderly, disabled and low-income homeowners with assistance for repairs, materials and labor whenever possible. (See Home Repair Assistance on this website.)
For abandoned and adjudicated properties, we should also improve the process for getting them into the hands of responsible owners who will maintain or redevelop them and return them to productive use.
The goal is not simply to issue citations or demolish buildings. The goal is to create a Code Enforcement system that actually produces results: fewer dangerous structures, cleaner properties, assistance for residents who genuinely need it, stronger neighborhoods, and abandoned properties returned to productive use and the tax rolls.
5. What can the City Council actually do to encourage businesses to open, remain or expand here?
First, we can make Bogalusa easier to do business with. That means reviewing permitting, zoning, inspections, utilities and other city processes to eliminate unnecessary delays and make requirements understandable and predictable. This information should be posted prominently on the city's website.
Second, the city should actively work with existing businesses—not just recruit new ones. I would like regular communication with local businesses to learn what is preventing them from expanding or causing them to consider leaving.
Third, we should work closely with economic-development organizations and state agencies to identify available incentives, workforce programs, grants and development opportunities.
Infrastructure also matters to economic development. Businesses notice streets, utilities, appearance, public safety and whether a city appears to be well managed.
Economic development is not simply finding one large company to move here. Helping ten existing businesses grow and helping local entrepreneurs open new businesses can be just as important. Providing easy access to information, on the city's website, necessary for businesses considering starting a new business in Bogalusa and the steps necessary to do so, will also streamline the process and eliminate the loss of potential new business due to their frustration with the process. Make it easy for them!
6. What city service would you protect first, and where would you consider cuts?
My first priority would be essential public health and safety services: police, fire, water, sewer and the basic infrastructure necessary for the city to function.
That does not mean those departments should be exempt from financial accountability. Every department should operate efficiently.
Before cutting essential services, I would examine administrative expenses, professional-service contracts, discretionary spending, unnecessary purchases, duplicative functions and expenditures that do not directly serve the public.
I would also distinguish between an expense and an investment. Spending money maintaining a sewer pump before it fails may save taxpayers far more than waiting for an emergency.
Cuts should be based on numbers and priorities—not across-the-board reductions that may save money in one account while costing the city more somewhere else.
7. What financial information should council members receive every month?
At a minimum, I believe every council member should receive, at no cost, a clear monthly financial package containing:
Actual revenue compared with budgeted revenue, by major fund.
Actual expenditures compared with the budget, by department and major fund.
Current available fund balances.
Cash balances and bank reconciliations.
Accounts payable and significant outstanding obligations.
Accounts receivable and major delinquent amounts owed to the city.
Debt balances and upcoming debt-service requirements.
Utility-system financial performance.
Significant contracts and payments.
Capital-project spending and remaining balances.
Grant awards, expenditures, reimbursements and deadlines.
An explanation of any significant budget variance.
The Legislative Auditor has previously emphasized the importance of providing the mayor and council with revenues and expenditures compared with budget and existing fund balances so officials can properly monitor the city's financial condition.
Council members cannot responsibly approve expenditures if they do not know the city's current financial position.
8. Would you support regular public comment and making government documents available before votes?
Yes. Absolutely.
Residents should have meaningful opportunities to speak at City Council meetings—not merely after important decisions have essentially already been made.
I also believe proposed ordinances, budgets, substantial contracts and major expenditures should be made readily available to council members and the public far enough in advance for people to actually read them. They should be readily available in a searchable format on the city's website. Additionally, the city's website should provide easy access for citizens to request Public Works assistance and be able to follow the request through completion.
Transparency should not mean making a document technically available somewhere if nobody can reasonably find it. Important public information should be organized and easy to access.
I especially support public participation when ordinances are introduced. Good suggestions from citizens can sometimes identify a problem or improve an ordinance before it reaches a final vote.
Government works better when citizens understand what their government is doing and elected officials are willing to listen.
9. What should the next Council do to restore normal local financial control and prevent this from happening again?
The first thing we have to recognize is that the fiscal administrator cannot simply be wished away.
Louisiana law establishes financial conditions that must be satisfied before the appointment can terminate. Therefore, the next Council's responsibility should be to help the city meet those conditions as quickly and responsibly as possible.
Bogalusa needs to bring its outstanding audits and financial reporting current, correct its financial deficiencies, and meet the requirements necessary to end fiscal administration. Just as importantly, we must put safeguards in place so the city never finds itself in this position again. That means adopting realistic balanced budgets, controlling expenditures, maintaining adequate cash flow, meeting debt obligations, producing timely financial statements, following purchasing and accounting procedures, correcting audit findings and making sure the city does not spend money it does not have.
But getting out from under fiscal administration is only half the job.
The more important question is: How do we make sure Bogalusa never gets into this position again?
I would support stronger internal financial controls, monthly reporting to the Council, timely audits, written financial policies, better contract oversight, regular review of budget-to-actual results and prompt corrective action when revenues or expenditures begin moving significantly away from the budget.
The Council is not supposed to discover a financial crisis after it has already happened. Financial oversight is one of its most important responsibilities.
10. Give voters one measurable promise for the end of your first year.
At the end of my first year, I want residents to be able to go online and see a public financial and project accountability system that did not exist before.
It should show, in understandable language:
The city's adopted budget and amendments.
Regular budget-to-actual financial reports.
Major contracts and expenditures.
Major infrastructure projects.
Available project funding and grants.
Project status and progress.
That is measurable. Either the information is available to citizens or it isn't.
And it would accomplish something larger than simply creating a webpage. It would establish a new expectation for Bogalusa government:
Citizens should be able to see where their money is going, what their city is working on and whether their elected officials are delivering results.
I do not believe any candidate should promise that every street will be repaired, every abandoned building removed or every financial problem solved in one year. Bogalusa's challenges did not develop overnight, and they will not disappear overnight.
What I can promise is a Council that identifies priorities, understands the numbers, pursues every available resource, measures progress, listens to citizens and makes decisions based on what will move Bogalusa forward.