Columns & Opinions

As I journey toward Thanksgiving this year a scene from the CBS sitcom, “The Big Bang Theory,” frequents my awareness. Here’s the scene: The Cooper family is gathered around the table for supper. Mary, the mother, says grace for the family. After the common expressions of gratitude for blessings, family and food she ends with “And bless the hands that prepared it.” Sheldon, the antagonist of the family, pipes up and says, “Well since you cooked it, isn’t that a little self-serving?”

The Bossier City Council and mayoral elections are scheduled for March 29, 2025, while the qualification dates are January 29-31, 2025.

Settle Talk

The ingrained bureaucracy and the voluminous over regulatory UDC make it virtually impossible to implement needed changes in the current structure. Thus, It is better to blow it all up and start over. The best way to accomplish that is a two-fold process. The first is to not fund the MPC for 2025, or perhaps just for the first quarter. The second is to move the zoning and planning process to a city department.

The proposed 2025 operating budgets for the City total almost $690 million. There are 24 separate operating funds used by the City, as well as a separate Capital Improvements budget.

The Bossier City Council is in the process of re-drafting its 2025 budget, which includes long-overdue pay raises for city staff. According to a salary study concluded in October 2024, a majority of the city staff are paid well below the average range of similar-sized cities across Louisiana and East Texas. However, rather than aligning pay raises with the study’s insights and prioritizing critical staffing needs, Councilman Montgomery made an unexpected proposal—a $500 per month pay raise for all employees, bypassing any targeted adjustments based on the study.

The loss of their starting was the final nail in the 2024 season for the Dallas cowboys.

College football first Top 12 bracket released!