Why I’m Voting ‘No’ on BREC Tax

Rolfe McCollister, Jr. – Former Publisher, The Business Report

On Nov. 5, you will vote on President, Mayor-President and $700 million in property taxes for BREC. There is a 10-year tax and a 20-year tax proposition, and I will vote “No” on both measures. 

Why? Because BREC is poorly managing the $100 million it spends annually and doesn’t provide high-quality parks for our community. From July through the Nov. 5 election, BREC officials plan to spend almost $600,000—of your tax dollars—in marketing to convince you they are providing us a “Gold medal” park system. 

Unfortunately, it’s fool’s gold. Buyer beware. No one argues with the fact that parks and recreation are essential to our quality of life in East Baton Rouge Parish. But the facts the publicity machine don’t want you to know demand prudent taxpayers force BREC to get its financial and operational houses in order before approving hundreds of millions in tax dollars.

Not mentioned in the slick TV commercials: On June 6, 2024, when BREC finally filed its 2021 audit—that’s right, 2021—with the legislative auditor, the organization was so far behind with its submissions that it was just 25 days away from triggering a hearing by the state’s Fiscal Review Committee. La. R.S. 39:1351 says the failure to provide an audit, as required by law, “to the Legislative Auditor for a period of three consecutive years shall automatically remove a political subdivision from being considered financially stable and place them into financially at-risk status.” Had the hearing been held and with a unanimous vote, an expert would have been chosen to take over BREC’s fiscal operations. An order by the attorney general would then be filed with the 19th Judicial Court for final approval. 

Does that sound like a gold-worthy performance? Should BREC’s mismanagement be rewarded with $700 million?  Another inconvenient truth: An agency filing an audit just one year late is placed on a “non-compliance list” with the state treasurer and is prohibited from receiving state appropriations. 

This designation of incompetence has prevented BREC from receiving $679,000 and counting. The cash is sitting idle in a state treasurer’s account. 

A BREC commissioner tells me there is also “gold” from the federal government that can’t be spent due to the same audit restrictions. Our state and federal governments are telling BREC no more money until you fix it. Yet, BREC expects parish voters to say yes to $700 million without accountability? Are they serious? 

We should ask many other questions: 1) Does BREC expect us to vote without first seeing the 2022 and 2023 audits; 2) Why did BREC leadership allow the agency to come so close to a possible state takeover and not reveal it; 3) Why wasn’t BREC more forthcoming in its gold-medal-winning application, failing to mention its zoo had lost its accreditation and the agency was behind in filing its financial audits; and 4) Why haven’t the BREC Commissioners held the CEO and CFO accountable for the audits? (I learned the new CFO is the CEO’s first cousin. Maybe we need to make changes to the commission.)

BREC is the largest property owner in the parish with 184 parks covering 5,600 not-so-golden acres. That is insane. Frisco, Texas, the fastest-growing city in America, has six parks, each between 100 to 250 acres in size. Quality—not quantity. 

Austin has 27 parks covering 10,800 acres. Why wouldn’t BREC sell or donate at least 100 properties to neighborhoods, private entities or churches? How about selling surplus land in disadvantaged communities at a discount to homebuilders or businesses willing to open and generate economic growth in these neighborhoods? This would reduce maintenance costs and raise money to improve the quality of remaining parks. Now, that is a gold medal plan.

I went on the Statista site and found that for the “largest number of recreation and senior centers per 20,000,” Baton Rouge ranks No. 1 in the U.S., topping Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Miami, Chicago and Tampa. When it comes to the “largest number of ball diamonds per 10,000,” we rank 11th. Finally, for the “largest number of public basketball hoops per 10,000,” Baton Rouge checks in at No. 3. Quantity or quality? BREC failed us.

Despite what you see on TV, in print, or hear on the radio over and over for the next month, I believe BREC is a “fool’s gold” operation that needs to “Fix It First.” After learning the truth, I realize BREC has fooled us. And the saying goes, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice….” 

On Nov. 5, I’ll send a strong message and vote NO.