The ribbon cutting for the Pecue Realignment Project was held on July 29, 2010. Another Green Light project completed!

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Information Services statistics indicate a 28% & 67 % average increase for positive outcomes from  January through May in 2009 and 2010. This is the result of the No Kill initiative that the Animal Control & Rescue Center engaged in last year, which allows groups access to assist us in moving animals out into the community for adoption. We define “No Kill” as an increase in adoptions and subsequent decrease in the euthanasia of healthy, adoptable animals, to the point where most of them are adopted to permanent, loving homes.

Numerous individuals are responsible for this positive trend and certainly the real winners are the animals.  The staff at ACRC would like to express their gratitude towards all the personalities and groups that have interacted with us positively to this end.

We hope to continue to work with all supportive parties to foster the current relationship that is affecting such a positive outcome for our furry friends.

Pictured: Brian Mayers, David Medlin, Richard Liebowitz, Mayor Pro Tem Mike Walker

As President of the East Baton Rouge Sewerage Commission, Councilman Walker signed documents that pledged the Sewer User Fees and the Sewer Sales Tax Revenues as security in payment for the $17,140,000 Revenue Bonds, Series 2010A (Tax-Exempt) and the $357,840,000 Revenue Bonds, Series 2010B (Taxable Direct Pay Build America Bonds) of the East Baton Rouge Sewerage Commission, signed a Tax Certificate evidencing compliance with all applicable state and federal laws relating to tax-exempt bonds and signed the Bonds which evidences the legal obligation of the East Baton Rouge Sewerage Commission to pay principal and interest to the Bondholders. Councilman Walker also signed the Official Statement which is the document that investors rely on for financial and statistical information relating to the East Baton Rouge Sewerage Commission.

Baton Rouge Mayor Melvin “Kip” Holden and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu signed a memo of understanding Tuesday, May 25, in which they agreed to establish a “partner city relationship” between the two cities.

The two mayors agreed to work together in “cooperation, collaboration and mutual respect” to promote a more healthy, educated and vibrant region.

By acting as partners instead of rivals, the two mayors said they can do a better job preparing for hurricanes, attracting new businedss and industry, promoting tourism, and sharing their respective cultures.

“With New Orleans being the cultural center for Jazz and Baton Rouge the home of the Blues, we can expose the next generation to a broader spectrum of our musical legacy through an exchange in our school-based musical programs,” the agreement said.

Solid waste collection (garbage and trash) in East Baton Rouge Parish will be made on Tuesday, February 16, 2010, by Allied Waste under their contract with the City/Parish for residential and governmental buildings. Recyclable material in EBR Parish will be collected as normal on Tuesday, February 16, 2010. The North Landfill will be open to all haulers both commercial and the general public on Tuesday, February 16, 2010.

You may follow the LIVE streaming video of the Metropolitan Council Meeting at http://www.brgov.com/metro21/meeting.asp

Both Houston and San Francisco have been participating in the City Hall Fellows program since its inception in 2008. Baton Rouge plans to kick off its City Hall Fellow Program in August with five to six Fellows.

Founded by Baton Rouge native and Episcopal High School graduate Bethany Rubin Henderson, City Hall Fellows grooms America’s best and brightest college graduates for careers in local government.

The nonprofit City Hall Fellows program offers paid Fellowships to outstanding recent college graduates with ties to its partner cities, Henderson said. Fellows work full-time for 12 months on high-need, high-impact projects while serving as special assistants to senior city administrators and officials. Each Fellow also receives more than 300 hours of training through the program.

Henderson said she established City Hall Fellows in 2008 in response to the looming leadership crisis facing our cities. A recent study by the International City/County Management Association showed that, within a decade, more than half of our country’s local government workforce will be of retirement age, she added.

Henderson will be in the Baton Rouge February 8-11 to recruit seniors and recent college graduates from local colleges and universities for Baton Rouge’s first group of Fellows. She will be joined by Niiobli Armah, a Southern University graduate and former student body president, who was a participant in the City Hall Fellows’ program in his native Houston. Application materials and instructions for applying to become a City Hall Fellow are available online at www.cityhallfellows.org. The deadline to apply for a position in Baton Rouge is March 10.

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2010 Census “Portrait of America” Road Tour will be in Baton Rouge on Tuesday, February 9th from 12 noon to 3 p.m.

The Portrait of America Road Tour showcases a rolling civics lesson, allowing the public to view the 2010 Census questionnaire firsthand, to observe video messages from others who have visited the Tour, and to question Census employees about the Census. The Tour brings the benefits of the 2010 Census to life and makes the census personal and relevant to those who see it. More information is available at http://2010.census.gov/2010census/roadtour/what_is_the_road_tour.

This will be a great opportunity for all members of the community to experience an educational and interactive event about the 2010 Census. Please pass it along to anyone you feel would be interested

“While the NFL has made an effort to narrow their opposition to the countless small merchants who have been printing merchandise to the delight of fans throughout Louisiana, they have still gone too far,” Holden said.

“Certainly, any claim by the NFL on the phrase “Who Dat” or the fleur-de-lis, both which have been a part of Louisiana culture for many years, appears heavy-handed at a time when our entire state is celebrating the Saints’ success,” Holden said. “These have both been in the public domain for so long that any Louisiana merchant should have the right to use them.”

Holden said the NFL’s claims affect small businesses across the state and he urged the Governor and Attorney General to protect all Louisianan’s rights to these symbols.

“After a Saints’ victory this Sunday, there are going to be even more people around the country who want to join the Who Dat Nation,” Holden said. “I would say to the NFL, protect the Saints and the league’s marks, but let these symbols of Louisiana culture reign free.”