Data centers to fund Shreveport police pay raises, mayor says
Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux has proposed a plan to fund police officer pay raises using revenue generated by the city's newly established data centers. The revenue is expected from additional sales tax, permit and inspection fees, and long-term franchise fees from electricity usage by data centers paid to SWEPCO. The city council is scheduled to discuss this proposal in the coming weeks.
Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux has unveiled a proposal to provide city police officers with an additional pay raise, potentially pushing their total increase past 8 percent. The mayor stated that the funding for these raises would primarily come from the city's newly established data centers.
Arceneaux explained that in the short term, the city expects to receive over $7 million annually from data centers through additional sales taxes and increased permit and inspection fees. For the long term, he anticipates that franchise fees from SWEPCO, based on the data centers' substantial electricity consumption, will be sufficient to sustain the raises. SWEPCO pays a percentage of its gross receipts from electricity usage to the city as a franchise fee, essentially a tax on electrical service.
Beyond financial incentives, Shreveport Police Department Public Information Officer Cpl. Chris Bordelon highlighted the challenge of attracting young people to law enforcement. He emphasized the need to better market the job to the community and ensure competitive benefits to keep pace with other regional departments. The city council is expected to deliberate on the mayor's proposal in the coming weeks.