Baton Rouge, Louisiana
| Baton Rouge, Louisiana | |
 | |
| General information | |
 | |
| Mayor: | Sharon Weston Broome |
| Mayor party: | Democratic |
| Last mayoral election: | 2020 |
| Next mayoral election: | 2024 |
| Last city council election: | 2020 |
| Next city council election: | 2024 |
| City council seats: | 12 |
| City website | |
| Composition data | |
| Population: | 229,426 |
| Gender: | Female 51.9% |
| Race: | African American 54.5% White 37.8% Asian 3.3% Two or More Races 1.3% |
| Ethnicity: | Hispanic or Latino 3.3% |
| Median household income: | $38,974 |
| High school graduation rate: | 84.8% |
| College graduation rate: | 32.7% |
| Related Baton Rouge offices | |
| Louisiana Congressional Delegation Louisiana State Legislature Louisiana state executive offices | |
Baton Rouge is a city in Louisiana. Since 1947, its government has been consolidated with that of East Baton Rouge Parish.[1] As of 2013, the population of Baton Rouge was 229,426.[2]
City government
- See also: Mayor-council government
The city of Baton Rouge utilizes a strong mayor and city council system. In this form of municipal government, the city council serves as the city's primary legislative body while the mayor serves as the city's chief executive.[1][3]
Mayor
The mayor—also called the mayor-president because of Baton Rouge's consolidation with East Baton Rouge Parish—serves as the city's chief executive and is responsible for proposing a budget, signing legislation into law, appointing departmental directors, and overseeing the city's day-to-day operations. The mayor also represents the city on the state, national, and international levels. Sharon Weston Broome is the current mayor of Baton Rouge.[1][4]
City council
The Baton Rouge Metro Council is the city's primary legislative body. It is responsible for adopting the city budget, approving mayoral appointees, levying taxes, and making or amending city laws, policies and ordinances.[5]
Membership
The Baton Rouge Metro Council is made up of twelve members, each of whom is elected by one of the city's twelve districts.[5]
A current list of council members can be found here.
Boards and commissions
A series of advisory boards and commissions that are made up of non-elected citizens, whom city council members have appointed and approved, advises the Baton Rouge Metro Council. The roles of these boards and commissions are to review, debate, and comment upon city policies and legislation and to make recommendations to the city council.[6]
For a full list of Baton Rouge municipal boards and commissions, see here.
Mayoral partisanship
Baton Rouge has a Republican mayor. As of October 2025, 66 mayors in the largest 100 cities by population are affiliated with the Democratic Party, 23 are affiliated with the Republican Party, one is affiliated with the Libertarian Party, three are independents, five identify as nonpartisan or unaffiliated, and two mayors' affiliations are unknown. Click here for a list of the 100 largest cities' mayors and their partisan affiliations.
Mayoral elections are officially nonpartisan in most of the nation's largest cities. However, many officeholders are affiliated with political parties. Ballotpedia uses one or more of the following sources to identify each officeholder's partisan affiliation: (1) direct communication from the officeholder, (2) current or previous candidacy for partisan office, or (3) identification of partisan affiliation by multiple media outlets.
Elections
2019
The city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, held a special election for the District 8 seat on the metro council on March 30, 2019. Louisiana does not conduct true primary elections. Instead, the state employs a majority-vote system. If a candidate receives a majority of the votes cast for an office, they win outright. If, however, no candidate reaches that threshold, a second round of voting is held between the top two vote-getters. Any registered voter can participate in both the first-round and second-round elections. Louisiana's election system is sometimes classified as a top-two, jungle, or blanket primary system. Ballotpedia refers to the state's election system as the Louisiana majority-vote system.[7][8]
Beginning in 2026, Louisiana will use a semi-closed primary for congress, justice of the supreme court, the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Public Service Commission. In these primaries, only unaffiliated voters and voters registered with a party may vote in that party's primary. For all other statewide offices—including state senator and representative—Louisiana will continue to use the majority-vote system.[7][8]
A general election was scheduled for May 4, 2019, if necessary. The filing deadline for this election was February 1, 2019.
2016
The city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, held elections for mayor and metropolitan council on December 10, 2016. A primary election took place on November 8, 2016. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 22, 2016. All 12 metropolitan council seats were up for election.[9][10]
Census information
The table below shows demographic information about the city.
| Demographic data for Baton Rouge, Louisiana (2015) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Baton Rouge | Louisiana | |
| Total population: | 229,186 | 4,668,960 |
| Land area (square miles): | 77 | 43,204 |
| Race and ethnicity[11] | ||
| White: | 38.8% | 62.8% |
| Black/African American: | 55.3% | 32.1% |
| Asian: | 3.5% | 1.7% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.6% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0% |
| Two or more: | 1.5% | 1.8% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 3.2% | 4.7% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 86.7% | 83.4% |
| College graduation rate: | 32.4% | 22.5% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $39,876 | $45,047 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 25.6% | 23.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) | ||
Budget
The city's budget process operates by fiscal years running from January 1 to December 30. The city charter gives responsibility for drafting an expense and capital budget to the mayor, which is then adopted by the city council. The city's budget is made up of several parts. The governmental funds are used to account for most activities that are supposed by taxes. Proprietary funds are used to account for business-type activities within the city, such as purchases goods and services externally or internally. Fiduciary funds are assets that are held by the city in a trustee or agency role for others and cannot be used to support the city's operations.[12]
2017
The budget for fiscal year 2017 was $887 million. The budget increased by roughly $7 million from 2016.[13]
Some highlights from the 2017 budget included:
Public Safety
- Maximize the coordinated efforts to reduce crime and increase our citizens’ sense of security.
- Implement key community policing principles.
- Continue to provide leadership in anti-terrorism and emergency response.
Infrastructure Enhancements/Growth Management
- Continue to implement a comprehensive capital improvement program.
- Improve Baton Rouge’s intermodal transportation and mass transit systems.
- Implement the sewer enhancement plan adopted by the Council.
Quality Of Community And Family Life
- Promote a higher quality of life for all East Baton Rouge Parish citizens.
- Improve the educational system at all levels.
- Participate in local and regional networks for the delivery of services to disadvantaged citizens.
Economic Development
- Implement and coordinate local, regional, national, and international development plans.
- Provide an economic development Business Assistance Team (BAT) as a resource to the community.
- Promote development and urban revitalization efforts throughout the city.
2016
The budget for fiscal year 2016 was $880 million. This was an increase of roughly $50 million from 2015.[14]
2015
The budget for fiscal year 2015 totaled $830 million. This number was a 1.3 percent increase over the FY 2014 budget of $819 million. The difference in the two budgets was caused by new appropriations for public safety equipment and facilities, funding for personnel costs including merit and longevity increases, and funding for increases in employee benefits.[15]
Public Safety
Some items that received funding from this portion of the budget included:
- Accreditation of the Baton Rouge Police Department as a "Flagship Agency"
- Funding for an academy to train 50 officers and 10 P.O.S.T. certified officers in the calendar year
- Deployed technology, including surveillance cameras, in-car cameras and stun guns[15]
Mayor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness
Some items that received funding from this portion of the budget included:
- Annual disaster exercises and drills
- Public awareness campaigns
- Emergency Operations Center youth outreach program[15]
2014
Baton Rouge's adopted operating budget in 2014 was $819 million.[16]
Contact information
Office of the Mayor
222 Saint Louis St.
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Phone: (225) 389-3100
Email: brinfo@brgov.com
City Council
222 Saint Louis St.
Room 364
Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Phone: (225) 389-3123
Email: counciladmin@brgov.com
To contact individual council members, see here.
Ballot measures
The city of Baton Rouge is in East Baton Rouge Parish. A list of ballot measures in East Baton Rouge Parish is available here.
Lobbying
In 2013, Baton Rouge's federal lobbying-related expenses amounted to approximately $100,000.[17] The issues for which the city filed in 2013, as well as the number of reports, can be seen in the box below. The issues column lists the generic issues that lobbyists working for local governments are required by law to disclose on quarterly federal disclosure forms.[18][19] The reports column gives the number of reports lobbyists filed in regards to each generic issue. To learn more about the details of the specific issues for which Baton Rouge filed reports, read the federal disclosure forms by clicking the "Issues" links in the box below.
| Federal Lobbying Issues, 2013 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Reports | Issues | ||
| 2 | Urban Development | ||
| 2 | Utilities | ||
| 1 | Government Issues | ||
Issues in the city
Removal of Confederate statues delayed
In December 2015, Mayor Mitch Landrieu supported a 6-1 vote of the city council to remove statues of Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, P.G.T. Beauregard and the White League, "a violent white-supremacist militia." Councilwoman Stacy Head was the dissenting vote on the matter. While the vote authorized the removal of the monuments, it did not definitively settle what would be done with them afterwards. At the time of the council vote, the possibility of creating a historical context park to place them in was discussed.[20]
The announcement that the removal of the statues would be funded my an anonymous donor, however, sparked rumors. It was speculated that John Cummings, who has built a museum about slavery at Whitney Plantation in St. John the Baptist Parish, was the source of the money and that he would receive the statues after their removal. The mayor's chief council lobbyist Eric Granderson told the city council that "he was not aware of anything" about such a plan at the council's meeting on February 4, 2016. The process of removing the statues faced delays after the first contractor hired for the job withdrew from the project because the company received death threats.[20]
Nondiscrimination laws
In July 2015, the Movement Advancement Project described Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as a city or county that did not prohibit discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity via ordinances that apply to public and private employers. At that time, a total of 71 of America's largest 100 cities prohibited private employers from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, while 69 of those cities also prohibited discrimination based on gender identity. This did not include those jurisdictions that prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity for government employees.[21]
Nondiscrimination laws can cover a variety of areas, including public employment, private employment, housing, and public accommodations. Such laws may be enacted at the state, county, or city level.
City website evaluation
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| Budget |  |
| Meetings | |
| Elected Officials | |
| Administrative Officials | |
| Permits, zoning |  |
| Audits | |
| Contracts |  |
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| Public Records | |
| Local Taxes | |
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| Transparency grading process | |
- Main article: Evaluation of Louisiana city websites
The good
- Contains a full listing of council members and their emails, along with meeting agendas and minutes.[22]
- Administrative officials listed with contact information.[23]
- Budget is published.[24]
- Meeting schedule, minutes, agendas posted.[25]
- Zoning information available in Unified Development Code.[26] Building permits available.[27]
- Audits are available.[28]
- Local tax information is available.[29]
The bad
- Contract bid information posted, current contracts are not posted.[30]
- Does not disclose if it belongs to any government sector lobbying associations.
- Does not include information on how to make a public records request.
See also
- Cities in Louisiana
- East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
- Largest cities in the United States by population
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 City of Baton Rouge, "Plan of Government," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "State and County Quick Facts," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ City of Baton Rouge, "Our City-Parish Government," accessed October 28, 2014 (timed out)
- ↑ City of Baton Rouge, "Office of the Mayor," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 City of Baton Rouge, "City Council," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ City of Baton Rouge, "Boards," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Louisiana State Legislature, "La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 18:410.3," accessed September 3, 2025
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Louisiana State Legislature, "La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 18:401," accessed September 3, 2025
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "2016 Elections," accessed January 21, 2016
- ↑ The Advocate, "Baton Rouge faces political shake-up with all 12 seats on Metro Council up for grabs this fall," January 19, 2016
- ↑ Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
- ↑ City of Baton Rouge, "Understanding The City-Parish Budget," accessed September 22, 2015
- ↑ City of Baton Rouge, "2017 Annual Operating Budget," accessed June 19, 2017
- ↑ City of Baton Rouge, "2016 Annual Operating Budget," accessed June 19, 2017
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 City of Baton Rouge, "Budget Message," accessed September 22, 2015
- ↑ City of Baton Rouge, "Final Budget 2014," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ Open Secrets, "City of Baton Rouge, LA," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ U.S. House of Representatives: Office of the Clerk, "Lobbying Disclosure Act Guidance," accessed November 11, 2014
- ↑ Open Secrets, "Methodology," accessed November 11, 2014
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 The Advocate, "Mayor Landrieu’s administration dispels rumors over Confederate monuments," February 4, 2016
- ↑ Movement Advancement Project, "Local Employment Non-Discrimination Ordinances," accessed July 7, 2015
- ↑ City of Baton Rouge, "Metropolitan Council," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ City of Baton Rouge, "Officials," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ City of Baton Rouge, "Baton Rouge budget," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ City of Baton Rouge, "Baton Rouge agendas and meetings," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ City of Baton Rouge, "Development Code," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ City of Baton Rouge, "Building Permits," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ City of Baton Rouge, "Audits," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ City of Baton Rouge, "Finance," accessed October 28, 2014
- ↑ City of Baton Rouge, "Bids," accessed October 28, 2014
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