BATON ROUGE - The East Baton Rouge Parish Library Board of Control held a special meeting on Wednesday to discuss the status of its tax renewal after voluntarily withdrawing the proposal from the Metro Council agenda.

Board members, library patrons and representatives from Mayor-President Sid Edwards' office piled into a conference room at the Main Library at Goodwood. At the last EBR Metro Council meeting, Board President Candace Temple said the library asked to pull its original tax proposal by the Metro Council.

"We were told that it would be a good idea to voluntarily delete the item," Temple said.

As previously reported, the library wanted to renew the property tax at a lower rate from 11.1 mills to 10.5 mills. Temple said the library is willing to make concessions.

"We're willing to look at our projections on how we spend our money and slow down on capital projects," Temple said.

However, rededicating funds is not on the table.

"We're not willing to go into the general fund, we'll have to have a dedicated tax. That's a dealbreaker for us," Temple said.

When asked about what compromises on the part of the Mayor-President's Office would look like, the answer was unclear.

"It's going to take a collaborative effort to provide the resources collaboratively," EBR Mayor-President's Office Executive Director Christopher Toombs said.

Toombs also refuted earlier claims from the Library Board who said they were blindsided by Edwards' proposal.

"It was more like a Model United Nations summit, but we definitely had a discussion," Toombs said.

Library leaders disagreed.

"2 p.m. the day before that press release went out, [the Mayor-President's Office] told us that they were putting us back in the general fund. They're not asking us to agree with it, just that this is how it's going to be," Temple said.

EBR Metro Councilmembers Rowdy Gaudet and Dwight Hudson plan to meet next Tuesday to see how residents feel about the proposal.

"I felt like hearing input from the community is what was necessary. So I partnered with the Mayor's Office and asked them to present, come tell people your case. We have a budget crisis in East Baton Rouge Parish," Gaudet said.

EBR Councilman Darryl Hurst, who sits on the Library Board, said people are right to be worried.

"They want to break down all dedicated taxes and control the money. You heard it from me," Hurst said. "It's going to start here and keep on going. It's not going to stop."

Library patrons worry this will set a dangerous precedent.

"They want the library money, they're not going to give it back. They're actually excited at the concept to take it away," Library Patron M.E. Cormier said.

"I think that the mayor is coming off like he doesn't have a plan for the city and plans to balance the budget off the backs of the library," Melissa Flournoy, a library patron, said.

The Library said the time has run out to get its proposal on the October ballot and is now shooting for November.

"To get on the October ballot, we would've had to have something done by tomorrow at noon," Assistant Library Director Mary Stein said.

Representatives for Edwards' office said their proposal has plenty of time.

"We're a long way from October, a long way from November, the skies not falling," EBR Mayor-President's Office Chief Administrative Officer Charlie Davis said.

As previously reported, Edwards' proposal will have a public hearing on March 12. The Library Board has another meeting scheduled on Thursday, February 19, 2025.