Bossier City considers paying off debt to avoid $800,000 deficit and a property tax increase
Plus — Bossier City live music and events calendar.
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
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Bossier City considers paying off debt to avoid $800,000 deficit and a property tax increase
In addition to possible expense reductions, Bossier City leaders are considering paying off debt to avoid an $800,000 2026 budget deficit.
In the first meeting of the City Council’s new Finance Committee Tuesday, District 4 councilmember Joel Girouard said the city receives about half of its total revenue from sales tax, 25% from property tax and the rest from fees, such as utilities. After reviewing the past three years’ trends, sales taxes have grown 4% to 5%, on average, he added.
However, expenses have grown at the same pace.
The City also faces the costs of two capital projects: the remodeling of a new Council on Aging building and a maintenance building for the fire department.
“So, the current budget we were given, there was an $11,000 surplus in our budget. Now, that was including a [property tax] roll forward of $800,000, which meant if we did not pass that roll forward, we were going to have a $789,000 deficit,” Girouard said.
In an effort to avert the property tax increase, the Council has asked the Chandler administration to urge department heads to look for budget savings of 2% to 3%.
However, in a meeting with City Finance Director Angela Williamson, city leaders came up with a new idea: Use $11.5 million from the City’s Parkway Capital fund to pay off a $13 million bond.
“This would not only save taxpayers $4.9 million in interest over the next 15 years, but it would also give us another cash option of about $900,000 a year that we’re not gonna have to pay in debt service,” Girouard said.
Council President Chris Smith also noted that the City is looking to increase revenue.
“Whether it is making sure that all businesses are compliant with occupancy license, whether that is making sure that the sales tax department is being aggressive and making sure we’re collecting all of our sales tax. We discussed again, Parks and Rec’s plan to generate more revenues through marketing and advertising. So all these different mechanisms that the city and the administration have been working hard on to generate more revenue,” Smith said.
As for expenses, Smith said the City is “looking at everything.”
“Whether it’s a service that the city pays for — whether it’s internet, phones, technology, printers, or if it’s a public works, if it’s lawn mowing — we’re looking at all of our contracts and asking for new quotes on those and seeing where just cuz something’s worked for years, we might need to revisit that,” he said.
“We also talked about, over the next coming months, really looking at the city’s vehicle policies, who has take-home vehicles, who has pooled vehicles, how many of those vehicles we need on the street.”
Smith also noted that the “tax reduction audit” ordered by the City Council is well underway.
“Ms. Williamson has provided the auditing firm with a lot of information. And that’ll be a tool that we’ll be able to use also for next year’s budget to make sure that processes are a little bit more streamlined. If there’s places where we can cut, cuts can happen. So that’ll be a tool that we’ll have in our arsenal for next year’s budget as well,” Smith said.
2025 “Kids Shoot for Youth Charities” event set for Saturday
Bossier Parish Sheriff Julian Whittington is hosting the upcoming “Kids Shoot for Youth Charities” Sporting Clays event on Saturday, October 18, 2025. The event highlights the department’s ongoing dedication to creating safe and meaningful opportunities for young people in the community.
The Kids Shoot is open to Bossier Parish students in grades 7 through 12 and focuses on building sportsmanship, discipline, and a spirit of giving — while benefiting local youth charities.
For additional details or to register, contact Corporal James Lonadier at (318) 210-0253.
Parkway High School to host the 2025 USBands Ark-La-Tex Regional in Bossier City
The vibrant sights and sounds of marching band season return to northwest Louisiana as Parkway High School hosts the USBands Ark-La-Tex Regional marching band competition on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at Preston Crownover Stadium.
The event begins at 11:00 am and will feature outstanding scholastic marching ensembles from across the region.
This annual event brings together student performers for a full day of music, movement, and creativity. Bands will perform in both preliminary and finals competitions, with evaluations provided by a panel of expert judges.
Event details
Date: Saturday, October 18, 2025
Time: 11:00 am CDT
Location: Preston Crownover Stadium – Parkway High School
4301 Panther Dr. (off Barksdale Blvd.), Bossier City, LA 71112
Tickets & admission
Ticket Sales at www.usbands.org
Box Office: Cashless – Credit/Debit only
Children (10 & under): Free admission (no ticket required)
Students, Seniors, Military: $14 per person
Adults: $19 per person
Your ticket grants all-day access to both the prelims and finals portions of the competition under USBands’ one-price day pass policy.
Save $5 by purchasing tickets online in advance. Prices increase on event day, both online and in-person.
There is no parking fee for this event.
Bossier City events calendar
Live music in Bossier City and other notable events in the area for your free time consideration. If you would like to add an event to the Bossier City free time calendar, send the details to email@bossiernow.com.
October 17: Zach Top and his Cold Beer and Country Music tour at the Brookshire Grocery Arena.
October 18: Wanda Sykes and her Please and Thank You tour at the Horseshoe Bossier City.
October 24: Styx at the Live Casino & Hotel. 8:00 pm. Tickets start at $59.99. Must be 21+
November 20: ZZ Top at Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
November 23: Joe Bonamassa at Shreveport Municipal Auditorium
November 29: Little River Band, Live! Event Center
December 12: Jiaoying Summers at the Live! Casino and Hotel. Get ready for a night of fearless, dark, and laugh-out-loud comedy from a global sensation with over 1 billion views online! You’ve seen her viral “Uber Karen” sketch and hilarious English name roasts — now catch her live on her “What Specie Are You?” tour!
February 20: Rascal Flatts at the BGA.
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BossierNow’s mission is to provide independent, conflict-of-interest-free news coverage of Bossier City and Bossier Parish. We welcome your input, press releases, and news tips at email@bossiernow.com.