DETROIT – While some East Baton Rouge Parish leaders were in Detroit looking for ideas about how Baton Rouge can more swiftly address blighted properties, some back in Baton Rouge were questioning whether he and the Metro Council are using all the tools already at their disposal.
Greater Baton Rouge Economic Partnership President and CEO Lori Melancon said laws already exist to speed up condemnations in Baton Rouge — but the Metro Council is failing to use them.
“Any condemnation that has happened in the traditional process where the council heard it and voted to condemn have all been done illegally,” Melancon said. “All of those should have been referred to blight court, not to the council.”…