BATON ROUGE - Mayor-President Sid Edwards proposed his 2026 budget during Wednesday's Special Metro Council meeting. In total, Edwards' plan would eliminate 420 government positions. 

Edwards said that due to the incorporation of St. George, the city-parish's general fund will be reduced by $15 million. 

During his address, Edwards said personnel is the largest cost from the general fund and his budget proposes a 33% workforce reduction, excluding police and fire employees.

"The only place to go is people and bodies, and we're 150 officers short and counting, and I just could not go there, will not go there," Edwards said. 

Funding for other departments, like City Court, Coroner's Office, the mayors administrative staff, and the District Attorney's office will also be reduced by 11%.

"We're out there, we're lighting up Baton Rouge, we're doing great things we're moving, and it just goes without saying when there's a reduction in force there's going to be some reduction in services if it goes down that way," Edwards said.

The mayor said that his plan does not include his Thrive initiative to let the government tap money currently going to the parish library system, the public pest control agency and the Council on Aging.

Without the approval of Thrive, Edwards said the city-parish will not be able to sustain funding support for certain outside agencies like the public defender's office, the arts council and the food bank in 2027. Those programs will receive money through interest from the American Rescue Fund in 2026.

"Even with THRIVE, we still have big holes. I've kept telling people that THRIVE don't pave the streets of Baton Rouge with gold, but it helps us keep our head above water," Edwards said. 

East Baton Rouge Metro Councilman Aaron Moak says Thrive could act as a stabilizer for the budget.

"Thrive is a rededication of existing taxes, and that's what we're asking the public to vote on to stabilize the budget by rededicating taxes that are already there," Moak said. 

The District Attorney's office shared the following statement, calling for parish-wide collaboration to address the funding crisis:

“This is not about blame or politics — it’s about fairness, safety, and teamwork. We fully understand the financial pressures facing the City-Parish and other local governments. At the same time, we must ensure our Office can meet its constitutional responsibility to protect this community and uphold the fair administration of justice. We want to be a team player and work with all stakeholders to find a solution that’s sustainable for everyone.”

Thrive will be on ballots Nov. 15.