BATON ROUGE - Later this month, the Metro Council could vote on paying the Council on Aging $480,480 to provide meals for teenagers in juvenile jail as they await trials.

If passed, the allotted amount will feed the teens from Feb. 1 to Dec. 31, 2024. The council also has the option of extending that contract with the Council on Aging through the end of 2025.

According to the Mayor's office, the juvenile jail and kitchen services have had issues with staffing. They have managed to feed the juveniles through outside, satellite vendors.

Through document's we've obtained, $7,200 was paid to AYCE Catering in November and another $6,600 in December. AYCE Catering shares the same address as the Boil & Roux restaurant on Coursey Blvd.

Also in December, the EBR Council on Aging received $26,000 and again in January.

The jail is now about 70 years old. After several escapes and overcrowding issues, there has been a push to build a new juvenile jail.

"We also have to think futuristically and we need a new facility, that's the bottom line," Mayor President Sharon Weston Broome said.

Ultimately, constructing a new facility comes down to funding.

"Undoubtedly, we need a revenue stream to make this happen. Not only do we need a new juvenile detention center, we also need a new EBR Parish jail," Broome said.

In a statement from the Mayor's office, "this agreement will provide consistent and timely services at no additional cost to City-Parish and will have no impact on employees. The kitchen at the detention center is operable and will be used when needed."