Совет метрополитена Батон-Руж одобрил передачу управления River Center Visit Baton Rouge

Metro Council moves closer to transferring River Center management to Visit Baton Rouge BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The East Baton Rouge Metro Council took a step closer Wednesday, Aug. 26, toward transferring temporary control of the River Center to Visit Baton Rouge. The council approved a memorandum of understanding that outlines the goals and plans for the proposed partnership. Under the agreement, Visit Baton Rouge would hire a management company to oversee the River Center’s day-to-day operations while the tourism organization provides local oversight. Visit Baton Rouge President and CEO Jill Kidder said the goal is to attract more conventions and events to Baton Rouge, bringing more visitors and additional spending to local hotels, restaurants, and retailers. “We really want to work on more conventions, more events that bring hotel revenue, retail sales, and restaurant sales into our community,” Kidder said. Supporters say additional tax revenue generated by increased tourism could eventually help fund projects and investments in areas such as public safety, education, and infrastructure. “We want those people to come in and stay here and leave their tax dollars with us.” The agreement also calls for an oversight committee to help ensure transparency. The committee would review budgets, receive financial reports, and help approve major contracts. It also would provide quarterly reports to the Metro Council and the mayor’s office. Councilwoman Carolyn Coleman said the oversight is necessary to ensure the public can see how money tied to the River Center is being spent. “This will let everyone know what’s going on in order to make this roll like it needs to roll,” Coleman said. The Metro Council also approved Butch Spyridon as an independent contractor to work with Visit Baton Rouge on the project. Spyridon is credited with helping develop Nashville’s “Music City” branding and growing the city’s tourism industry into a multibillion-dollar business. Supporters hope his experience can help bring similar growth and investment to Baton Rouge. “We’re going to work collectively in order to make this a better, a better River Center,” Spyridon said. Several additional steps and approvals are still required from the Metro Council to make the transfer official. The goal is to have the necessary approvals in place for the transfer to take effect by Jan. 1, 2027. Click here to report a typo. Please include the headline. Click here to subscribe to our WAFB 9 News daily digest and breaking news alerts delivered straight to your email inbox. Watch the latest WAFB news and weather now.