(BATON ROUGE, La.) — Voters in Baton Rouge passed a ballot measure Tuesday that will give a 20% raise to the salaries of East Baton Rouge Parish firefighters, according to the Louisiana Secretary of State. The raise will be paid for with a property tax increase. 

After the election, The Click spoke with Jake Morgan, president of the Baton Rouge Professional Firefighters Association. “Thank you Baton Rouge!” Morgan said proudly. “Our firefighters take great pride in supporting our city. Tonight you supported us and our families. We are forever grateful. Forever Baton Rouge!”

The ballot measure, ‘Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Levy Tax Rate for Fire Department Salary Increases Measure (November 2024), imposes a new property tax to increase the salaries of East Baton Rouge Parish firefighters.

According to the most recent polling data recorded Nov. 6, the measure passed with 68% of voters voting yes and 32% voting no. According to the Louisiana Secretary of State,  more than 75,000 people voted on the measure in East Baton Rouge Parish with more than 51,000 voting in favor of the new tax to increase firefighter salaries.

Morgan has spent his time as Union President advocating for the salary increase. In a recent interview, he told The Click that this was the first time the department asked for a raise from the people in nearly 25 years. “We’re about 20% behind industry standard pay in the state of Louisiana and the southeast region,” he said.

An entry-level East Baton Rouge Parish firefighter’s starting salary is $33,207 as of 2022, putting those firefighters well below the 2023 median salary of $57,120 per year, according to the U.S. Bureau Of Labor Statistics.

“As the capital city, we wanna be able to recruit and retain the best firefighters we can for the public,” Morgan said about the salary increase prior to election day.

“We just want to be comfortable and provide for our families. I don’t think it’s much to ask for when we put our lives on the line every day and expose ourselves to cancer-causing chemicals,” a Baton Rouge firefighter who supported the measure told The Click. He declined to give his name in accordance with the BRFD Handbook Press Guidelines.

The early voting period in East Baton Rouge Parish brought in over 94,000 registered voters to the polls, about 32% of total EBR residents registered, according to reports by the Secretary of State Office as of Nov. 4. East Baton Rouge Parish currently has over 293,000 people registered to vote in the most recent numbers.

While there was campaigning throughout the city by residents supporting the salary increase leading up to election day, some residents were opposed to the proposition. The Click spoke with a few during early voting.

Travis J., a 32-year-old longtime resident of East Baton Rouge Parish who declined to share his full name, was among those who opposed the proposition. After casting his vote, he told The Click, “I agree they need a pay raise for firefighters, but everyone else can’t foot the bill. We need to find a better solution than putting the burden on everyday taxpayers. Why can’t it be a corporate tax or something similar? Let big businesses do more than everyday people who are struggling.” 

His wife, Laine, age 31, agreed.“We already get taxed enough. Do you know how much our property taxes have already gone up? Like thirty percent,” she emphasized. “Sure, they need a pay raise, but we all do. There’s got to be another way to increase it without a big tax.” 

With the ballot measure being passed by taxpayers in Baton Rouge, the new tax is set to go into effect starting with tax collection for 2025. Money raised by the new tax will go into a special fund specifically for firefighter salaries and benefits according to the ballot measure.