Eight months ago, dozens of Baton Rouge police officers lined the walls of a packed Metro Council chamber, their uniforms blending with a sea of residents with “Love My Library” pinned to their blue shirts.

That tense standoff — police against library supporters — is now long gone, as Mayor-President Sid Edwards' bold, first-year proposal known as Thrive has evolved significantly since February.

Now, voters will finally weigh in on a measure that has shifted dramatically: Once a plan to move library funds into the city’s general fund for police raises, it is now a partial tax rededication of three agencies aimed at paying down debt and funding long-delayed infrastructure projects.

The initiative — which will appear on ballots as proposals 1, 2 and 3 — has the support of all 12 co

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