(The Center Square) – A Shreveport grant program created to revitalize business activity in economically distressed areas will direct roughly half of its projected annual revenue toward administrative fees paid to a private consultant, according to records reviewed by The Center Square.
Using a three-year average of sales tax collections, the program will have about $131,000 worth of operating revenue each year. The company tasked with overseeing the grant process for the city will be paid approximately half of the available money.
The grant program is intended to stimulate new business activity near the regional airport. It will rely on the District F Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, special revenue fund, which the city created to capture tax revenues generated within the district – represented by Councilman James Green – for use on economic development and improvement projects, according to the city budget.
The Center Square reached out to Green and did not receive a response.
Revitalizing the Monkhouse Drive corridor and surrounding areas is a consistent priority among city leaders. In 2024, the City Council created a TIF district to direct the sales taxes toward additional improvements.
At the end of 2025, District F’s fund held $194,200 collected over two years. Another $150,000 in new sales revenue is expected in 2026. The money is being held in the city’s operating reserve, according to city budget documents.
The city approved a cooperative endeavor agreement Tuesday with the Strategy Group of North Louisiana, a Shreveport-based governmental consulting and public affairs firm led by Markey Pierré, company president.
It would pay Pierré’s company $5,500 each month – or $66,000 annually – in administrative fees to assess, among other things, each applicant’s financial creditworthiness and project worthiness. The contract term is for five years with a possibility of renewal.
In 2024, District F’s special sales tax generated $77,000, another $166,000 in 2025 and is projected at $150,000 this year, according to a Caddo-Shreveport Sales & Tax report.
Administrative fees paid to the consultant would have accounted for $198,000, leaving $195,000 to award grants.
The size of the grants to be offered remains unclear, though eligible uses for the funding are outlined.
Eligible businesses can receive grants for equipment, technology, licensing, marketing, training, operations, e-commerce and digital transformation. The funds are not approved for items like rent, utilities, debt repayment, personal expenses and political or religious activities, according to project documents.
Businesses must be located in or relocating to District F, have 10 or fewer employees, legally registered and in good standing with the city, and committed to remain in the district for at least two years.
