by Malcolm Butler
Ronny Walker is one proud mayor.
And based on the advancement since he was first elected in 2015, he has some ground to stand on when it comes to boasting about the growth and quality of life within Ruston.
Now in his third term as mayor of Ruston, Walker points these days to the amount of investment in capital projects in the recently approved 2026 budget.
“We just finished passing the budget during the September meeting,” said Walker, referring to the Ruston City Council. “Within that budget, we have $59 million in capital projects. Capital projects are things like streets and buildings.”
Is that a lot?
In order to put that into a historical perspective, prior to Walker’s election a decade ago, the entire budget for the city was less than that total.
“Before I was elected, the city did about $3M a year,” said Walker.
Walker is quick to point out that the credit for this increase goes to the residents of Ruston.
“If the people of Ruston had not voted for Moving Ruston Forward, all of this that we are seeing happen — all of these companies that we are seeing coming to town — none of that would have happened,” said Walker. “This has allowed us to put the infrastructure in place to get these businesses and companies to come here.”
Moving Ruston Forward was a sales tax that was passed 10 years ago that has funded the mission of creating a city that is attractive for families and companies.
“We told people (back then) that if you pass this tax, in 20 years, we will do $250 million worth of infrastructure,” said Walker, who said it was a three-quarter cent sales tax over 20 years. “$250 million in 20 years. We are 10 years in and we have done over $200 million so far.”
Walker pointed to roads, sewer, and electrical additions/improvements as well as new construction such as the Ruston Sports Complex.
“I really believe that in that 20 year span, this city may see $400 or $500 million in growth,” said Walker. “Without that this never could have happened.”
One of the most impressive things — and exciting for the citizens of Ruston — is that out of the current $59 million in capital projects on the books, only $11 million is coming from the actual budget.
“Grants, earmarks … money that we have gone after on both the state and federal level … is paying the other $48 million,” said Walker.
Some of the current capital projects included in this year’s budget include more than $33 million for streets, including Tarbutton Interchange and East Kentucky Avenue, $2.2 million for the construction of Fire Station No. 2 (including some new equipment), and $1.4 million for the Ruston skatepark and splashpad ($1.5 million).
