Declare a local emergency

Mayor Cantrell should follow the President's example and just take the moneeys from these people.  No need to bother with so many tedious negotiations.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell put a timeline Wednesday on her effort to convince city, state and tourism industry leaders to divert more tax revenue to New Orleans infrastructure projects, saying she wants to have an agreement hashed out with those groups before the legislative session begins this April.

She also said her plan to get the city “its fair share” does not solely rely on pulling funds from the tourism industry, and that she has continued to comb the couch cushions at City Hall to find other funding for the struggling Sewerage and Water Board.

Those negotiations haven't been going so well, either. At least so far, they haven't. The tourism cabal and its political enablers have largely balked at LaToya's demands. Which is one reason she wants to make it clear they aren't the only people she's going after.

The city could go after about $26 million in unpaid traffic tickets she says it is owed, as well as unpaid invoices to insurance companies whose patients use the city's EMS services to get to and from area hospitals. And she again touted her demand to the Superdome Commission for unpaid rent she says it owes for its use of a city-owned portion of Champions Square. 

She could have left the traffic tickets out of this. But it wouldn't be LaToya Cantrell if she weren't at least trying to harass some poor people too just to make sure she gets the right "balance" or whatever.  Where does that instinct come from?


Well one thing we've noticed is the Bureau of Governmental Research seems to have had the mayor's ear an awful lot with regard to policy formulation during her first year in office. That can be good and bad.  From a purely technical standpoint, BGR can be a useful source of information. But, as a political actor, it tends to favor conservative priorities. Take this recent report on tourism generated revenues, for example. It does a great job of laying out the problems with the money that goes to the cabal, the ways in which they misuse it, the financial tricks they pull to keep it rolling in, and the wide discrepancy with the way this is handled in other cities.

But see if you can spot what BGR gets wrong. It's right here at the top.

A new report from the Bureau of Governmental Research released on Wednesday found a lack of accountability and transparency when it comes to New Orleans hotel tax revenue, and recommended that the city get at least $12 million more per year, either by raising hotel taxes or reallocating hotel taxes that are now being used to boost tourism.

The 16.35 percent in nightly hotel taxes applied to hotel guest bills in Orleans Parish brings in an enormous amount of cash each year — $200 million, or roughly one-sixth of all local tax revenue in Orleans Parish.

But only $20.8 million of that is allocated to the city government, the report said. And about ten percent of that has to be spent on tourism, leaving just $18.9 million for general municipal services.

$12 million more is still not even approaching a "fair share."  Indications are the mayor understands this. But she does listen to BGR a lot. So it's something to keep a wary eye on. If anybody is going to talk her into backing down, it would be them.  But, at least on this particular question, the result has been positive thus far.

As always, though, we'd prefer she just go ahead and take the moneeeys. Declare martial law. Seize Stephen Perry's house. She's most of the way there already.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell asked Gov. John Bel Edwards last month to give the city $75 million immediately to deal with its infrastructure needs. She also requested the governor assemble a “working group,” tasked with addressing how the state will find this emergency to help its drainage, drinking water and sewage system problems.

That group had its first meeting to work on short-term solutions. A long-term fix isn’t part of its current focus, according to the governor’s office

We have an emergency situation here such that we have to ask the Governor to give us 75 million emergency dollars for.. well.. we can't say, exactly.. but it's an emergency so we don't have to. But the ballpark picture is this.

Cantrell did not specify in her letter how the $75 million would be used. Her office later said it would be spent on Sewerage & Water Board work and obligations: paying contractors, covering its portion of major Uptown drainage improvements, upgrading a turbine that can’t run in cold weather, and modernizing its power system.

Yeah, okay, close enough, maybe? For now?  We'd like to know more about who is actually sitting in on these "working group" meetings but, you know, emergencies being what they are and all...  

Cantrell’s letter asked the governor to form a “working group to identify short and long term solutions to these funding concerns." That group met for the first time Wednesday, but will primarily focus on coming up with the $75 million the mayor has requested immediately, according to his spokeswoman Christina Stephens.

The governor’s office has not yet provided the names of the people who are part of the working group.

I'm sure they're all fine people who will make the best decisions on our behalf.