New Orleans City Hall begins sweeping SWBNO overhaul
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The New Orleans City Council begins overhauling the Sewerage and Water Board this week, with Councilmember Aimee McCarron calling the current governance a "systematic failure."
Why it matters: It's a once-in-a-century restructuring of who governs one of the city's most important agencies.
The big picture: A new state law went into effect Saturday that gives the City Council authority to regulate the utility's operations, budget and policies for the first time in history.
- Councilmembers are expected to pass a handful of ordinances Thursday that would begin implementing those changes.
- The goal, officials say, is to add clear accountability so the utility gets better at its core duties: Providing clean drinking water and pumping water out of the city.
- "We can no longer complain that 'this is not our circus, not our monkeys,'" Council President JP Morrell said. "At this point, we own the circus."
Zoom in: Residents should expect to see improved emergency communications, greater transparency, and clearer accountability when there's a problem.
Timeline: Changes won't happen overnight, but the council says it will move quickly.
- The goal is to eventually have SWBNO operate more like a city department.
- Fully absorbing it into city government is a much longer-term process, Morrell said.
Catch up quick: Mayor Helena Moreno championed the law, introduced by state Rep. Stephanie Hilferty, earlier this year after numerous water main breaks, mainly Uptown.
- Moreno and the council were outspoken about their frustration over breaks, subsequent boil water advisories, and what they deemed as the utility's lack of urgency to prevent further problems.
- Moreno created a group called PUMPS and tasked members with making reform proposals. Kaitlin Tymrak, SWBNO's general superintendent, was part of the group.
What they did: The group's initial proposals focus on emergency preparedness and improving communication with city leadership and residents.
- They want regular reports from SWBNO to the council, as well as quicker emergency notifications, mainly by folding them into the city's NOLA Ready platform.
- The group also outlined how SWBNO would work with the city to form its budget and would submit a capital improvement plan — made with mandatory public meetings — annually.
What's next: Officials described Thursday's ordinances as the first phase of a broader effort to integrate SWBNO into city government.
Go deeper: City's proposed SWBNO changes