New Orleans weighs higher fees for garbage and Mardi Gras
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New Orleans City Council members will decide Thursday whether to increase garbage rates and Mardi Gras parade fees as the city navigates a financial crisis.
Why it matters: Both measures would shift more of the cost of city services to the people who use them while generating additional revenue for the cash-strapped city.
The big picture: The proposals came from the Moreno administration, and the garbage rate hike — the first in 15 years — is the more controversial of the two.
- City leaders say it is needed because the current rate hasn't covered the cost of service for years. The city has spent millions to pay the difference.
- That option isn't sustainable, they say, because Moreno inherited a cash-flow crisis and the money is dwindling. She's already taken out one loan to make payroll, while city employees are also furloughed a day every pay period.
Zoom in: The garbage rate proposal calls for a $99 annual increase for residential service, raising the monthly rate from $24 to $32.25.
- The new rate would cover weekly trash and recycling pickup. It would also fund a strike force to quickly respond to illegal dumping.
- If approved, the new rates would start Oct. 1 and be reassessed in March, chief administrative officer Joe Giarrusso says.
Yes, but: A rate hike is only one option.
- Council members last week floated several alternatives — from removing curbside recycling to increasing enforcement for illegal dumping.
- They also considered possibilities to return to twice-weekly pickup, which is what they said they hear about most from constituents.
Zoom out: Council members will also vote on increasing the fees the city charges Carnival krewes to parade.
- The money will help pay for police, street cleanup and other public costs related to parades. Officials say these services left the city $3.75 million in the hole in 2023, Axios' Chelsea Brasted reports.
- The rates would be charged to each krewe and break down to about $6.64 per rider, according to a city presentation.
What's next: The meeting starts at 10am at City Hall and is open to the public.