Councilmember Hedge-Morrell Statement
Regarding 2009 City of New Orleans Budget
(November 21, 2008)

Citizens of New Orleans:

Today concluded the last day of budget hearings for the 2009 Budget. Throughout the budget hearing process, the Council has heard the formal requests of each City Department and Agency.

The Council is currently reviewing the Mayor's proposed 10 Mil increase, and we are committed to not raise taxes. We are focused on adopting a budget that will assist the City's recovery efforts and impact positively future economic development and a safer city for all New Orleanians.

My colleagues and I will be deliberating over the next week to reach a consensus by the charter mandate of December 1st.

To view complete Statement click here.

The New Orleans City Council passed Resolutions supporting education on the Master Planning process, and the passage of the Gulf Coast City Works Act.
 
Additionally, the Council passed an Ordinance specifying the demolition process of properties located within the Neighborhood Conservation District, and a Resolution addressing airport privatization.
 
The Council also honored local armed forces and received activity updates from military leaders as part of the annual Military Appreciation Day, and introduced an Ordinance to extend the suspension of the domicile requirement for City employees.

Honors Local Armed Forces Organizations
 
The Mayor's Military Advisory Committee came before the Council to conduct the annual Military Appreciation Day activities including the Committee's annual report, performances by the Marine band, representative groups of active military members from each service in attendance, and activity updates from active military leaders of local armed forces organizations.
 
Committee Chairman General David Mize USMC Ret, led the presentation and introduced military leaders from the U.S. Army Reserve, Louisiana Army National Guard, US Marine Corps, US Coast Guard and the U.S. Navy.
 
Each military leader presented the Council with an update on the activities of their respective armed forces organization, as well as news of interest to the community.

Supports Education on Master Planning Process

The Council passed Resolution R-08-619, authored by Council President Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson, calling on Goody Clancy, the consultant retained by the City to help prepare the Master Plan, to do everything in its power to educate the residents of New Orleans about the master planning process and about their role in shaping it and bringing it to completion.
 
The Resolution also asks that Goody Clancy do their part to reassure residents that it will not present the City Council with a plan that "shrinks the footprint" of the City. 
 
For more information on the Master Plan and the planning process click here.

Addresses Demolition Process in Neighborhood Conservation District

The Council passed Ordinance Calendar No. 27,243, co-authored by Councilmembers Clarkson, Fielkow and Head, requiring the City of New Orleans to contract with an independent third party structural engineer to inspect and give final approval for the demolition of all Imminent Danger of Collapse (IDC) properties within the Neighborhood Conservation District.
 
The Ordinance will not affect demolitions in areas that fall outside of affected districts and where demolitions are necessary - neighborhoods such as New Orleans East, Lakeview and Gentilly.

Supports Gulf Coast City Works Act
 
The Council passed Resolution R-08-618, co-authored by Councilmembers Fielkow and Midura, supporting efforts and reaffirming the Council's commitment toward passage of HR 4048: the Gulf Coast City Works Act.
 
The Act would coordinate recovery projects, rebuild key infrastructure and ensure sustainable community development. Additionally, the Act aims to create a minimum of 100,000 jobs.
 
The Resolution reflects the Council's commitment to working closely with local community groups, the Office of the Governor of Louisiana, our state and federal legislators, the U.S. Representatives House Committee on Education and Labor, and the Office of the President of the United States to further strengthen and enact this legislation as it moves through Congress. 
 
Addresses Airport Privatization
 
The Council adopted Resolution R-08-645, co-authored by Councilmembers Hedge-Morrell and Fielkow, calling on the New Orleans Aviation Board to begin research on airport privatization, and if appropriate, make an application to the FAA to be considered for the Airport Pilot Privatization Program.
 
A similar path was recently followed by Chicago Midway Airport that, if approved by the FAA, may result in a $2.5 billion infusion of cash to the City of Chicago.

Introduces Extension of Suspension of Domicile Requirement
 
The Council introduced Ordinance Calendar No. 27,261, co-authored by Councilmembers Hedge-Morrell, Fielkow, Head and Clarkson, to extend the suspension of the domicile requirement for City employees to December 31, 2012.
 
The current suspension will expire on December 31st of this year.
 
The Ordinance will come up for consideration by the Council at the next regular meeting on December 1st.

To view complete News Release click here.

The Council passed Resolution R-08-621, co-authored by Councilmembers Clarkson and Carter, supporting an application to the state of Louisiana for the creation of the "Federal City Cultural Products District." 
 
The Council also passed Resolution R-08-622, co-authored by Councilmembers Clarkson and Head, supporting an application to the state of Louisiana for the creation of the "South Broad Street Cultural District."
 
District "C" Councilmember Carter said, "The creation of these cultural districts serves to highlight those areas of the City with unique cultural influence and to promote community revitalization."
 
The creation of Cultural Districts is part of Act 298 of the 2007 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature which authorizes Local Governing Authorities to create Cultural Districts as a mechanism for community revitalization through the creation of hubs of cultural activity.

To view complete News Release click here.

Council Vice President Arnie Fielkow, Louis Armstrong International Airport Director of Aviation Sean Hunter and a New Orleans airport consultant returned from an airport privatization fact-finding trip to Chicago which yielded helpful information regarding the potential airport privatization of Armstrong International Airport.
 
Meetings were held with representatives of the Chicago City Council Committee on Aviation, the Chicago Department of Aviation, the Chicago Office of the Mayor, Finance Department and Chicago Midway Airport.
 
The potential privatization of Armstrong International Airport is one of several options currently being looked into by the New Orleans Aviation Board, the New Orleans City Council and the Southeast Regional Airport Authority. 
 
Chicago Midway Airport is the first large-scale U.S. airport to undergo privatization and is currently awaiting final FAA approval. During the course of the visit, the New Orleans delegation was advised that the Chicago privatization initiative was a 2-3 year process and involved a full valuation of Midway Airport. Chicago officials will be providing to New Orleans a full listing of the consultants and advisors which guided them in their decision-making process.
 
Under the Chairmanship of Councilmember Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, the City Council Airport Committee, of which Councilmember Fielkow is a member, heard a recent presentation regarding Chicago's privatization efforts. This Committee will continue its due diligence efforts regarding Armstrong Airport and come up with a solution which best represents the citizens of New Orleans. In the interim, the New Orleans Aviation Board is currently involved in a process to select a firm to provide valuation of Armstrong Airport and to consider applying for the FAA Privatization Pilot Program.

To view complete News Release click here.

On November 18, 2008 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Councilmember Cynthia Willard-Lewis held a Town Hall Meeting to discuss recovery progress in District “E”.

Drainage issues and flood protection were discussed, as well as general recovery projects throughout the District.

Representatives from Entergy New Orleans, the Office of Recovery and Development Administration, New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board, the Army Corps of Engineers and other City Departments and Agencies were present to distribute information and give updates to District “E” constituents.

Councilmember Willard-Lewis said, “These Town Hall meetings are an excellent way to bring constituents and City Department and Agency representatives together. Residents have the opportunity to present their questions directly to representatives of the appropriate City department or agency, and get up-to-date status reports on ongoing recovery projects in District E.”
 
The Town Hall meeting was held at the Household of Faith Family Worship Church International in New Orleans East, and all residents were invited to attend.

Councilmember Shelley Midura moderated "Katrina: The New Orleans Experience," a panel discussion which was part of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) 120th Annual Convention - Innovation, Efficiency and Leadership. 

NARUC is an association representing State public service commissioners and other public utility regulators who regulate essential utility services, such as electricity, gas, telecommunications, water, and transportation, throughout the country.

The discussion demonstrated how the New Orleans City Council and Entergy New Orleans navigated both the City and utility from the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina and weathered Entergy's ensuing bankruptcy without catastrophic rate increases.

Councilmember Midura said, "We are grateful to have the NARUC in New Orleans for its annual convention. It is important that we share our experiences managing challenges regarding utilities and the City as a whole during Katrina – through information sharing, we hope to inform people and work towards being better prepared for natural disasters, crises and emergencies in the future.”

Council President Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson met with state Directors of Homeland Security from Louisiana, Texas, Alabama and Mississippi on November 13, 2008.
 
The Directors of Homeland Security previously gathered in Baton Rouge for a seminar put on by the Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. They traveled to New Orleans for dinner and further discussion.
 
Councilmember-at-Large Clarkson discussed sheltering during natural disasters and offered thanks to the states that helped shelter New Orleans evacuees during Hurricane Gustav.

To view complete News Release click here.

City Council November 6, 2008 Regular Meeting Summary
(November 6, 2008)

The New Orleans City Council addressed presentations on Public Information kiosks in City Hall and workforce development programs at Delgado Community College.

Addresses Presentation on Public Information Kiosks in City Hall
 
At the request of Council Vice President Arnie Fielkow, representatives of the Office of Public Advocacy and the Mayor's Office of Technology came before the Council to give a presentation on the status of the Public Information kiosks in City Hall.

The representatives provided a description of the kiosk functions, as well as the types of information accessible through the kiosks. Utilizing a calendar format, the kiosks display all scheduled public meetings and meeting details including date, time, location, and meeting agenda.
 
The representatives brought in a kiosk machine to demonstrate the process of finding a meeting on the machine and accessing meeting details. The Offices are currently working on integrating a function on the kiosks that will allow users to search for specific meetings and details. 

Supports Workforce Development

Dr. Ron Wright, Chancellor of Delgado Community College, came before the Council to give a presentation on workforce development at the request of Council President Clarkson.

Dr. Wright discussed Delgado's workforce development initiatives, as well as the importance of taking a proactive stance on this issue.

Councilmembers thanked Wright for informing them on Delgado's efforts to promote workforce development and asked that he return in the future to discuss the issue in more depth.

To view complete News Release click here.

The Council recognized Clerk of Council Peggy Lewis and Assistant Clerk of Council Lora Johnson for recent honors bestowed upon them by the International Institute of Municipal Clerks and the Louisiana Municipal Clerks Association.
 
Ms. Lewis has fulfilled all of the requirements of the Master Municipal Clerk Academy of the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) and has earned the designation of Master Municipal Clerk from IIMC and the designation of Louisiana Master Municipal Clerk from the Louisiana Municipal Clerks Association. These designations are the highest and most prestigious designations offered by these organizations. 
 
Ms. Johnson has fulfilled all of the requirements to earn the designation of Louisiana Certified Municipal Deputy Clerk from the Louisiana Municipal Clerks Association.
 
Council President Jacquelyn Brechtel Clarkson said, "We commend these women for their outstanding accomplishments. We are proud to work with these two long-time City employees, and we thank them for all of the work they do to help us run our Council meetings effectively and efficiently."

To view complete News Release click here.