“Bad choices based on bad options”

Mayor Mitch Landrieu proposed that all city workers take 11 unpaid furlough days this year in order to help balance a projected $67 million deficit in the 2010 budget.
“This is not a proud moment for the city of New Orleans,” Landrieu said. “I am particularly angry as a citizen and now as the chief executive… »

Landrieu reforms budget process

Mayor Mitch Landrieu issued an executive order yesterday in City Council chambers to create a more “transparent and accountable process” for producing the annual budget.
Responding to criticisms of the previous administration’s budgeting process, Landrieu promised to obtain community input in determining budget priorities, and to provide more informative descriptions of revenue sources and the purpose… »

Governing for excellence through a budget crisis

“I will inherit a city that is in financial trouble,” Landrieu said. “I think the public is going to be shocked to know the financial situation the city is in” (Greg LaRose, City Business, 4/26/2010).
Councilmember Stacy Head foreshadowed on WIST radio last week that when Mitch Landrieu is sworn in as mayor next week, he’ll… »

Governing for Outcomes

“If information was used to make policy changes, they came about as a result of yearly reviews. Implementation took months, or even years. By the time a contemplated change was in place, the conditions that prompted the shift might no longer be relevant” (Martin O’Malley, after becoming Mayor of Baltimore).
Budgeting for Outcomes (BFO) is… »

Improving waste reduction and performance outcomes requires regular review and relentless followup

Here’s a prediction about Bobby Jindal’s Commission on Streamlining Government recommendations: They will prove to be too little to make any long-term difference, and we’ll be having more discussions in the future about bloat in the state’s budget.
The lesson learned in other places that have successfully overcome fiscal challenges — like Baltimore, through its… »

Even if you couldn’t care less about the city, you have to support NolaStat out of self interest to lower your taxes

Mayoral candidate Rob Couhig is polling whether residents are willing to pay higher taxes, or accept reduced services. There’s an alternative proposed by assessor candidate Janis Lemle: FAIR taxes. If we could stop the patronage system of rewarding political benefactors with more favorable assessments, and get those scofflaws and cheats to pay their fair share,… »

Times-Picayune opinion: What gets measured gets done

New Orleans is remarkably similar to Baltimore …
When Martin O’Malley was sworn in as mayor of Baltimore in 1999, he inherited a $153 million deficit and 16,000 city employees who, he said, were “wallowing in a culture of failure.” O’Malley identified the source of citizen frustration with Baltimore’s high crime rate, failing schools and broken… »

How New Orleans spends your tax dollars

Does this chart reflect your priorities?

Council Members Shelley Midura and Stacy Head hosted a budget town hall meeting last night. Among the strongest points made was that the lack of community participation in the budget process may have led to a misalignment of expenditures with respect to community priorities.
See the town hall Powerpoint… »

Upcoming City Council budget meetings

A schedule of upcoming City Council budget meetings:

Thursday, Oct. 29, 2PM – Budget Committee Meeting
Friday, Oct. 30, 10AM – Mayor presents his budget

Budget hearings begin, Nov. 6, 9:30AM: Throughout month of November, departmental budget committee hearings during day in City Council chambers.

Weekly Budget Review Sessions with Councilmembers Head & Midura:

Wednesday, November 11th, 7:00 PM, City… »

How do we live within our means without cutting essential city programs and services?

The public has been invited to City Council chambers tonight to comment on what the city’s budget priorities should be:
As you know, during the month of November the Council will undergo the harrowing process of adopting the 2010 budget, AND we are facing a nearly $68 million deficit based on the 2009 budget.
I am writing… »