MAYOR CANTRELL MARKS TWO YEARS OF PUBLIC SAFETY,
INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS, BALLOT SUCCESSES
NEW ORLEANS — Mayor LaToya Cantrell today marked the second anniversary of her inauguration as Mayor of the City of New Orleans with a review of the administration's achievements to date:
“Over the past two years I have been proud to serve our residents as Mayor of the City of New Orleans,” said Mayor Cantrell. “We have proven consistently that we have put the safety and health of our residents at the top of our list of priorities, as we’ve worked to get our city its fair share of support, streamlined and improved services, created more equitable spaces for our most vulnerable residents, overseen leadership change at every level, and responded to unprecedented emergencies.”
[WATCH: Mayor Cantrell reflects on two years in office.]
Here is an overview of Mayor Cantrell’s work over the past two years:
Mayor Cantrell Announces Agreement Reached On ‘Fair Share’ Initiative, Funding for Infrastructure
With Mayor Cantrell’s leadership, the State Legislature in the spring 2019 passed historic legislation under her “Fair Share” pledge to redirect tax revenue generated from the tourism/hospitality industry to continue improvement of the City’s aging infrastructure.
Read more here.
Mayor Cantrell Speeds Up Infrastructure Projects
Working to address the City’s aging infrastructure, Mayor Cantrell has dramatically sped up the Joint Infrastructure Recovery Response Program (JIRR), which is implementing an unprecedented $2.2 billion Capital Improvement Program. In May 2018, the JIRR was stalled largely due to a lack of trust between the Sewerage and Water Board (SWBNO) and the Department of Public Works (DPW). As a result, the infrastructure team put measures in place to strengthen internal capacity around environmental reviews and to implement the fundamentals for the program. As a result, there is now an unprecedented level of cooperation and a true joint effort between SWBNO and DPW. Over the past two years, 15 projects valued at $66 million have been completed, 21 projects valued at $170 million have moved into construction and 59 projects valued at $445 million have moved into design.
Mayor Cantrell Celebrates Voter Approval of Parks and Recreation Millage
Mayor Cantrell led efforts to pass the Parks and Recreation Millage that saw a reduction in the Audubon Commission’s millage to provide increased funding for the New Orleans Recreation Development (NORD) Commission, Parks and Parkways, and first-time City funding for City Park. This also led to the establishment of the Park Partners to keep the collaboration going among these agencies, with a particular focus on improved storm water management in light of historic flooding.
Read more here.
Mayor Cantrell Manages Leadership Change, Oversight
Mayor Cantrell also managed the transition of leadership at several City and partner agencies, including the New Orleans Police Department, Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, New Orleans Recreation Development (NORD) Commission, New Orleans Regional Transit Authority, and the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center (formerly the Youth Study Center).
MAYOR CANTRELL RELEASES ‘A GENERATIONAL GUN VIOLENCE REDUCTION PLAN’
Mayor Cantrell has presided over historic lows in violent crime, with a murder rate the lowest in nearly 50 years. Recognizing that one murder is too many, and that gun violence continues to be a leading factor in the murder rate, Mayor Cantrell commissioned the Gun Violence Task Force, which created a 50-year strategy to further reduce gun violence in the city.
Read more here.
Voters Approve Ballot Initiatives to Improve Infrastructure
Mayor Cantrell successfully earned voter approval of the Infrastructure Bond Sale, which allows the City to issue $500 million in new capital improvement bonds to help fund improvements on roads, streets, drainage, and bridges without increasing the tax rate on the public. The bond proposition also lowers the cost of living for residents by allowing the City to create new affordable housing. Voters also approved the Short Term Rental Tax For Visitors, which requires visitors to pay the same state sales tax rate as hotel occupants so residents get their fair share in repairing aging infrastructure strained by the increased volume of visitors to the city. Most of the revenue will go to the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans and the City's Department of Public Works; a fraction of the revenue would go to tourism promotion.
Read more here.
Mayor Cantrell, City Council Agree on 2020 Budget
Through Mayor Cantrell’s leadership, the City agreed to two successive operating budgets with City Council, on time and with no tax increases.
Read more here.
City of New Orleans Earns Credit Upgrade from Moody’s
The City of New Orleans’ bond rating on Sept. 10, 2019, was upgraded by Moody’s Investors Service to an A2 rating from A3. In 2019, the City is going to issue $50 million Taxable Improvement Bonds, which also received an A2 rating from Moody’s. The outlook for the City’s financial future, Moody’s said, is stable.
Read more here.
CleanUPNOLA Improves Efficiencies in Keeping New Orleans Clean
Mayor Cantrell improved collaboration among City agencies to fulfill her CleanUPNOLA vision to provide more effective coordination of the clean-up efforts across the area, engaging residents to volunteer and insisting on increased code enforcement of blighted properties.
Read more here.
Mayor Cantrell, State And Local Leaders Celebrate Marconi Drive Roadwork Completion
In establishing the Office of Transportation, Mayor Cantrell began to work toward safer, more equitable and more accessible transportation options for residents through Moving New Orleans, the Transportation Action Plan. Making transportation a key part of infrastructure, Mayor Cantrell oversaw implementation of the Marconi Drive/Orleans Avenue reconfiguration that created protected bike lanes, repaved sidewalks and improved bus stops.
Read more here.
Much of this work continued apace despite the City of New Orleans facing seemingly one emergency after another over the past year — the flooding that preceded the threat of Hurricane Barry, the tragic collapse of the Hard Rock Hotel building under construction, a cyber security attack and, more recently, the COVID-19 pandemic that hit Louisiana in general and New Orleans in particular with spikes in cases, hospitalizations and fatalities.
MAY 2018-MAY 2019
Mayor Cantrell Updates Residents on Administration’s First Year
Over the first year, the administration focused heavily on four key priorities:
- Looking at public safety as public health
- Investing in infrastructure
- Spurring economic development
- Culture change at City Hall
Read more here.
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