Satellite government bodies doing just fine, not likely to return much money to city

By Ariella Cohen, The Lens staff writer |

As part of its annual budget review, the City Council heard presentations today from the dozen semi-autonomous agencies that manage New Orleans assets such as Piazza D’Italia in the Central Business District and, less glamorously, the city’s thousands of blighted lots. Though none of the entities depends on the tax dollars that go into the city’s general operating fund, their budgets must be approved by the council.