While city officials struggle to tame blight, a key piece of the administration’s strategy – selling seized property at sheriff’s sale – has been hampered by the Clerk of Court’s computer crash, now in its second month.
Posted inCriminal Justice
City Council may downgrade pot possession, other charges
The City Council is set to ease the punishment for some misdemeanors in an effort to unclog the city’s jails and courts.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Council raises taxes, trash fee; further trash hike on the way
In approving a 2011 budget today, the deadline set by the City Charter, the council scaled back the 8.74 mill tax increase sought by Mayor Mitch Landrieu.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Public gets one chance to talk about proposed tax increase
For the first time since Mayor Mitch Landrieu proposed raising property taxes to balance the city’s 2011 budget, the tax-paying public on Wednesday will have a chance to weigh in on the issue.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Council not likely to produce budget for one last look
The New Orleans City Council has failed to accommodate a request by an open governance group to turn the city’s budget over a few days early so the public can scrutinize last-minute changes.
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
It’s nice to see conservatives standing up for our freedoms
Despite a painfully embarrassing incident at an airport scanner checkpoint, I’m still not totally on board with the sudden backlash against the new security procedures, which strikes me as oddly timed and perhaps disingenuous.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
As budget deadline nears, city gets a bit more money
With a week to go before the City Council must approve the city’s 2011 budget, New Orleans’ chief economist has revised his revenue estimates to project $1.74 million more going to the city next year than previously thought.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics
Sheriff convinces jail group to back off of demolitions
Despite an apparent agreement last week to drastically reduce the size of the city’s jail complex, Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman on Monday bristled at any decision now that he be required to demolish jail cells in the future.
Posted inCriminal Justice, Government & Politics, Investigations
Despite greater detail, Sheriff's budget continues to be opaque and mysterious
No public agency’s budget is a bigger source of intrigue in New Orleans than Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman’s.
Posted inCriminal Justice
Gusman to get 1,438 beds in exchange for major closures; community input Monday
Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman is close to getting his desperately sought-after city approval to build a new jail facility – but it comes with a major catch.