NEW ORLEANS – As Mayor LaToya Cantrell prepares to start her second time period in workplace, the City stays targeted on high priorities established by the Cantrell Administration in 2018 as part of the Strategic Framework. These priorities embrace approaching public security as a matter of public well being, bettering the high quality of life, investing in sustainable infrastructure, rising financial improvement alternatives in all areas of New Orleans, and spearheading tradition adjustments in City authorities.
“Throughout this first term in office, my administration prioritized implementing innovative solutions to efficiently enhance government operations and secure our fair share of state and federal resources to improve our City’s infrastructure,” stated Mayor LaToya Cantrell. “Although the years to follow incurred a number of monumental challenges and 17 emergency declarations, we were able to streamline and enhance City services and jump-start major sustainable infrastructure and affordable housing projects. As we look toward the future of New Orleans, we must remain vigilant in building our economy while continuing to invest in priorities that are critical to the growth and resiliency of our city and our people.”
In 2018, Mayor Cantrell prioritized administering unexpended funding for highway and drainage repairs as part of the Joint Infrastructure Recovery Response (JIRR) program. The infrastructure crew targeted on bettering coordination between the Sewerage & Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) and the Department of Public Works (DPW), which drastically accelerated roadwork throughout the town utilizing JIRR funds. Additionally, the administration labored to streamline City service provisions and procedures extra effectively, invested in new public security and reasonably priced housing initiatives, developed youth programming, and inspired the beautification of New Orleans neighborhoods by means of the CleanUpNOLA initiative.
Several new workplaces have been established to fulfill the wants of residents whereas addressing persistent points within the metropolis. These efforts included the creation of the Mayor’s Office of Transportation, Office of Youth and Families, Office of Utilities, Office of Gun Violence Prevention, Office of Business and External Services and Office of Human Rights and Equity.
2018 Achievements
- The New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (NOHSEP) secured a $37K Hazard Mitigation Grant Program for a Flood Response Preparation bundle.
- NOHSEP accomplished the Grid Analysis and Design for Energy and Infrastructure Resiliency for a New Orleans research in partnership with Sandia National Laboratories.
- NOHSEP secured Hazard Mitigation funding for a City Park inexperienced infrastructure venture.
- The Office of Neighborhood Engagement launched Community Office Hours to extend group consciousness of City packages and to provide direct entry inside neighborhoods.
- The CleanUpNOLA marketing campaign was launched as a significant precedence of the Administration to encourage resident purchase-in for a cleaner, more healthy metropolis, and as a high quality-of-life initiative encompassing instructional parts.
- More than $10 million was awarded to 9 housing organizations to construct 504 rental items at a mixed whole quantity of $118 million.
- The City opened its 100-mattress Low Barrier Shelter that gives 24-hour entry for homeless people, and intensive placement companies for fast rehousing, everlasting supportive housing and different lengthy-time period housing options.
- The Office of Economic Development (OED) launched the $5 million BuildNOLA remobilization mortgage fund to extend entry for native Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) to inexperienced infrastructure and highway tasks.
- LM Wind Power, a GE renewable power enterprise, introduced its growth on the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans East, main the best way within the City’s transfer to broaden renewable energy era.
- The City kicked off Phase II of the $9.5 million Bourbon Street roadwork redevelopment venture.
- The Department of Sanitation accomplished the next, manually cleansing 4,000 miles of main thoroughfares, clearing 2,000 dumping websites and eradicating 48,000 tires from these websites, and recycling greater than 7,000 tons of things, which equates to City price financial savings of $230K.
- The institution of the Office of Youth and Families (OYF) offered City oversight of the New Orleans Recreation Development (NORD) Commission, Juvenile Justice Intervention Center and the New Orleans Public Library. OYF labored to remodel circumstances on the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center by bringing in new management, ensuing in a number of enhancements together with a big discount in the variety of important incidents.
In 2019, Mayor Cantrell led the trouble to go the Fair Share laws, a historic settlement with the State to assist finance infrastructure packages, producing $50 million in a single-time funding and $27 million in recurring {dollars}. The City additionally developed the Strategic Framework budgeting course of and efficiency administration instrument to trace City companies achievements. The Framework addressed the considerations of residents by means of months of public engagement and recognized public security as a main concern. As a consequence, citywide useful resource leveraging prompted a 20 % discount within the homicide fee, representing a historic low for New Orleans Police Department (NOPD). In addition, the Orleans Parish Communications District (OPCD) consolidated 911 and 311 companies to enhance effectivity, making 311 obtainable to residents 24 hours a day, seven days every week.
Demonstrating fiscal duty and stabilization, the City acquired an upgraded bond ranking from A2 to A3 in lower than a 12 months from Moody’s Investors Service. This improve resulted in the initiation of a $500 million bond sale for infrastructure work and the creation of extra reasonably priced housing initiatives, saving the City roughly $900K yearly.
Several sobering challenges prompted emergency declarations in response to Hurricane Barry, the Hard Rock Hotel collapse and the Cyberattack by the tip of 2019.
2019 Achievements
- The Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice Coordination secured and allotted $6.6 million in state, federal and personal grant funds to implement jail discount packages that safely scale back the jail inhabitants, and to deal with underlying psychological well being and substance use points that generally contribute to crime.
- The City partnered with Odyssey House Louisiana to open a Sobering Center to offer a short lived location for inebriated people to sober up, as an alternative choice to jail or a hospital.
- The Mayor’s Office of Housing Policy and Community Development (OCD) acquired $24.5 million in Community Development Block Grant funding for rental housing in New Orleans.
- The City’s Soft Second Mortgage Program assisted 44 recipients, expending $1.5 to assist first time owners.
- OED allowed small companies and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) to take part within the public bid course of for contracts valued at $20K to $5 million because the prime contractor, eradicating the limitation of solely qualifying as sub-contractors.
- The Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development offered over 1,300 new job seekers with employment and coaching companies, of which 71 participated within the STRIVE work readiness program.
- The City accomplished absolutely reconstructing the floor and sub-floor utilities within the 500-800 blocks of Bourbon Street, which yielded enhanced public security, a rehabilitated sewer system, upsized drainage and ADA-compliant curb ramps.
- DPW accomplished 26 capital tasks valued at $112 million, eradicating litter from 3,276 miles, clearing 1,317 unlawful dumping websites and eradicating 27,676 waste tires.
- The City continued the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) and HUD National Disaster Resilience Program tasks, which encompass the $15.5 million Pontilly Neighborhood Stormwater Network. This community will retailer practically 9 million gallons of stormwater and scale back flooding of as a lot as 14 inches of rainwater throughout a ten-12 months rain occasion.
- The City launched the design of extra than $85 million in tasks by means of the Gentilly Resilience District (Mirabeau Water Garden, St. Anthony Green Streets, St. Bernard Campus, Blue & Green Corridors, Dillard Wetlands, Pontilly Dwyer Canal).
- The SWBNO was chosen for a $111 million federal Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) mortgage to fund the complete rehabilitation of New Orleans’ sanitary sewer system.
- The Mayor’s Office of Transportation facilitated the award of $3.7 million for the Union Passenger Terminal enhancements with NOBC and the Regional Planning Commission.
- NOHSEP expanded the lively shooter preparedness program and carried out 38 trainings, workouts and threat assessments for group companions similar to non-revenue organizations, faculties, hospitals, libraries and religion-primarily based communities.
- NOHSEP put in 104 new neighborhood public security cameras throughout the town and accomplished the set up and commissioning of the Automated Flood Warning System.
- NOHSEP was awarded $12.4 million in Flood Mitigation Assistance Funds for 52 houses and awarded Flood Mitigation Assistance funds to raise the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club lounge.
- NOLA Ready launched particular occasion notifications for the general public by e mail and emergency textual content alerts and launched routewise.nola.gov.
- NOLA Ready elevated emergency textual content alert subscribers and on-line engagement by practically 45 % in 2019.
- The New Orleans Health Department (NOHD) partnered with Tulane University to acquire roughly $500K in grant funding to concentrate on integrating trauma-knowledgeable college approaches in native constitution faculties and $8 million for HIV companies.
- The Office of Youth and Families secured $1.5 million for early childhood schooling.
In 2020, the Board of Liquidation approved the City of New Orleans to promote greater than $300 million in bonds to help infrastructure upgrades because of the City’s fiscal duty and administration. However, the primary COVID-19 instances in New Orleans have been recognized in March and resulted in a full metropolis shut down due to the shortly spreading virus amongst residents and nationwide. This devastated the native economic system, inflicting substantial job loss, enterprise closures and hardships, and a short lived halt of in-individual companies.
The administration transitioned its main focus from infrastructure packages and different priorities to slowing the unfold of the COVID-19 and rising instances and deaths throughout the metropolis. The City misplaced greater than $150 million in income and was pressured to institute a short lived worker furlough. Severe price range cuts throughout departments have been carried out, which led to excessive uncertainty. The City utilized obtainable assets from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act handed in response to the financial fallout to implement initiatives to proceed offering City companies. The City additionally launched the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), three federal mass testing websites and spearheaded a mass group feeding program in partnership with NOLA Ready, amongst others.
2020 Achievements
- NOHSEP launched the first-of-its-type COVID-19 mass feeding program at a price of $18 million, serving greater than 11,000 residents in partnership with 80 native eating places.
- NOHSEP started pandemic operational coordination with PPE and testing websites.
- NOHSEP up to date the City’s Hazard Mitigation Plan and secured practically $11 million in grant funding for mitigation planning, residential elevations and public infrastructure tasks.
- NOHSEP efficiently engaged non-revenue catastrophe companions in COVID and hurricane response, receiving and managing donations valued at greater than $5 million.
- NOHSEP put in 65 new City-owned public security cameras, integrating over 50 privately owned cameras by means of the SafeCam Platinum partnership program.
- NOHSEP created the NOLA Ready Volunteer Corps, a volunteer group for catastrophe response. In 2020, 800 new volunteers skilled and volunteered for COVID, hurricanes, and different public security actions.
- NOHSEP accomplished the set up of the ALERT Flood Warning System and established actual-time knowledge sharing between the City’s Flood Warning System, the National Weather Service and the Sewerage and Water Board.
- The City launched the Emergency Rental Assistance program, which offered greater than $8.4 million in rental funds for Orleans Parish residents and established the $1.5 million Small Landlord Emergency Grant Program, which assisted as much as 100 landlords and stabilized housing for 500-700 households.
- The Mayor’s Fund, Forward Together New Orleans, raised practically $183K for added rental help to make sure all residents remained safely of their houses in the course of the pandemic.
- The New Orleans Business Alliance, the City’s accredited financial improvement group, launched the Gig-economy Workers Relief fund, elevating $1.5 million in aid {dollars} to distribute.
- OED led the creation of a brand new parklet allow program and dedicated over $250K for grants to help the creation of out of doors eating areas in sidewalk cafes, off avenue parking heaps and parklets to permit eating places to proceed to function.
- The Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy launched the Embrace the Culture Series as a digital platform to showcase greater than 200 native artists and supply a chance for them to earn income whereas reaching wider audiences. The sequence garnered greater than 100K social media interactions.
- Film New Orleans hosted 131 tasks, bringing a whole of $414 million in income to New Orleans.
- The CEO Returning Stimulus (CRS) program, supported by the Office of Criminal Justice Coordination (OCJC), distributed $1.61 million to only over 800 returning residents to stop, put together for and reply to the pandemic.
- The Project Delivery Unit (PDU) Sustainable Infrastructure program managed $208 million in hazard mitigation and catastrophe resilience tasks.
- The Youth Master Plan was launched as a complete, ten-12 months roadmap to enhance youngster nicely-being in New Orleans.
- The Office of Youth and Families (OYF) produced a knowledge guide/fiscal map and was third within the nation to supply a complete toolkit documenting youngster nicely-being and the City’s investments in youth. OYF additionally raised over $4 million to fund COVID aid and restoration companies similar to immigrant money help, entry to toddler and maternal hygiene merchandise, youth housing help and know-how gadgets for distance studying.
- OYF doubled the City’s funding in early childhood schooling from $1.5 million to $3 million to offer early studying seats for revenue eligible households with 0–3-12 months-olds.
- As a part of the CleanUpNOLA initiative, the Department of Sanitation cleared greater than 2,000 unlawful dumping websites and eliminated greater than 36,802 waste tires.
- Twenty-five capital tasks at a price of $41.2 million have been accomplished, together with the McCue Playground Restroom and Concessions Building, Lafitte Greenway Shelter, Parks and Parkways Greenhouses, NOFD Engine 36, Allie Mae Williams Multiservice Center, OPP Docks Renovations and the Eastshore Playground Multi-Purpose Building.
- DPW issued 72 development Notices to Proceed (NTPs), with an estimated worth of $390 million, and instituted know-how-pushed administration of catch basins which has resulted in cleansing 6,175 catch basins.
- The Neighborhood Navigators program was launched by the Office of Neighborhood Engagement and the Orleans Parish Communications District (OPCD) to help residents with understanding assets similar to CARES Act advantages (housing, PPP, unemployment advantages), contact tracing and tax help.
- The City’s Regional Transit Authority (RTA) secured greater than $64 million in grants.
- The Mayor’s Office of Transportation accomplished the New Orleans Citywide Bikeway Blueprint to information each an preliminary 75-mile buildout and an extended-time period citywide community.
In 2021, the City expanded a number of packages using further federal grants made obtainable to help residents in the course of the ongoing pandemic. The City expended $40 million in rental help to households and landlords to keep away from mass evictions. When the COVID-19 vaccine was obtainable, the City partnered with the Louisiana National Guard and Department of Health, and area people pharmacies to present vaccines to Orleans Parish residents. The City additionally partnered with LCMC Health to open a mass vaccination web site at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and introduced the youth vaccination initiative by means of a $90K funding from philanthropic companions in collaboration with CrescentCare and NOLA Public Schools. By the tip of the 12 months, 73 % of the overall inhabitants had been vaccinated (over 91 % of adults), and 48 % of the youth inhabitants had been vaccinated.
2021 Achievements
- The Mayor’s Office launched the City AmeriCorps VISTA venture, which offered over 20 full-time staff utilizing federal grant funding.
- The Office of Gun Violence Prevention launched its inaugural Barbers and Beauticians Collective to attach barbers and beauticians with group members to cut back violence.
- NOPD carried out a new promotions process and have since promoted 16 Captains, 5 Lieutenants and 17 Sergeants. Four further promotions have been processed upfront of the brand new process.
- NOPD reported the removing of 1,950 unlawful weapons from the streets of New Orleans and solved 16 chilly case homicides with an total murder remedy fee of 50 %.
- As part of Mayor Cantrell’s $77 million mid-12 months price range changes, funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was allotted to deal with important working wants targeted on enhancing public security companies to deal with crime and implement new public security initiatives.
- NOHSEP secured $20 million in new grant funding for residential elevations and flood mitigation tasks.
- NOHSEP refined emergency plans with a selected concentrate on City-Assisted Evacuation (CAE) and created a centralized registration course of for CAE which was examined with a purposeful train. NOLA Ready developed volunteer trainings for CAE and skilled roughly 500 NOLA Ready volunteers on CAE operations.
- The roughly 4,000-member NOLA Ready Volunteer Corps spent greater than 15,800 hours collaborating in COVID, Hurricane Ida and different public security actions.
- NOHSEP efficiently engaged non-revenue catastrophe companions in COVID and Hurricane Ida response, offering practically 200,000 meals instantly following the storm.
- NOHSEP put in 20 new City-owned public security cameras, whereas integrating 35 privately owned cameras by means of the SafeCam Platinum partnership program.
- Through the Office of Cultural Economy, the City partnered with the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund (NOTCF) to present $1.1 million in grants to native tradition bearers.
- The Crescent City Card program was launched in partnership with Mastercard, MoCaFi and Forward Together New Orleans to offer entry to banking, monetary literacy, and centralized entry to City companies.
- More than 900 reasonably priced housing items have been constructed, and 600 items are presently beneath development because of funding offered by the City of New Orleans.
- The City was additionally awarded $10 million in federal {dollars} from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the improvement of a further 504 reasonably priced housing items with a mixed whole improvement price of $118 million.
- A Notice of Funding Availability was issued for $7 million in reasonably priced housing improvement, and the City has allotted $7.6 million for down cost help for homeownership programming. Seventy-one owners acquired down cost help in 2021.
- Approximately $9.2 million has been expended to broaden and rehabilitate homeless shelters, making 350 new beds obtainable together with expanded help companies.
- OCD created a $2 million Hurricane Ida Insurance Deductible Program, serving 200-300 households to cowl insurance coverage deductibles.
- The City invested over $1 million in funding to create different detention packages and supportive companies for system-concerned youth. These packages embrace the Summer Success and Pathways program, Evening Reporting Center, and the Intensive In-Home and Supervision Program.
- The City continued to make investments in early childhood schooling, reaching $3 million in funding to offer a complete of 500 early studying seats for 0–3-12 months-olds.
- OYF launched a pilot assured revenue program to present 125 alternative youth with $350 a month for ten months.
- The State introduced future plans to construct the Louisiana Space Campus on the Michoud Assembly Facility. The Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded the New Orleans Business Alliance and the Beach (Research and Technology Park) at UNO $1.3 million to develop a Biotech Lab on the UNO campus, which is anticipated to create over 30 jobs.
- OED introduced redevelopment plans for the Six Flags web site, the Naval Support Activity, West End and NASA/Michoud. The City has additionally accomplished the engineering and environmental evaluation of Lincoln Beach with plans to redevelop the positioning.
- The Office of Business and External Services (OBES) created satellite tv for pc workplace hours at central places, making public-going through companies extra environment friendly, clear and efficient.
- The Office of Historic Preservation opened 242 violation instances within the French Quarter alone, which resulted in fines of over $330K.
- The Office of Workforce Development offered over 900 new job seekers with employment and coaching companies and positioned over 800 job seekers in employment.
- The Office of Workforce Development secured a $2.9 million federal CAREER grant for employees and job seekers affected by COVID.
- The Mayor’s Office of Transportation helped go Regional Transit Authority (RTA) fare construction adjustments, decreasing journey prices and creating new passes for youth and seniors.
- The City accomplished the $15.5 million Pontilly Neighborhood Stormwater Network. This community will retailer practically 9 million gallons of stormwater and scale back flooding of as a lot as 14 inches of rainwater throughout a ten-12 months rain occasion.
- In November 2021, Mayor Cantrell signed an ordinance establishing extra stringent duty requirements for potential City contractors.
- The City handed an ordinance that might deputize civilian staff of some City departments to challenge citations for sure high quality of life municipal violations.
- The New Orleans Health Department (NOHD) acquired a profitable re-accreditation, which is from the completion of a 5-12 months planning course of to offer the very best degree of certification for a Health Department.
The Cantrell Administration will proceed to concentrate on important priorities that may create an improved high quality of life for the residents of New Orleans. By implementing extra progressive initiatives and increasing upon these outlined in the course of the first time period, the City stays dedicated to creating higher outcomes for people and households.
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