New Orleans voters to decide $510 million in bond measures

By Sabrina Wilson

Source: Fox 8

November 15, 2025

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – New Orleans voters will decide Saturday on three bond propositions that would allow the city to incur $510 million in debt for capital improvement projects — measures unrelated to the city’s current budget crisis.

The bond funding would go toward infrastructure, housing and drainage improvements across the city.

“I do know the infrastructure needs to be taken care of, especially the streets, because where I live it’s terrible,” said Charles Collins, a New Orleans resident and voter.

Resident Leonard Joseph, who also lives and votes in New Orleans, echoed that sentiment about city streets.

“They need that done very bad because I stay in New Orleans East and it’s terrible,” he said of the streets.

Proposition 1 would authorize the city to issue up to $45 million in general obligation bonds for the construction, renovation, acquisition, or improvement of affordable housing.

But the government watchdog, the Bureau of Governmental Research, opposes that measure.

“We really felt like it, for a whole bunch of reasons, wasn’t a good way to go, even as we recognize that housing is a very important issue for the community,” said Rebecca Mowbray, president and CEO of BGR.

Proposition 2 would allow the city to issue up to $415 million in bonds for infrastructure projects, including streets, city buildings, public safety facilities, parks and recreational facilities, and other improvements.

“This money would go toward essential projects to keep our city moving forward. There’s a wide variety of projects that are in all council districts across the city. When we looked at it, we felt like there was very good accounting built into this,” Mowbray said. “There is a set list of 128 projects that would be funded by this $415 million.”

Proposition 3 would let the city issue up to $50 million in bonds to improve the city’s drainage system and stormwater management facilities.

“People lose cars in a heavy rainfall, there are businesses and homes that flood, and things like that, and we really need to start making a difference on that. Just like with the infrastructure issue, there is good accountability on this,” Mowbray said.

If the drainage and infrastructure measures pass, Mowbray said the city should make project information accessible to the public.

“We are also calling upon the city to create a public-facing dashboard with this information, so it will increase public trust and that it’s easier for the residents of New Orleans to know where their money’s going,” she said.

If voters reject either of those two measures, Mowbray said, infrastructure improvements could be delayed.

“If voters say no to the infrastructure or the drainage proposition on Nov. 15, then the next time that these propositions or similar propositions can come back before voters probably wouldn’t be until 2027, and so there would be a bit of a delay in the work,” Mowbray stated.

Voters will also decide on a proposed charter amendment that emphasizes the city attorney is the legal representative for all of the city government and is independent.

BGR does not support that ballot item.

“We ultimately landed against it for several reasons. Number 1 is that we simply did not feel that it was necessary,” Mowbray said. “W looked up the language in the charter, it already says quite plainly that the city attorney works for all branches of government.”

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