Bureau of Governmental Research raises concerns over proposed recovery district for New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board
By Erin Lowrey
Source: WDSU
April 2, 2024
NEW ORLEANS — The Bureau of Governmental Research is raising what they call significant concerns with a proposed plan to overhaul the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board.
Gov. Jeff Landry appointed a task force to create a plan to fix decadeslong issues with the utility in New Orleans.
The task force released its plan last week, which called for a Recovery District to oversee the utility for a two-year period.
The suggested 11-member board would be created by the legislature and replace the Sewerage and Waterboard Board of Directors.
The letter states that the proposed 11-member board would face a steep learning curve regarding how the utility is run.
The letter says that the current board has years of experience governing the utility and that momentum could be lost in the overhaul.
Other issues brought to light in the letter include the city losing control, which could lessen the council’s ability to hold the utility accountable for performance problems.
BGR suggested that the council work with the legislature to establish legal authority over the handling of the utility’s funding proposals as well as a framework for oversight of the utility.
The BGR also recommended that the council review its funding process so that an independent expert deals with funding requests and provides opportunities for public comment.
The letter suggests that the comprehensive oversight includes regular reviews of strategic and financial reports, updates on operations, regular monitoring of performance and goals that have measurable outcomes.
Through this process, the BGR said it hopes the council can hold the utility accountable for performance and keep the S&WB effective in its operations.
Fair Use Notice
This site occasionally reprints copyrighted material, the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We make such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of issues and to highlight the accomplishments of our affiliates. We believe this constitutes a “fair use” of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is available without profit. For more information go to: US CODE: Title 17,107. Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond “fair use,” you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.