Editorial: The Times-Picayune makes these recommendations on New Orleans city charter changes
By Staff Editorial
Source: The Times-Picayune | Nola.com
October 17, 2024
Voters in New Orleans will see two proposed city charter amendments on the Nov. 5 ballot, with early voting beginning Friday. Here are the Times-Picayune’s recommendations.
Home Rule Charter Amendment No. 1: No
The bad news is that New Orleans has a housing affordability crisis. Census data show that more than half of renters and 30% of homeowners struggle to afford a place to live, and with skyrocketing insurance premiums and other headwinds, the problem is getting worse.
The good news is that the City Council is vowing to tackle the problem. Here’s where things get a little complicated.
One approach, which is on the Nov. 5 ballot, is a charter change that would dedicate the equivalent to 2% of the city’s general fund — currently about $17 million — to housing-related initiatives, including building new affordable units and rehabbing existing rental stock, in perpetuity.
The other exists in an ordinance that the council has passed, which would take effect should the ballot measure fail. It would put $20 million into a similar fund to start, and the figure would rise with inflation. Unlike the charter change, existing federal funding that currently equals about $15 million could theoretically count toward this amount.
Council member Lesli Harris, the charter change’s sponsor, points out that her approach would take future funding out of the political process and send a needed message to developers that the city is making a long-term commitment.
We appreciate those arguments and the desire to make sure the investment sticks. But given the menu of choices, our preference is addressing the issue with the ordinance, rather than a charter change.
This approach would give future councils more room to maneuver if circumstances change. We’ve seen at the state level that the use of dedications can create other problems, and we’d hate to see the city go down that road. The Bureau of Governmental Research, which opposes the charter change, notes that while other cities have enacted similar housing initiatives, a charter dedication would make New Orleans an outlier.
Also, by keeping housing funding within the political process, voters can continue to make their preferences felt, and the council can enact the best safeguards and provisions from the charter amendment without going to voters.
A ”no” vote is not a vote against affordable housing. It’s a vote for a more flexible approach toward funding it.
Home Rule Charter Amendment No. 2: No recommendation
This amendment would add a “worker bill of rights” to the city charter, specifically one statement supporting a fair, living wage and another the right to workplace safety. These statements would carry no force of law. They cannot be the basis of a lawsuit or lead to a higher minimum wage within city limits; only the Legislature can raise the minimum wage, and it has consistently refused to do so.
The two statements would extend an existing list of ten items already enshrined in the “municipal bill of rights,” which include the right to dignity, free assembly and honest government, as well as a disclaimer saying these rights cannot be legally enforced.
City Council President Helena Moreno, who worked with the community organizing group Step Up Louisiana to put the measure on the ballot, called the statements “aspirational.” She said there’s a growing interest in using the charter’s bill of rights to make clear that the generally progressive city has different priorities than the increasingly conservative state government.
We agree with the sentiments expressed in this question, but as a matter of governance, we’re not inclined to recommend adding unenforceable language to what is essentially the city’s constitution. Because this amendment would have no practical effect, we take no position.
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