This year, the Louisiana Legislature approved major changes prompting New Orleans leaders to evaluate how the Sewerage & Water Board (S&WB) should be governed. The newly formed Public Utility Modernization Process Subgroup (PUMPS) is currently advising the mayor, City Council, and the Infrastructure Coordinating Council as the City assumes local control. To help inform PUMPS’ work, BGR sent the advisory group a summary of 15 years of S&WB governance research and offered to discuss the findings with the group.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
PUMPS is considering several important questions:
- Should the S&WB remain a separate utility or eventually become part of City government?
- How should the City Council exercise its expanded oversight authority under Act 938?
- What governance and accountability structures would best support utility performance?
These decisions will shape how New Orleans manages water, sewer and drainage in the future and will directly affect how these services function for residents.
WHERE BGR STANDS
BGR has traced most of the S&WB’s problems to misalignment among who runs the facility, who controls its funding, and who’s accountable for the results. While legislative changes open the door to resolving these issues, BGR is urging a stronger review of funding requests, ongoing performance oversight, and planning that starts now.