Economic Development

Essential Elements for Economic Development Incentive Programs

On April 4, 2024, BGR provided research-based guidance to New Orleans City Council leaders as they review economic development incentive programs. Our letter to the council president and vice president draws on our extensive body of work on property...

BGR Examines December 5 New Orleans Property Tax Propositions

OVERVIEW On the Ballot: New Orleans Property Tax Propositions, December 5, 2020 analyzes three propositions to replace several City of New Orleans property taxes that expire at the end of 2021. The replacement taxes would have the same combined...

Pausing the Convention Hotel Deal to Reassess and Reduce Costs

OVERVIEW Conventional Wisdom: Pausing the Convention Hotel Deal to Assess the Pandemic’s Impact and Reduce Public Costs calls for reassessing the hotel project’s feasibility and reducing the cost of the public’s contributions.

2019 Jefferson Parish Council Candidate Q&A

Overview Questions for a New Parish Council is the second in a two-part 2019 Candidate Q&A Election Series providing the views of candidates for Jefferson Parish government on important public policy issues, such as tax dedications and contracting. Questions...

2019 Jefferson Parish President Candidate Q&A

Overview Questions for a New Parish President is the first in a two-part 2019 Candidate Q&A Election Series providing the views of candidates for Jefferson Parish president on important public policy issues affecting Parish government. Questions for a New...

BGR Analyzes the Orleans Parish Hotel Tax Structure

Overview In this report, BGR compares Orleans Parish hotel taxes to best practices for taxation as well as state and national norms, focusing primarily on the share of revenue available for general municipal purposes.

BGR Questions Consultant’s Analysis of Convention Hotel Project

Overview Today, BGR releases an open letter to the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The letter sets forth BGR’s concerns about a Convention Center consultant’s recent analysis of the feasibility and economic impact of a proposed 1,200-room...

Public Contributions to Convention Hotel Demand Scrutiny

OVERVIEW In this report, BGR provides an analytical framework for evaluating the necessity and size of a private development team’s requested public contributions to design, build and operate a 1,200-room hotel attached to the New Orleans Ernest N Morial...

From Answers to Action: Post-Election Policy Making

OVERVIEW This report is the latest installment in BGR’s Candidate Q&A Election Series. The new report consolidates and reissues the responses of the newly elected City of New Orleans mayor and councilmembers who completed BGR’s surveys last fall on...

2017 Candidate Q&A Election Series: New Orleans

Overview For the October 14, 2017 primary elections in New Orleans, BGR provided voters with its 2017 Candidate Q&A Election Series. BGR submitted questions to all mayoral and City Council candidates on public safety, infrastructure and other important public policy...