Mayor Cantrell kicks off series of community meetings in support of tax reallocation for parks

By Nicholas Reimann, Uptown Messenger

Mayor LaToya Cantrell took her administration’s push at reallocating property taxes for parks to the grassroots level Thursday, Feb. 7, speaking to a group of mostly supportive residents at a meeting at Lyons Recreation Center, asking them to approve a May 4 ballot measure doing so. It’s the first of five meetings the mayor plans to attend as she seeks campaigns for a $20 million millage reallocation that would affect city funding for the Audubon Commission, the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission, the Department of Parks and Parkways and City Park — the latter of which looks to get city funding for the first time in its 169-year history. Cantrell’s meeting Thursday was held in City Council District B, and directed at residents living there. She’s expected to attend four more meetings this month — one in each of the other City Council districts.

Mayor to hold meeting on parks millage

Mayor LaToya Cantrell and parks officials are holding a community meeting on the citywide parks and recreation millage proposal on Thursday, Feb. 7. The District B meeting will be held in the from 6 to 7 p.m. in the Lyons Recreational Center, 624 Louisiana Ave. The millage is reallocation of current property tax money for Audubon to include City Park, Parks and Parkways and the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission. Voters will decide May 4 whether to approve the city proposal to shift the current allocation of over $20 million in property taxes used to fund parks and recreation, which would notably provide City Park with city funding for the first time in its 169-year history.

Uptown bars help New Orleans win the Boycott Bowl (Photos)

On Sunday, Feb. 3, almost all of New Orleans boycotted the Super Bowl in one fashion or another, after the Saints were kept from the big game thanks to a missed call by the referees in the NFC Championship game against the Los Angeles Rams. For many, boycotting the game was more fun than watching the game. Among the Uptown venues hosting boycott events, Dat Dog threw a block party, Kingpin had a second line and Tracey’s served seafood. The boycott put a large dent in local viewership of the Super Bowl with a 26.1 rating. Nationally, the game’s viewership was the lowest since 2009 with a 44.9 rating.

Who Dat Nation files class-action lawsuit against NFL

Story by Kristine Froeba

Saints fans have filed a lawsuit in state court to compel the commissioner of the National Football League, Roger Goodell, to apply implement Rule 17, Section2, Article 1 and 3, which gives the commission the power of “reversal of the game’s result or rescheduling a game either from the beginning or the point in which the extraordinary act occurred.”

The suit is in direct relation to the NFL’s referee’s no-call, or refusal to flag, a PI, or pass interference, and helmet-on-helmet violation — witnessed by over 30 million people during Sunday’s Divisional game between the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Rams.

Civil District Court in New Orleans, located on Poydras Street, has published a copy of the lawsuit on its online database, and local attorneys are already discussing the outcome. The caption of the lawsuit reads:
Badeaux, Tommy, New Orleans Saints Ticket Holders, New Orleans Saints National Fan Base a/k/a the Who Dat Nation versus NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, et al. An observation by New Orleans attorney Duris Holmes is that the NFL’s attorney is usually the same attorney retained by the Bensons and the Saints football team. A Writ of Mandamus was also filed, “a writ directing a public officer or a corporation or an officer thereof to perform” certain duties. That duty for a corporation includes, “the performance of other duties required by the corporate charter or bylaws,” as explained by leading attorney Duris Holmes via social media.

Public pushes city officials about funding proposal for Audubon and City Park

By Nicholas Reimann, nreimann@theadvocate.com

A community meeting Monday night on the proposed parks and recreation overhaul brought out numerous questions, comments and criticisms from the public, as city officials faced a skeptical crowd trying to defend a proposed reallocation of tax dollars. Voters will decide May 4 whether to approve the city proposal to shift the current allocation of over $20 million in property taxes used to fund parks and recreation, which would notably provide City Park with city funding for the first time in its 169-year history. One concern not present Monday night was of the threat of higher taxes, though, as the current 6.31 mill rate would stay the same. Still, many questioned the wisdom of how the city plans to use their money. “What is the justification for continuing to give money to Audubon?” asked David Newman, a resident of Mid-City.

Tulane alumni donate $1 million to men’s basketball program

As Tulane men’s basketball team looked to get back on track in search of its first league win of the season, it gained a major win from some former students. Tulane almuni Avron B. Fogelman (Class of 1962) and Wendy Mimeles Fogelman (Class of 1963) have given $1 million to support Tulane University men’s basketball, the university announced. The gift, which reflects the Fogelmans’ commitment to student-athlete success on and off the court, establishes the Fogelman Life Preparation Program, which will teach life skills, financial training, career coaching and student success to men’s basketball players, and also supports an altitude chamber for the team. “I want to do all I can to see the Tulane basketball players enjoy a productive and successful life after playing basketball at Tulane. We owe them no less,” said Avron Fogelman, whose name is synonymous with Tulane men’s basketball.

Forum to answer questions about plan to overhaul park and recreation funding

Voters in May will decide on milestone changes to how the city funds and operates its public recreational spaces. To give New Orleanians a clearer understanding of how these cherished city services could be overhauled, the Carrollton Area Network is holding a public forum Jan. 14. Presenters from the Audubon Institute, the New Orleans Recreation Development
Commission, Parks and Parkways and New Orleans City Park will discuss at a forum moderated by Keith Twitchell of the Committee for Better New Orleans. The ballot proposal would give City Park its first dedicated millage while reducing the millage for Audubon Park by nearly half.

Mayor and officials from NORD, Audubon, City Park tout plan to reallocate millage

Voters will decide in May whether the city will move forward with an ordinance to reallocate taxpayer revenue for park spaces. The ordinance does not include any tax increase for residents; it will rebalance revenue to help improve city services while bringing revenue to parks. The proposal would adjust the millage rates for Audubon Commission, the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission and Parks and Parkways in part to allow City Park to finally receive dedicated funding. The oversight for the city’s park and recreation assets would also be unified under the cooperative plan. “This vote represents a milestone in creating equity for our public spaces and rethinking how we allocate our tax revenue,” said Mayor LaToya Cantrell in a press release.

Referendum to reallocate Audubon’s tax revenue headed for May 4 ballot

New Orleans voters will decide in May whether to reallocate a portion of the tax money now dedicated to the Audubon Commission, giving the zoo and aquarium long-term but sharply reduced funding, the New Orleans Advocate reports. The millage would be extended for 20 years and would cut Audubon’s tax intake to provide more money to the Department of Parks and Parkways, the New Orleans Recreation Development Commission and City Park.