Friends,
You may have seen recent news of the New Orleans City Council adopting the Mayor’s proposed budget. I am writing before Thanksgiving to emphasize what government did for the people we represent. The Council and the Mayor worked together to increase critical City services without increasing the City’s millages.
In politics, there is a tendency to speak in broad strokes. The details matter in this case. There were 90.69 millages belonging to the City and City-related entities before this year’s property assessments. After skyrocketing assessments, those millages were rolled back by law to 86.09. The question then was how to upgrade City services without rolling the overall millage rate above 86.09.
To answer, we needed to be creative, work collaboratively, and make some difficult choices. We had to strike the right balance of ensuring the most vital public services were funded (drainage, public safety, and early childhood education) while keeping the City and the City’s related millages at 86.09. This budget accomplished exactly that.
As always, I appreciate the ongoing dialogue, insight, and support received from District A residents and businesses during the budgeting process. Together, we are improving City government. My goal is to find common-sense solutions to tough problems. We did that here.
If you would like a more detailed explanation of the budget (the next District A newsletter will be solely dedicated to this topic) or to connect on another issue with my Council office, please call (504) 658-1010 or email Joseph.Giarrusso@nola.gov.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Sincerely,
Joe
Joseph I. Giarrusso III
New Orleans City Councilmember, District A
Paid for by The Campaign to Elect Joe Giarrusso
