Meanwhile, the federal government classified New Orleans as a SEAR 1 high-threat zone following the attack. That level usually brings money. This time, we got advice and recommendations without a single reimbursement dollar attached.
We also never received a federal disaster declaration for the January snowstorm. Without that, we did not qualify for FEMA reimbursements either. City officials say that funding would have required state leadership to step in. They did not.
Now the Council, including the mayor-elect, has just six weeks of budget hearings to figure out how to pay city workers, keep essential services running, and still honor campaign promises. A final budget must be passed by December 1. No excuses.
My Take: This Ain’t Just Bad Math. It Is Priorities.
Let’s be real. When it comes to money in New Orleans, race, class, and power always sit at the center of the table. The folks who actually make this city run are constantly told to survive on whatever crumbs fall from it.
This deficit did not just magically appear. Decisions were made. Choices were taken. Opportunities to secure federal support slipped by.
Yet the same city that claims it is broke somehow finds ways to fund consultants, contracts, incentives, and pet projects. That is not a coincidence. That is a structure.
A structure that says:
• Working class Black communities must pay more and receive less.
• Corporations get favors while regular folks get fines.
• Public safety and city services only matter once a crisis hits.
New Orleans does not have a budget problem. New Orleans has a priority problem.
If leaders truly cared about this city’s people, the budget would reflect that. Money would show up where the labor, culture, and survival actually come from. Invest in the citizens. Not only in the celebrations built off them.
Some of these councilmembers acting shocked is wild to me. This is literally their job: monitor spending, prevent this exact situation, and hold the administration accountable. You mean to tell me nobody noticed the pot running dry until November? Chile please. 🙄
Meanwhile:
• Sewerage & Water Board still owes the city tens of millions.
• Major corporations can operate without paying what they owe.
• City workers are expected to trust the same folks who let this mess slide.
If any one of us missed a tax payment, we would be penalized immediately. Yet millions go uncollected and unaccounted for, year after year, with zero consequences.
Election season came and went. Everybody knew the truth. They just waited to speak it once it was politically convenient.
Yes, the mayor shares responsibility. She was not the only one in the room. Both sides have fingerprints on this. That cookie jar been open.
LASTLY:
New Orleans deserves transparency. New Orleans deserves accountability. New Orleans deserves leadership that does not gamble with our future.
This city is pure brilliance and culture with receipts that stretch generations. We built this. We sustain this.
A balanced budget requires a balanced vision.
One that values the residents who carry this place on their backs every single day.
Keep your eyes open, New Orleans. Stay vocal. Stay watching. We not going for quiet failure anymore. 👀🔥
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