New Orleans budget chair shares concerns over mayor’s proposed budget cuts; City says initial presentation numbers were incorrect [Video]

The New Orleans City Council discussed Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s 2025 budget on how the city should spend $1.8 billion. The mayor said the proposal aims to combat aid disappearing from the pandemic and rising costs.How the budget process works is the mayor and CAO present the proposed budget, but the City Council will debate it and could even reshape the budget in the coming weeks. One of the concerns starting from Day 1 is the cuts to Safety and Permits and Code Enforcement.According to the mayor’s initial budget proposal presentation, Safety and Permits’ budget is getting lowered by 45% and Code Enforcement by 45%.”Safety and Permits and Code Enforcement check all of those boxes, and you see that they have a 40% or 45% reduction in their budget that sends up a lot of red flags,” said City Council budget chair Joe Giarrusso. Giarrusso says it’s something they will be …