Mayor LaToya Cantrell.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cAs we welcome a new year and a second term, it is critical that we accomplish what we set out to do from the beginning. The COVID-19 pandemic had an adverse impact on our economy and our people. Now is our time to rebuild with innovative approaches that will provide better opportunities for people to thrive in our great city.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Cantrell Administration\u00a0implemented\u00a0significant\u00a0programs to\u00a0continue to\u00a0support residents\u00a0by standing\u00a0up mass testing and vaccination sites, increasing\u00a0funds\u00a0available\u00a0to assist with outstanding rental payments\u00a0and utility bill assistance, providing\u00a0New\u00a0Orleans\u00a0Tourism and\u00a0Cultural\u00a0Fund (NOTCF) grants\u00a0to cultural bearers and\u00a0launching\u00a0the Crescent City\u00a0Card\u00a0program.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Residents also experienced severe\u00a0damages to homes and businesses and the entire city lost power due to the impact of\u00a0Hurricane Ida.\u00a0As\u00a0the post-storm and pandemic\u00a0recovery continues,\u00a0public health\u00a0and safety, the\u00a0quality of life for residents, infrastructure\u00a0projects,\u00a0the\u00a0expansion of affordable housing,\u00a0incentives\u00a0for youth and families,\u00a0embracing\u00a0New Orleans\u2019\u00a0cultural economy\u00a0and increasing economic development\u00a0opportunities\u00a0in all areas\u00a0of\u00a0the city\u00a0remain among a\u00a0critical\u00a0list of priorities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2021, the City received over $35 million from the U.S.\u00a0Department of\u00a0Treasury\u00a0to provide critical funding for\u00a0emergency\u00a0rental,\u00a0utility and legal\u00a0assistance.\u00a0These\u00a0programs served\u00a0over 8,000 tenants and landlords\u00a0in Orleans\u00a0Parish and\u00a0led to the City\u2019s recognition\u00a0as\u00a0a top performer\u00a0in the country in terms of dispensing\u00a0the available federal dollars\u00a0to residents affected by the pandemic.\u00a0In addition, the Board of Liquidation\u00a0and City Debt\u00a0authorized the\u00a0sale of\u00a0more than $300 million in\u00a0General Obligation Bonds\u00a0following the 2019 voter-approved\u00a0amendment to fund long-term capital projects. This\u00a0is the largest, one-time\u00a0new money tax-exempt bond sale in the City\u2019s history.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Public\u00a0health and\u00a0safety\u00a0departments\u00a0continued their focus of\u00a0managing the\u00a0COVID-19 pandemic\u00a0response\u00a0as they\u00a0coordinated\u00a0with\u00a0local,\u00a0state and federal\u00a0medical\u00a0agencies\u00a0to keep residents safe by implementing\u00a0protocols and coordinating testing and vaccination activities.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Public Health: COVID-19 Response\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\nThe City of New Orleans\u00a0implemented\u00a0systems to\u00a0slow the spread of Coronavirus\u00a0that included\u00a0stay-at-home orders,\u00a0business closures, mask mandates and\u00a0critical protocols and safety mitigations\u00a0that remain\u00a0in place.\u00a0More pandemic response strategies were implemented in 2021:\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n- The New Orleans\u00a0Health Department\u00a0partnered with the Louisiana\u00a0Department of Health, LCMC\u00a0System and other medical agencies to\u00a0stand\u00a0up the\u00a0mass vaccination site at Ernest N.\u00a0Morial\u00a0Convention Center.\u00a0The Department also coordinated\u00a0additional sites for testing and vaccine distribution with the Louisiana National Guard.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The\u00a0City\u00a0of New Orleans\u00a0was one of the first\u00a0government\u00a0agencies\u00a0to require\u00a0vaccines\u00a0for all\u00a0City\u00a0employees and\u00a0has achieved\u00a0one of the\u00a0highest municipal vaccination\u00a0rates in\u00a0Louisiana and nationally.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- A\u00a0Youth Vaccination\u00a0Initiative\u00a0was launched through\u00a0$90K\u00a0in\u00a0investments\u00a0from philanthropic partners in collaboration with\u00a0CrescentCare\u00a0and NOLA Public Schools.\u00a0These strong\u00a0mitigation measures and robust testing\u00a0requirements\u00a0from NOLA-PS\u00a0have\u00a0kept schools open in 2021,\u00a0lessening\u00a0possible\u00a0academic\u00a0and social losses\u00a0for\u00a0school-aged\u00a0children.\u00a0<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- These programs were critical in keeping residents safe and instrumental in achieving a\u00a063.8 percentile of completed vaccinations for the City\u2019s total population;\u00a080\u00a0percent of adults have been fully vaccinated.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- More than\u00a011,000\u00a0volunteer hours were spent on COVID-19 vaccine outreach, distribution and patient support.\u00a0<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- More than\u00a031,000\u00a0doors were knocked\u00a0on\u00a0by volunteers and community partners to combat vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.\u00a0<\/li>\n
\n<\/ul>\n
Public Safety\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\nThe\u00a0New\u00a0Orleans\u00a0Police\u00a0Department (NOPD)\u00a0completed three (3) academy\u00a0recruit classes,\u00a0hiring\u00a043\u00a0new\u00a0police officers. The Department also\u00a0promoted\u00a044\u00a0officers and\u00a0expects to initiate a total of\u00a0160\u00a0promotions by the end of the\u00a0year.\u00a0As a part of Mayor Cantrell\u2019s\u00a0$77 million\u00a0mid-year budget\u00a0adjustment,\u00a0funding\u00a0from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA)\u00a0was allocated to\u00a0address critical operating needs focused on enhancing public safety services to address crime\u00a0and\u00a0implement new public safety initiatives. They also focus on restoring government operations impacted by revenue shortfalls and\u00a0launching\u00a0initiatives that improve the quality of life for residents.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n- This year,\u00a0$34\u00a0million\u202fhas been invested in programs\u00a0by the\u00a0City\u00a0to\u00a0help reduce violent crime.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The\u00a0City\u00a0created more than 19 programs and offices to help reduce crime through holistic methods, including the Mayor\u2019s Office of Youth and Families and Office of Gun Violence Prevention.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The recently launched\u00a0Violent Crime Abatement Investigation Team (V-CAIT) and District\u00a0Community Action Teams (D-CATs)\u00a0helped\u00a0achieve a homicide solve rate\u00a0of 50\u00a0percent\u00a0as of December 2021.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The Office of Criminal Justice Coordination continues to work with reentry partners and service\u00a0providers\u00a0to ensure access\u00a0to necessary\u00a0resources.\u00a0Over $6\u00a0million\u00a0in grants for justice agencies and community stakeholders\u00a0was secured, in addition to $3.5 million\u00a0from City bonds that will fund\u00a0the construction of the\u00a0firing\u00a0range.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The City also\u00a0broke ground on the\u00a0NOPD\u00a04th District Station.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- Approximately\u00a01,950\u00a0illegal guns\u00a0were apprehended\u00a0and\u00a016 cold case homicides\u00a0were solved.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- NOPD promoted\u00a016\u00a0Captains\u00a0for the first time\u00a0since Hurricane Katrina.\u00a0<\/li>\n
\n<\/ul>\n
Affordable Housing\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\nThis year, the Mayor\u2019s Office of\u00a0Housing Policy and\u00a0Community\u00a0Development\u00a0allocated\u00a0approximately\u00a0$33 million for emergency rental assistance\u00a0to help residents navigate\u00a0the pandemic. The\u00a0City\u00a0also\u00a0received\u00a0an additional\u00a0$9.5\u00a0million from the U. S. Department of Treasury allocated to the\u00a0City\u00a0after being recognized as a high performer.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n- The\u00a0City\u00a0hosted nationally recognized\u00a0Community-Based\u00a0Rental Assistance Events to assist tenants and landlords, that provided in-person assistance to obtain this funding.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- Over 900 affordable housing units\u00a0were\u00a0produced in 2021\u00a0as a result of\u00a0funding provided through the City of New Orleans; 600 units are currently under construction.\u00a0<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The City was awarded\u00a0$10\u00a0million\u00a0in federal\u00a0dollars\u00a0to fund housing development that will produce an additional\u00a0504 affordable housing units with a combined total development cost of $118\u00a0million.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- A Notice of Funding Availability\u00a0was\u00a0issued for $7\u00a0million\u00a0in\u00a0affordable housing development.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The City has allocated\u00a0$7.6 million\u00a0for down payment assistance\u00a0for homeownership\u00a0programming;\u00a071 homeowners received down payment assistance in 2021.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- Approximately\u00a0$9.2 million\u00a0has been\u00a0expended\u00a0by the City\u00a0to expand and rehabilitate homeless shelters;\u00a0350 new beds\u00a0were made\u00a0available along with\u00a0expanded support services.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The Office of Housing Policy and Community Development created a\u00a0$2\u00a0million\u00a0Hurricane Ida Insurance Deductible Program\u00a0that\u00a0served\u00a0200-300 households.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The City of New Orleans\u00a0and First Circuit Court received a\u00a02021 Innovation Award for the City’s Eviction Diversion Program.\u00a0<\/li>\n
\n<\/ul>\n
City Services<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\nDuring the pandemic,\u00a0the\u00a0City\u00a0waste management contractors experienced a decline in the number of employees. This led\u00a0to\u00a0a backlog in collecting trash from households in both service areas.\u00a0Mayor Cantrell spearheaded the combining of several City departments into one major solid waste collection operation to immediately solve this problem.\u00a0The solid waste industry labor shortage is a national crisis that\u00a0continues to impact cities across the\u00a0country.<\/p>\n
\n- After Hurricane Ida, the\u00a0City\u00a0initiated Operation Mardi Gras, mobilizing laborers and heavy equipment from multiple departments and partner agencies to pick up municipal solid waste.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The Office of Business and External Services created\u00a0satellite\u00a0office\u00a0hours\u00a0at\u00a0central locations, making\u00a0public-facing\u00a0services more efficient, transparent and effective.\u00a0<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The\u00a0Office of Performance and Accountability\u00a0conducted a comprehensive, data-driven audit of Department of Safety & Permits inspectors and inspections and\u00a0developed a Grass Cutting Dashboard to track Chapter 66 cases\u00a0to\u00a0increase transparency about the City\u2019s grass cutting program.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The Office of\u00a0Historic\u00a0Preservation opened 242 violation cases in the French Quarter alone, which\u00a0resulted in fines of over $330K.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The Office of\u00a0Economic Development\u00a0led\u00a0the\u00a0redevelopment of major projects on behalf of the\u00a0City, including\u00a0future development of the\u00a0Six Flags\u00a0site, NSA, West End and NASA\/Michoud.\u00a0<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The\u00a0Office of Workforce Development provided over 900 new job seekers with employment and training\u00a0services and\u00a0placed over 800 job seekers in employment.\u00a0<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The\u00a0Office of Workforce Development secured a $2.9 million federal CAREER grant\u00a0for\u00a0workers and job seekers affected by COVID.<\/li>\n
\n<\/ul>\n
Infrastructure<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\nThis year, the City\u2019s Department of Public Works continued the Joint Infrastructure Recovery Response (JIRR) program, in partnership with the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO), to fix surface\u00a0and subsurface roads throughout New Orleans. The City plans to begin more than $1 billion in additional projects within the next year with funding allocated from a $300 million bond sale and dollars expected as a part of the $1.2\u00a0trillion\u00a0Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA).\u00a0These projects will include sustainable storm water management and broadband access\u00a0projects. In addition to the federal Act, President Biden visited the SWBNO facility to highlight it as a prime example of a facility that is in dire need of infrastructure upgrades.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n- SWBNO\u00a0received a Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan for $275 million.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- SWBNO used $700K\u00a0in Fair Share\u00a0one-time funds to winterize and maximize capacity of\u00a0turbine 6,\u00a0which\u00a0brings power to the sewerage and water system.\u00a0<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- Mayor Cantrell signed a Responsible Contracting Law that establishes policy to implement more stringent responsibility standards for prospective City contractors.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- Capital Projects completed 12 projects at a value of $52.6\u00a0million\u00a0that include the\u00a0NOFD Multi-Station Phase I\u00a0and Administration Headquarters Phase I,\u00a0Municipal Yacht Harbor Marina\u00a0and Administration Building,\u00a0Citywide Emergency Generator Transfer Switch Installations and Temporary Municipal and Traffic Court (at the Old VA Hospital Building).<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- Project Delivery Unit (PDU) Sustainable Infrastructure managed $208\u00a0million\u00a0in hazard mitigation and disaster resilience projects.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The Office of Transportation relaunched the Blue Bikes share system\u202fahead of schedule\u202fwith a\u202f500-bike\u202ffleet.<\/li>\n
\n<\/ul>\n
Youth and Families<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\nMayor Cantrell created the Office of Youth and Families\u00a0(OYF)\u00a0to support systems-level change for vulnerable\u00a0families.<\/p>\n
\n- The department was organized to connect schools and community organizations\u00a0to\u00a0spearhead\u00a0out-of-school-time enrichment.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- This department\u00a0led child tax credit and emergency broadband informational campaigns to increase enrollment.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The department\u00a0raised over $100K\u00a0to vaccinate 1,110 total youth\u00a0during\u00a0NORD summer camp\u00a0sessions\u00a0and\u00a0in partnership with\u00a0NOLA\u00a0Public Schools.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- OYF authored a citywide youth master plan which contains a comprehensive set of recommendations\u00a0for\u00a0free transit for youth, increased investments in early childhood education and afterschool programming and expanded access to career and technical education opportunities.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The administration created alternative-to-detention and workforce development programs for over 200 system-involved youth. These include the Summer Success and Pathways program, Evening Reporting Center and the Intensive In-Home and Community Supervision Program.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The City maintained its investment in the City Seats Program at $3 million to fund 200 early learning seats for 0\u20133-year-olds.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The City received a $433K\u00a0grant to fund a citywide parks and recreation master plan beginning in 2022 and\u00a0received a $500K\u00a0grant from Mayors for Guaranteed Income to provide direct cash payments for ten months to 125 opportunity youth.\u00a0<\/li>\n
\n<\/ul>\n
Economic Development<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\nOne of the\u00a0primary\u00a0focuses of the Cantrell administration has been to restructure the way we invest and grow our local economy.\u00a0This year, the City\u00a0continues\u00a0to nurture emerging industries\u00a0that\u00a0assist\u00a0culture bearers\u00a0in\u00a0building\u00a0wealth, such as the\u00a0food and music industries.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n- Big Easy\u00a0Bucha\u00a0recently announced their acquisition by\u00a0Beliv, which includes an expansion in their facility and more\u00a0available\u00a0jobs.\u00a0<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The City\u2019s\u00a0AmeriCorps VISTA project\u00a0provided\u00a0more than\u00a020 full-time jobs supported by a\u00a0federal grant.\u00a0<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The Office of Economic Development spearheaded the Parklet Pilot program that converted street space into outdoor dining for restaurants\u00a0in response to the\u00a0COVID-19 pandemic.\u00a0<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The\u00a0City\u00a0put out an RFP for the redevelopment of the Six Flags site and selected Bayou Phoenix to develop the area that has been blighted since Hurricane Katrina. This proposal includes plans for a sports complex, hotel, logistics center and much more.<\/li>\n
\n<\/ul>\n
Cultural Economy<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\nThe\u00a0Mayor\u2019s\u00a0Office of Cultural Economy\u00a0has created\u00a0opportunities for artists to elevate their work virtually and established the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund (NOTCF) to support their work.\u00a0Cultural Economy\u00a0has also created\u00a0opportunities and systems that enable true economic activity and growth for cultural stakeholders.<\/p>\n
\n- The\u00a0City partnered\u00a0with\u00a0NOTCF\u00a0to\u00a0provide $1.1 million in\u00a0grants\u00a0for\u00a0culture bearers.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The City\u00a0hosted\u00a0$753\u00a0million\u00a0in production in the first three quarters.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- Along with partners, the Office of Cultural Economy created\u00a0virtual concerts and programming\u00a0called \u201cEmbrace the Culture\u201d\u00a0during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns to help artists maintain income sources.<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- The Office of Business and External Services, along with the Office of Cultural Economy, is creating the Office of Nighttime Economy, which will give a voice to and elevate industries such as music clubs, bars, restaurants and\u00a0other\u00a0venues that drive our tourism industry and its revenues.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n
<\/p>\n
- In 2021, the Office of Cultural Economy has given out $130K\u00a0in grants to 40 organizations\/initiatives.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n
\n<\/ul>\n
# # #<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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