The New Orleans City Council adopted several measures on March 12 during its regular meeting, including the relocation of a polling place for the upcoming May 16 election in Ward 13, Precinct 8. The Council also passed resolutions addressing community solar project guidelines, property tax allocation, and transparency in water and sewer operations.
These actions are significant as they affect local voting access, renewable energy development, public funding distribution, and oversight of essential city services.
The Council approved Motion M-26-111 to move the official polling location from Milton H. Latter Memorial Library to Sophie B. Wright Charter School due to accessibility issues at the library caused by water damage and equipment failures. This change follows Louisiana law allowing emergency relocations with state approval.
In another measure, Resolution R-26-109 directs Entergy New Orleans (ENO) to submit updated guidelines within 45 days clarifying when Direct Transfer Trip (DTT) equipment is required for community solar projects. The current ENO policy requires DTT when distributed energy capacity exceeds five megawatts at a substation, which can increase costs and create uncertainty for solar developers. The Council has temporarily paused project deadlines for affected community solar projects while ENO reviews its standards.
The Council also adopted Resolution R-26-113 urging the Louisiana Legislature to review how property tax revenues are allocated to the Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office. Financial reports show that the Assessor’s revenues have consistently exceeded expenses, resulting in a large fund balance and annual surpluses over the past decade. The resolution asks lawmakers to consider a more equitable distribution of these funds among local entities.
Additionally, Resolution R-26-114 requests monthly operational and compliance updates from the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO). These reports will cover topics such as drainage pump status, infrastructure repairs, service disruptions, capital projects progress, federal consent decree compliance, and environmental incidents. The goal is to improve transparency and allow better monitoring of system performance by city officials.
During special recognitions at the meeting, ReNEW Moton Lakefront Middle School was honored for its athletic achievements; Holy Cross School’s wrestling team was recognized for winning its 29th state championship; Zeta Phi Beta Sorority’s local chapter was acknowledged on its anniversary; and WGNO’s Rick Erbach was celebrated upon his retirement after more than five decades in news.
