City of New Orleans, LA
11/21/2024 | Press release | Archived content
CITY OF NEW ORLEANS ADOPTS $1.8 BILLION 2025 BUDGET
November 21, 2024 | From City of New Orleans
CITY OF NEW ORLEANS ADOPTS $1.8 BILLION 2025 BUDGET
NEW ORLEANS - The City of New Orleans today adopted a $1.8 billion budget for the 2025 fiscal year focused on advancing public safety, public health, infrastructure, and economic development, while driving technological innovation and enhancing the quality of life for all residents. The 2025 budget consists of $878 million from the General Fund and Priority Multi-Year Projects Fund, and $904 million from other sources including grants, intergovernmental transfers, and special funds. The total budget includes approximately $130 million in obligated but unspent federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
"It takes a village and the spirit of working together to make sustainable investments in our most important resource, and that is the people of New Orleans," said Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
The 2025 budget includes continued retention payments to law enforcement officers, a key factor in reducing the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) attrition by 50 percent and driving a 43 percent decrease in violent crime. Funds will also enable the NOPD Crime Lab to train staff and acquire the necessary equipment for the reinstatement of DNA testing by 2027. Nearly $1 million will be dedicated to programming and resources to support victims of crime.
"The adoption of the 2025 budget is the result of a thoughtful, collaborative, and detailed process," said Chief Administrative Officer Gilbert Montaño. "Thanks to strategic and prudent fiscal stewardship over the past few years, we are able to move forward in 2025 with a budget that fully supports the agencies delivering essential public services while also investing in opportunities to drive economic growth in our communities and key priority sectors."
Additional funding will advance public health initiatives with proven success, including the Office of Violence Prevention, the non-violent alternative dispatch Mobile Crisis Intervention Unit, and the universal postpartum home visiting program, Family Connects New Orleans.
The Administration remains committed to supporting unhoused residents through its historic homelessness prevention efforts. In 2025, over $18.3 million will fund the Low Barrier Shelter, a Housing Navigator Pilot Program, additional outreach specialists, and rapid rehousing and shelter support services, ensuring continued progress in providing direct-to-housing solutions and comprehensive case management for those experiencing homelessness.
A significant portion of the 2025 budget will continue investments made in improving resident quality of life and basic service delivery. Annual General Fund budget increases were appropriated to the Departments of Public Works and Property Management, which are vital to maintaining the City's public assets, allowing them to both address existing issues and implement upgrades to improve overall infrastructure functionality and resilience.
The Department of Code Enforcement will continue its blight fighting initiatives, clearing backlogs and improving demolition timelines. Over $55 million will fund contracts for solid waste and recycling collection, and the Department of Sanitation will launch a pilot waste tire bounty program to mitigate illegal dumping of tires.
Several catalytic economic development projects will receive funding, including redevelopments of the Naval Support Activity East Bank facility, Charity Hospital, and the former Six Flags site. These investments will be vital to encouraging necessary private sector investment and achieving the City's economic development and affordable housing goals.
"From basic quality-of-life needs, to working on large-scale economic development projects, to funding interventional services, to allocating money to all aspects of public safety, I thank Mayor Cantrell, her administration, and my colleagues for working together to improve the lives of all New Orleanians through the 2025 budget," said Budget Chair and District A Councilmember Joe Giarrusso.
The City will continue to modernize and streamline its enterprise technology by implementing systems for asset management, document management, and the transformational Criminal Justice Technology Modernization Program.
Despite facing numerous challenges, including ongoing economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, and nationwide hiring shortages, the City has maintained a resilient and stable fiscal position. The 2025 budget reflects the Cantrell Administration's continued commitment to strategically deploying public resources to move New Orleans forward and deliver results for its residents.
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