2027 Proposed Budget Hearings (Day 7)

The New Orleans City Council’s Day 7 proposed budget hearing on October 21, 2026, focused on 2027 funding needs across the criminal justice system amid major deficits and expiring revenue sources. Criminal District Court said it faces an approximately $4.2 million deficit after prior cuts and depletion of reserves, and asked the city to restore funding; council members requested a revised estimate of the minimum funding needed. The court identified about $460,000 in capital expenditures for facility buildout and maintenance, and discussed contracted psychiatric, domestic-violence monitoring, audit, and legal services. The District Attorney and Public Defenders described the potential effects of further reductions on case processing, staffing, and jail-population reduction; no budget motions or votes were reported.

The Sheriff’s Office said its requested increase is about $17 million including medical services, or roughly $10 million without them, and emphasized the staffing and facility costs associated with opening Phase 3 of the jail. The existing medical-services contract expires in June 2027; the city’s CEO’s office and OPSO are preparing an RFI, with an RFP expected to follow. OPSO also cited a food-service contract of about $2.9 million and said it is assessing alternatives and plans to put the service out to bid; no vendor selection was announced. Other budget discussions included restricted reserves and jail repairs. Public Safety Support reported a proposed budget of about $3.37 million, a planned video-management platform upgrade and five additional public-safety cameras per council district, and savings from reducing Cox network costs and bringing one vendor-supported IT position in-house. No procurement awards or spending approvals were made during the hearing.