# 2027 - Proposed Budget Hearings (Day 3)


**Body:** New Orleans City Council
**Date:** October 06, 2026
**Jurisdiction:** SLED

**Tags:** Construction & Infrastructure, Transportation, Physical Infrastructure, Grants & Funding


The New Orleans City Council’s Day 3 hearing on the proposed 2027 budget, held October 6, 2026, covered the five-year capital improvement plan and capital-project budgets. Twenty-seven agencies submitted 187 requests, including $774 million in self-generated requests—primarily from the New Orleans Aviation Board and French Market Corporation—and $3.5 million in intergovernmental requests, alongside federal grant requests. No bond funds were available for new allocations in the current CIP because existing bond proceeds were already assigned. The 2025 voter-approved $510 million bond program generated more than $154 million in its first sale in June 2026; the administration said it currently plans additional sales in 2028 and 2030. Staff recommended prioritizing maintenance and renovation projects and considering updates to the voter-approved project list for future sales. Council members discussed revising the CIP scoring matrix to better account for urgent operational and deferred-maintenance needs. A previously passed ordinance was noted that allows $2 million in capital funding to be transferred to DPW for drainage point repairs; no new procurement-related vote was taken during this hearing.

Procurement updates included specialty sidewalk work currently out for bid, a pavement-condition assessment vendor selected with contract negotiations underway, street projects for districts A and B out for bid, and additional district street packages expected to be advertised. Orleans and South Broad bridge projects were expected to go out for bid in Q4 2026. Lincoln Beach’s first construction package, for a parking lot, was in final negotiations, with contract routing anticipated by the end of October. Officials also reported four executed Gentilly Resilience District construction contracts and discussed using bond funds for eligible projects and associated staff costs. DPW described expanding in-house paving and electrical capacity while retaining contractors for specialized work. For publicly advertised contracts, officials said they intend to require 35% participation by disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs), a measure aimed at broadening local vendor participation. Capital Projects Administration also plans to expand use of Procore, currently supported by FEMA program administrative fees, for project and contract tracking.

**Source:** New Orleans City Council