Public Works Action Plan
The Problem
New Orleans’ public works system is on life support.
Over decades, the city hollowed out in-house maintenance capacity and leaned more heavily on contracting systems that are slow, overloaded, and difficult to hold accountable.
Funding complexity and procurement bottlenecks have made the system worse.
Today, the city struggles to deliver routine work reliably and at scale.
Potholes take nearly a year to fix, streetlights stay dark for months, and residents experience constant disruption with little accountability.
The Solution
Rebuild the city’s ability to do essential work itself and raise the floor on performance across the contracting system:
Create rapid response city crews for potholes, streetlights, and drainage — staffed locally rather than contracted out.
Put benchmarks, deadlines, and penalties in every public works contract.
Pay invoices within 30 days to stabilize performance and stop project disruption.
Coordinate across Public Works, Sewerage & Water Board, and utilities so streets aren’t torn up twice.
The First 100 Days
TBD