NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans City Council today passed an ordinance resetting the city’s sanitation fee for the first time since 2011 while implementing major reforms to create a more accurate, accountable and financially sustainable sanitation system.
Under the approved fee structure, residential customers currently billed for sanitation service will see an $8.25 monthly increase. The new fees largely close the sanitation services deficit, which was $24 million in general fund dollars last year.
The fee reset comes at the end of a six-month review ordered by Mayor Helena Moreno to audit and validate sanitation and parcel data, including a requested and ongoing audit of service locations conducted by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor. So far, as a result, the city has saved more than $3 million in costs and removed thousands of ineligible addresses.
During this ongoing review, ratepayers will only pay costs of billed service locations. This approach avoids placing the cost of potentially inaccurate service records on residents while the City completes its reconciliation.
The updated sanitation fee and law completes a number of major reforms:
- Creation of a new City Sanitation Strike Team to respond to and clean up illegal dumping on an expedited basis.
- Enhance litter-abatement enforcement to ensure eligible properties are properly billed.
- Retain the option to receive a free second trash cart if requested by any customer.
- End sanitation deficits by establishing an annual inflation adjustment so future fees better track the cost of sanitation services.
- Continue to support curbside solid waste collection, disposal and recycling.
The City expects to complete its current reconciliation efforts and establish permanent new processes by March 2027, creating a more accurate, accountable and financially sustainable sanitation system.