On Friday, October 15th, Mayor Landrieu and his team presented the 2011 budget to the City Council.
This year, the budget process is being approached in a new way:
- Mayor Landrieu delivered the 2011 Budget to the Council two weeks earlier than usual;
- There was increased communication between the Mayor and the Council during the preparation of the proposed 2011 Budget;
- There will be more frequent meetings of the Revenue Estimating Conference in order to have an accurate idea of City revenues for the purpose of keeping expenditures in line;
- The Mayor held ‘Budgeting for Outcomes’ town hall meetings in each Council District to gauge the needs of each District in order to establish priorities within the Budget;
- The Mayor did not present the 2011 Budget by department as is common practice, but rather by result area. Therefore, he is asking the Council to look at the broader picture and ask goal-oriented questions rather than specific line-item questions;
- The Council will publicly vet the 2011 Budget differently as well. The Budget Committee will convene with whatever Council Committee is appropriate to hear that budget item, thus keeping track of the big picture. For example, when the Budget Committee reviews Public Safety, the Criminal Justice Committee will also be present.
Through the end of November, the Council will hold public hearings to vet the proposed budget. Click on my calendar for the budget hearing schedule. To read the Mayor’s proposal, click below.
