Mayor-elect Helena Moreno will inherit a city government faced with staffing shortages, aging infrastructure, cumbersome procurement policies and outdated software, according to a transition report commissioned by Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s administration.
The 442-page report, which Cantrell’s team provided to Moreno’s transition team earlier this month, is based off of interviews with department leaders and provides a snapshot of the opportunities and challenges that Moreno will confront when she takes over at City Hall on Jan. 12.
The report comes as Moreno prepares to introduce a budget proposal for 2026 that’s expected to include more than $200 million in spending cuts, a reorganization in City Hall departments, and a reduction in the city’s number of unclassified staff. Moreno has said she’ll unveil the framework for that budget in the coming days. The council must approve the spending plan by Dec. 1.
The report, produced by the consulting firm Plante Moran, offers a department-by-department summary of city operations and also details the immediate decisions that Moreno must make upon taking office, like how much to pay supplemental law enforcement agencies for help during Mardi Gras.
It also highlights a lengthy list of accomplishments of Cantrell’s tenure, including reductions in violent crime, expansions in mental health programs, and progress on roadwork.
In a statement about the transition report, a spokesperson for Cantrell said that Chief Administrative Officer Joe Threat has been working on the “transition for several months and will continue regular conversations and coordination with Mayor-elect Moreno’s team.”
Renee Lapeyrolerie, executive director of Moreno’s transition team, said the team is grateful for the information.
“Our policy committees are doing the hard work, digging into the details, meeting with every department, and actively listening to diverse perspectives,” she said. “Their goal is to thoughtfully consider what they learn and put forward sound, actionable recommendations that will help guide the Moreno administration from Day 1.”
Staffing shortages
Citywide staffing shortages have hurt city services and increased reliance on costly contractors, the report notes.
In the Department of Public Works, “staff struggle to currently meet the demand for services, especially for maintenance and during emergencies.” In the Law Department, understaffing is a “significant challenge,” when it comes to keeping up with public records requests. And the Department of Code Enforcement needs 20-30 more inspectors, researchers, and administrative staff to reach “full staffing levels,” according to the report.
Recent freezes on overtime spending and new hires have also put a strain on city services. The city’s Emergency Medical Services said it’s operating with just 60% of the staff it needs. Fire Department personnel were helping EMS backfill vacancies on ambulances, but that stopped after overtime spending was restricted.
The Sanitation Department highlighted an increase in staffing during Cantrell’s administration, from 57 positions in 2018 to 78 positions in 2025, but officials said that “vacant essential positions exist.”
The requirement that city workers live in New Orleans also came under scrutiny in the report. New Orleans Public Library leaders said the rule has put them at a disadvantage with Jefferson Parish, which doesn’t have such a requirement and, unlike New Orleans, offers annual raises.
Staffers at the Office of Information Technology & Innovation recommended funding more “high-level technical positions” to reduce reliance on costly contractors.
Old infrastructure, tech
Aging city buildings and equipment have left many departments struggling with high maintenance costs, and a lack of funding for preventative work has resulted in more expensive emergency repairs, the report also notes.
“Many city facilities require maintenance that departments have not been able to keep up with and the lack of departmental funding inhibits the ability to perform all necessary corrective actions,” according to the section of the report dedicated to the Department of Property management, which manages city property.
The city’s aging vehicles also mean increased “maintenance costs and results in operational downtime,” the report notes, especially for public safety departments.
The Fire Department said City Hall needs to come up with a plan to purchase new firetrucks. Without it, department leaders said the city’s fire protection rating, issued by the Property Insurance Association of Louisiana to evaluate a community’s fire protection capability, could suffer. That could cause property insurance costs for residents to rise.
Several departments also said the city needs to speed up its procurement process and highlighted shortcomings in the city’s software.
At the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center, the city’s juvenile jail, procurement delays, “especially during emergency procurement,” threaten to put the facility “out of compliance” with statutory requirements, the report notes.
The city’s IT staffers said a lack of integration between BRASS, the city’s procurement platform, and other data systems “limits visibility into (the city’s) full financial picture.”
Money problems, City Hall revamp
Department leaders raised numerous concerns about funding challenges as officials mull sharp budget cuts in an attempt to address the city’s $160 million deficit estimated this year.
Code Enforcement, for example, said “less funding will impact the department’s availability to support ongoing code compliance, demolitions, lot abatements, graffiti removal, and right-of-way abatements.”
At the Juvenile Justice Intervention Center, “budget constraints” have made the center “unable to fully operate and have “greatly diminished” programs for youth, “increasing the risk of recidivism.”
Department leaders also flagged diminishing revenues from federal grants as the Trump administration has paused multiple programs.
At the Health Department, which receives 70% of its funding through grants, a grant that funds 15 employees from the Centers for Disease Control will expire in the next couple of years, according to the report.
Several departments recommended that the next administration consider reestablishing a grants department.
The report also offered several ideas on how to reorganize City Hall, which Moreno has said she plans to do to save money and “create efficiencies.” She has said she plans to cut appointed positions.
Health Department officials suggested Moreno reestablish a Department of Human Services “to consolidate existing relevant offices while adding capacity.”
IT staffers said the next administration should create a dedicated cybersecurity civil servant team and also increase salaries to compete with the private sector for top talent.
The Office of Economic Development said the incoming administration should consider creating a new economic development corporation.
Other officials urged the new administration to push departments to a better job at collaborating with each other.
Alice J. Roden started working for Trending Insurance News at the end of 2021. Alice grew up in Salt Lake City, UT. A writer with a vast insurance industry background Alice has help with several of the biggest insurance companies. Before joining Trending Insurance News, Alice briefly worked as a freelance journalist for several radio stations. She covers home, renters and other property insurance stories.