NEW ORLEANS — Last week, mayor LaToya Cantrell issued a statement, posted below, in response to the proposal put forward by hospitality industry leaders.
“I’m happy to see the industry leaders now acknowledging the importance of these issues, and I appreciate their proposal as a first step. But it is not adequate to the scale of our need. Calls to ‘make a plan’ are inadequate. We’ve had plans from the outset, from the Urban Water Plan to comprehensive drainage repair. What we need is revenue.
We need an additional $80-100 million dollars, annually, to address the needs of our city’s infrastructure. The well-being and the economy of our city, and the economy of our state, rely on an adequate infrastructure. Right now, it doesn't exist.
We’re not asking anybody for a favor. Last year, our people generated more than $200 million in hospitality revenue – but less than 10-percent of that came to the city. Seventy-percent of that $200 million went to just four hospitality agencies. We generated roughly $166 million of that in local lodging taxes alone – but less than 10-percent of the total came to the city to address our infrastructure needs.
Over the past year, this city has seen 18 million visitors. Only 1.2 million of those passed through the convention center.
I will continue to fight to get our people all that they deserve. This is our approach across the board. We’re establishing a new infrastructure fund to ensure all redirected revenue is allocated towards these vital infrastructure and maintenance needs. We look forward to working with all of our stakeholders to make this a win-win that benefits everyone.”