New Orleans Chamber Annual Meeting Focuses on City Budget. Photo by Kelly Hite.
NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Chamber of Commerce marked a year of expanded programming and member engagement at its 2025 Annual Meeting, held Dec. 12 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, highlighting 113 events in 2025 that drew more than 7,050 attendees. Chamber members represent more than 1,400 companies and approximately 140,000 employees across
NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Chamber of Commerce marked a year of expanded programming and member engagement at its 2025 Annual Meeting, held Dec. 12 at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, highlighting 113 events in 2025 that drew more than 7,050 attendees. Chamber members represent more than 1,400 companies and approximately 140,000 employees across the region.
“We believe a healthy community starts with healthy businesses,” said Sandra Lombana Lindquist, president and CEO of the New Orleans Chamber.
Lombana Lindquist, who also serves on Mayor-elect Helena Moreno’s transition committee, introduced a panel discussion featuring Mayor-elect Helena Moreno, City Council President J.P. Morrell, and District A City Councilmember Joe Giarrusso who will serve as the city’s incoming chief administrative officer (CAO).
Confronting the City’s Budget Shortfall
Addressing the city’s budget challenges, Moreno said the administration faced an immediate cash-flow issue that required the use of a revenue anticipation note to ensure payroll obligations were met.
“The city has to get approval from the state bond commission,” Moreno said, adding that her prior experience in the Louisiana Legislature, along with Morrell’s, helped facilitate coordination with state officials to achieve this positive outcome.
Moreno said the budget she inherited included across-the-board cuts of roughly 30 percent. “That’s like taking a chainsaw to the budget,” she said. “We knew that we needed to be more surgical.”
She said maintaining funding for essential services was a priority. Moreno thanked those who donated to the transition team because it meant they were able to retain outside financial advisors to help prepare the 2026 budget. “I can tell you that without the advisors at PFM, there’s no way we would have ended up with the budget that we have now,” Moreno said.
Although Mayor LaToya Cantrell vetoed the 2026 budget on Dec. 12, the City Council is expected to consider an override at its next regular meeting on Dec. 18.
Giarrusso described the urgency of the situation following Moreno’s election.
“The election for our new city leaders was on Oct. 11 and on Oct. 12 Helena was calling and saying hey, we have a budget crisis and this needs to be fixed right now,” Giarrusso said. “The victory was the night before and the next day she was getting down to work.”
He said the inherited budget projected $950 million in expenditures against $725 million in revenues.
“As a history major even I know that doesn’t add up,” Giarrusso said. “The Mayor-Elect looked through the budget and said these are the things that have to be funded: NOPD, fire, EMS, infrastructure, sanitation, safety and permits – the things that matter to residents and businesses.”
Home Rule Charter Amendment
Chairing the panel, Lombana Lindquist asked about a proposed amendment to New Orleans’ Home Rule Charter expected to go before voters in spring 2026. The amendment would seek to clarify the mayor’s authority to veto the city budget and the City Council’s ability to override that veto following recent budget disputes.
Morrell said he discovered key differences between how the city’s budget operates compared to the state’s process.
“The way our Charter is written, there’s an extensive process on how and when a budget must be passed, but there is this catch-all language which says that after the budget is passed, the Mayor and CAO can do what is necessary to essentially reconcile the budget,” Morrell said. “The way that has been interpreted since time immemorial is to turn the budget into a giant suggestion.”
He said that interpretation has allowed funds to be shifted without clear alignment to adopted priorities.
“For example, the NOPD was budgeted for 1,200 officers which it never hit so when they were running overtime higher than what was expected, they would simply take the unfilled vacancies and back-fill the overtime,” Morrell said. “That made the numbers work but it didn’t show the public or the council what the overtime spend was.”
Morrell also cited the city’s handling of FEMA-funded road repairs, in which New Orleans advanced millions of dollars from the general fund to pay contractors while federal reimbursements were delayed.
“That was $120M,” Morrell said. “The money was being spent but it’s not money that was budgeted so this led to a complete collapse of the budget.” He said the proposed charter amendment would simply hold the City of New Orleans—like every other legislative body—to operating within its adopted budget.
Economic Development, Including New Orleans East
Moreno also said she is continuing the search for a deputy mayor of economic development. “I am still looking for a Deputy Mayor of Economic Development,” she said. “You all in this room may have ideas as to who would be the right person.”
She said the role will focus on major redevelopment and infrastructure projects, including Charity Hospital, the BioDistrict, the River District and the Port of New Orleans, while also prioritizing growth opportunities in New Orleans East.
“I need this person to really hyper-focus in on how we provide more opportunities in New Orleans East,” Moreno said. “How do we improve businesses there, how do we capture opportunities coming in from the Port, how do we capture opportunities around our culture, how do we make sure that young people getting an education here are able to stay here, how do we work with Delgado, with workforce opportunities?”
Moreno said the position will play a central role in shaping the city’s economic future. “I do believe that if we get the right person in place, then the opportunities we will be able to provide in this city are endless,” she said.
Chamber Leadership and 2026 Priorities
Shelina Davis, 2025 Chamber chairwoman and president and CEO of the Louisiana Public Health Institute, said the Chamber plans to relaunch its Government Affairs Committee in 2026 and invited members to share feedback on priorities via QR code, with early responses emphasizing infrastructure, public safety, insurance and education.
She said those priorities will be examined by the Government Affairs Committee to create action items around addressing them.
In addition, those priorities will be carried forward by a new slate of Chamber leadership in 2026, including Chairwoman Elizabeth Ellison-Frost of Chalmette Refining–PBF Energy, Vice Chairman Peter Boylan, Treasurer Amy Boyle Collins, Secretary Anthony LaMothe and Government Affairs Chair Ryan Rodrigue.
Dr. Teamer Award
The Chamber concluded the meeting by presenting the Dr. Teamer Award to Anthony LaMothe of Anthony LaMothe Photography. The award recognizes individuals who demonstrate leadership rooted in equity, fairness and inclusivity while making meaningful economic and social contributions that advance the city.
Happy 504 Day! 🎉
Order a full year of local stories,
delivered to your door.
Limited time offer. New subscribers only.
Follow the issues, companies and people that matter most to business in New Orleans.
