Roadmap

SUMMARY OF MAJOR RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Streamline the structure and management of city government to improve and modernize the delivery of services. 
• Overhaul the Sewerage & Water Board; make it a national model of excellent customer service, management and technology. 
• Give the Chief Administrative Officer of city government clear authority and responsibility to manage day-to-day operations of city government. 
• Reform the civil service system so that department managers have the flexibility to administer and reorganize their agencies to ensure the most efficient delivery of city services. 
• Make the City Attorney the city’s lawyer, not just the mayor’s lawyer. 
• Strengthen coordination of city agencies and officials in two key areas: public safety and infrastructure. 
• Upgrade and centralize technology and innovation in city government. 
• Require full transparency in city government and service delivery; residents must be able to tack all city work being done.
•  Improve the city’s issuance of permits and licenses. Other cities have done it, New Orleans needs to catch up quickly.
• Create a better performance culture for city government.
  

Recommendation

Reform the civil service system so that department managers have the flexibility to administer and reorganize their agencies to ensure the most efficient delivery of city services. We propose a new hybrid personnel system that combines the best elements of the current nonpolitical/merit-based hiring of city employees with new in-house HR management that's not shackled with red tape and bureaucratic holdups. City government won't ever be competitive in the 21st century personnel marketplace without these changes. 

Recommendation

Improve the management and decision process. The City Services Coalition urges future city administrations to adopt and publish a high-level vision for the city's future and to back it up with granular work plans and sequenced stages of execution. Progress must be tracked, and metrics must be made public. "Whack-a-mole" policymaking is a dead end; it never works. Priorities need to be set and driven to implementation without distraction. 

Recommendation

Upgrade and centralize technology and innovation in city government. The Coalition proposes expanding the technology and innovation capacity of city government and creating a governing structure centered on a Chief Innovation and Technology Office. The latest technologies must be used to track daily activities and measure the performance of every city agency and program. As former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said, "If you can't measure it, you can't manage it." 

Recommendation

Require full transparency in city government and service delivery. This would give citizens and members of the City Council the information they need to monitor city activities in real time. Better use of technology is an essential step to getting this done. 

Recommendation

Improve the city's issuance of permits and licenses. This is crucial if we're going to attract more businesses and create jobs in a competitive economy. It's also important to the well-being of existing small businesses in our city. Other places have made the necessary changes to improve issuance of permits and licenses; New Orleans is falling behind and needs to catch up quickly. 

Recommendation

Strengthen coordination of city agencies and officials in two key areas: public safety and infrastructure. The Coalition proposes creation of a Capital Cabinet to coordinate infrastructure planning and managerment and a Public Safety and Justice Council to bring together local, regional, and state criminal justice agencies as well as nonprofits. Making the city safer and modernizing infrastructure are critically important goals. Meeting them will require better coordination, collaboration, teamwork, and execution. It will also require that everybody have a seat at the table. It's time to break down the silos and institutionalize cooperation throughout city government.