NEW ORLEANS - During today's regular New Orleans City Council meeting, the Council approved Ordinance No. 32,757 authored by Councilmember Williams and co-sponsored by Councilmembers Banks, Moreno, Giarrusso, and Palmer, that amends the City Code relative to Stormwater Management requirements and paved surface parking. The ordinance requires all surface non-residential off-street parking spaces to be permeable and provides applicable definitions for the following: Off-Street Parking Space, Permeable Paving, and Substantial Improvement.

NEW ORLEANS - At its meeting on July 23, the City Council Criminal Justice Committee launched a first of its kind Bonds Paid Public Information Dashboard crafted by Public Safety Analyst Jeff Asher, and heard presentations from a coalition of local advocacy organizations working to end money bail as a condition of pre-trial release from detention. The panel included Jon Wool & Alison Shih from the Vera Institute of Justice, Alanah Odoms Hebert with the Louisiana ACLU, Alfredo Cruz from Foundation for Louisiana and Alfred Marshall representing Stand with Dignity.

NEW ORLEANS - In keeping with its commitment to transparency and improved public reporting, the City Council Criminal Justice Committee has released its latest public-facing dashboard. The dashboard provides information on bonds paid as a condition of release for criminal charges this year, the average amounts set over 12 months, and the percentage of bonds under $1,000 over 12 months.

NEW ORLEANS - Today, the City Council's Smart and Sustainable Cities Committee received presentations on the potential for wind energy in the Gulf of Mexico, including a focus on the brand new Gulf of Mexico Wind Feasibility and Economic study produced by the Federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). Federal scientists from BOEM presented the study's findings and explained how they pertain to the future of energy production in New Orleans and across the Gulf South.

NEW ORLEANS - Today, City Council Vice President and Criminal Justice Committee Chair Jason Williams held a special Criminal Justice Committee Meeting to discuss the City's current data on crime, juvenile justice in New Orleans and strategies to be more effective. The committee heard presentations from City Council Public Safety Analyst Jeff Asher, retired Judge Calvin Johnson, Troi Bechet from the Center for Restorative Approaches, and Talvin Paul of the Youth Advocacy Program.