Ask a business law question, get an answer ASAP!
Thousands of highly rated, verified business lawyers.
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

            A.(1) The city council may establish, by ordinance, procedures regarding the billing policies of the board, including reducing or modifying a bill received by a customer, or waiving late charges or accrued interest, subject to the authority established by the billing ordinance as set forth in Paragraph (2) of this Subsection.

            (2) The city council shall establish a billing ordinance working group to review and opine on ordinances before any such ordinance may be considered by the Public Works, Sanitation, and Environmental Committee of the city council, including evaluating the necessity of such an ordinance. This working group shall convene within ninety days of August 1, 2022, to establish procedural guidelines and within thirty days of the filing of an ordinance that impacts any aspect of the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans billing process or policies. The findings of this working group shall be made part of the official record before consideration of any such ordinance drafted pursuant to this Section.

            (3) The billing ordinance review working group shall be comprised of the following members:

            (a) The chairman of the New Orleans City Council Budget, Audit, and Board of Review Committee, or his designee.

            (b) The chairman of the New Orleans City Council Public Works, Sanitation, and Environment Committee, or his designee.

            (c) The chairman of the New Orleans City Council Governmental Affairs Committee, or his designee.

            (d) A member of the House of Representatives residing in Orleans Parish, or his designee, appointed by the New Orleans City Council president.

            (e) A member of the Senate residing in Orleans Parish, or his designee, appointed by the New Orleans City Council president.

            (f) The executive director of the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, or his designee.

            (g) The president of the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, or his designee.

            (4) The procedures established by the city council shall be uniformly implemented so as to prevent special treatment as it relates to any bill modification or amnesty.

            B.(1) The city council may open an investigation of the board after the occurrence of any catastrophic failure of the city’s sewerage and drainage infrastructure. Any information regarding such a failure requested in writing from the board by the city council shall be submitted to the council not later than thirty days after receipt of the written request.

            (2) For purposes of this Section, a catastrophic failure shall be defined as an impact to board-owned-and-operated equipment or assets that result in a diminished level of service to more than ten thousand customers and an emergency declaration by the board’s general superintendent.

            C. The city council may request the attendance of a representative of the board at any meeting of the Public Works, Sanitation, and Environment Committee of the city council.

            Acts 2022, No. 711, §1.