An affordable housing proposal is on New Orleans' Nov. 5 ballot

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE)—A second line was held to mark the start of early voting for the November election. Along with the presidential and congressional races, New Orleans voters will decide on a proposed charter amendment to address the city's affordable housing crisis.

"The Housing Trust Fund charter amendment would take 2% of the city's current general fund and put it into a housing trust fund," said City Councilwoman Lesli Harris, who is leading the effort for the charter change.

"That would equate to about $17 to $20 million year over year. This is not a new tax. It's funds we already pay in taxes that would be allocated toward creating affordable and workforce housing in New Orleans."

Harris noted the urgency of the housing crisis. "Everybody agrees we're in a crisis. The mayor's office, in connection with the council, just did a housing ecosystem study that shows the majority of renters are rent-burdened, paying over 30% of their income on rent," she said.

However, the Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR), a government watchdog group, opposes Proposition 1.

"BGR is concerned that doing it through a charter change is a really inflexible approach. It's a permanent change," said BGR President and CEO Rebecca Mowbray. "If voters put it in the city charter, it would require another vote to undo it, which is a very difficult threshold. Meanwhile, the city faces other financial challenges."

Mowbray added that the housing issue could be addressed differently. "We are pitching that the city does this through an ordinance rather than a charter change. We all agree on the goal of greater affordable housing; we just differ on how to achieve it."

In their analysis, BGR examined housing trust funds in other cities. "We found 29 of them, and only one does it through the charter.

That one city, Atlanta, has much more flexibility, allowing its chief financial officer to step back if there's a financial crunch," Mowbray explained.

Harris responded to BGR's concerns. "An ordinance can be changed or eliminated at any time and is subject to political winds," she said. "A charter amendment enshrines this funding into the charter, meaning future councils or mayors cannot eliminate it without voter approval. It's insulated from politics."

While Harris hopes voters will approve the charter change, a backup ordinance is ready. "That ordinance could be canceled or rejected by future councils.

Right now, we have a council dedicated to housing, but we're all up for reelection in a year and a half. Housing, which should be considered infrastructure, needs to be insulated from political whims," Harris said.

When asked if voters were sufficiently informed about the proposition, Harris expressed confidence. "We have a lot of housing advocates out there pounding the pavement. I'm doing my rounds to neighborhood associations, speaking to the media, writing editorials. Other politicians are involved, and we have a grassroots effort to get out the vote. I'm really encouraged by all the levels of support for this charter amendment."