OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

New Orleans City Council Committee Meeting – January 21, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, January 21, 2026
BodyNew Orleans, Louisiana
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, January 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:16:26

Transcript — Verbatim
5:02

All right, Nate.

5:03

I think we're gonna get Nate and I think we can get started now.

5:06

We're within one minute.

5:07

Okay.

5:08

Roll call.

5:10

Uh Councilmember Morel.

5:11

Here.

5:12

Council Member McCarron.

5:14

Here.

5:14

Councilmember Harris.

5:16

Councilmember Green.

5:17

Here.

5:18

Councilmember Hughes.

5:20

Here.

5:20

And uh let the record reflect that Councilmember Willard is present.

5:25

We have um all five members.

5:27

We have a quorum.

5:28

Thank you.

5:29

We're gonna go a little bit out of order.

5:30

We're gonna do the minutes still.

5:32

Um excuse me, Anita, but we're gonna do the deputy mayor presentations last just so we can get through the rest of the pretty non-controversial agenda.

5:41

So uh I'll move for the approval of the January 15th minutes.

5:45

Can I get a second?

5:46

Second my council member Harris, all in favor?

5:48

All right, aye, five years, no nays.

5:51

The means are adopted.

5:52

Next we'll go the appointments.

5:54

Uh let's see.

5:55

So first up we have Kevin Kimborough, his forms are complete, I believe.

6:00

There it is, Kevin.

6:01

Come on up.

6:06

Your forms are all complete, everything's in order.

6:08

I'm gonna ask the question.

6:09

Why do you want to be on the NOR board?

6:11

Good morning, Council.

6:13

Morning.

6:14

I want to be on the NOAA council to be able to serve my community and be that voice for our at-risk kids in New Orleans.

6:22

All right, that's a pretty good answer.

6:24

Uh I will move favorably.

6:26

Can I get a second?

6:27

Second, agree.

6:27

Second by council member Harris.

6:29

All in favor say aye.

6:31

Uh five years or no nays.

6:33

You are moved to the full council for confirmation.

6:35

Thank you, Kevin, for being here.

6:37

All right.

6:37

Let's see what else do I have on here.

6:40

Michael, sorry.

6:41

Yes, sir.

6:42

Mike Barley.

6:43

Come on up.

6:45

There's my list.

6:49

Why do you want to be on the NOR commission?

6:51

First of all, good morning.

6:53

Morning.

6:53

Um want to say it's an honor.

6:55

But the reason I want to be on the board is to be able to uh contribute my business and civic experiences to help know it move forward for the citizens.

7:05

All right, thank you.

7:06

Councilman Harris moves, Councilman McCarron seconds.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████82%
Public Safety████7%
Transparency and Accountability███6%
Community Engagement██3%
Homelessness█2%
Summary of Proceedings

New Orleans City Council Committee Meeting – January 21, 2026

The committee met on January 21, 2026, at 3:30 PM UTC. All five council members were present (Morel, McCarron, Harris, Green, Hughes, and Willard). The meeting included approval of minutes, appointments to the NOR board and commission, a motion setting parade routes for the 2026 Carnival season, a cooperative endeavor agreement with the Sheriff's Office for Mardi Gras supplemental police coverage, and presentations from Deputy Mayors Renee Lapperoli and Kevin Ferguson. Discussions focused on board and commission transparency, neighborhood engagement, and representation for District E.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of January 15, 2026 minutes: Moved by Councilmember Morel, seconded by Harris. Approved unanimously (5-0).
  • Appointment of Kevin Kimborough to the NOR board: Kimborough expressed desire to serve at-risk youth. Moved favorably by Morel, seconded by Harris. Forwarded to full council (5-0).
  • Appointment of Mike Barley to the NOR commission: Barley cited business and civic experience. Moved by Harris, seconded by McCarron. Forwarded to full council (5-0).

Discussion Items

  • Parade Routes for 2026 Carnival Season (Item 5): Councilmember Morel presented routine changes: Oshun start time moved to 5 PM (from 5:30 PM), Cleopatra to 6 PM (from 6:30 PM). Thursday, February 12, 2026, lineup: Chaos at 4:30 PM, Babylon at 5:30 PM, Muses at 6 PM. Pygmalion will follow the Orpheus/Bacchus route (Magazine–Napoleon to 400 block of Choppatoolis). Motion approved unanimously (5-0).
  • Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with Sheriff's Office (Item 6): The agreement provides supplemental officer coverage during Mardi Gras (February 1 – March 31, 2026) for a maximum of $3,704,167. Buddy from the administration explained that the extra officers help secure parade routes, with about 175 officers per day for the first weekend and higher numbers for the second weekend. Approved unanimously (5-0).
  • Deputy Mayor Presentations: Renee Lapperoli (Deputy Mayor of External Affairs) and Kevin Ferguson (Chief of Staff) presented their roles. Ferguson oversees intergovernmental relations, communications, and boards/commissions, aiming to improve transparency. Councilmembers raised concerns about board/commission attendance reporting (required by ordinance but often lacking) and the need for neighborhood engagement liaisons. Councilmember Green requested an org chart and contact information; Councilmember McCarron asked about neighborhood engagement after the elimination of district-specific engagement representatives. Lapperoli said a plan would be distributed next week. Councilmember Harris emphasized the importance of District E representation on boards and commissions.

Key Outcomes

  • Minutes of January 15, 2026 adopted (5-0).
  • Kevin Kimborough and Mike Barley confirmed by the committee and forwarded to the full city council.
  • Parade route changes approved for the 2026 Carnival season.
  • Cooperative endeavor agreement with the Sheriff's Office approved for up to $3,704,167.
  • Motion to enter executive session passed (5-0). The committee then returned from executive session and adjourned.

Meeting Transcript

All right, Nate. I think we're gonna get Nate and I think we can get started now. We're within one minute. Okay. Roll call. Uh Councilmember Morel. Here. Council Member McCarron. Here. Councilmember Harris. Councilmember Green. Here. Councilmember Hughes. Here. And uh let the record reflect that Councilmember Willard is present. We have um all five members. We have a quorum. Thank you. We're gonna go a little bit out of order. We're gonna do the minutes still. Um excuse me, Anita, but we're gonna do the deputy mayor presentations last just so we can get through the rest of the pretty non-controversial agenda. So uh I'll move for the approval of the January 15th minutes. Can I get a second? Second my council member Harris, all in favor? All right, aye, five years, no nays. The means are adopted. Next we'll go the appointments. Uh let's see. So first up we have Kevin Kimborough, his forms are complete, I believe. There it is, Kevin. Come on up. Your forms are all complete, everything's in order. I'm gonna ask the question. Why do you want to be on the NOR board? Good morning, Council. Morning. I want to be on the NOAA council to be able to serve my community and be that voice for our at-risk kids in New Orleans. All right, that's a pretty good answer. Uh I will move favorably. Can I get a second? Second, agree. Second by council member Harris. All in favor say aye. Uh five years or no nays. You are moved to the full council for confirmation. Thank you, Kevin, for being here. All right. Let's see what else do I have on here. Michael, sorry. Yes, sir.

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