New Orleans City Council Utility Committee Meeting – February 10, 2026
New Orleans City Council Utility Committee Meeting – February 10, 2026
The City Council Utility Committee met at 4:15 PM on February 10, 2026, to receive updates from Delta Utilities, Entergy New Orleans, and the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO). The meeting focused on winter gas bill spikes, reliability of electric service during Winter Storm Fern, and ongoing sewer discharge issues in the Dwyer Canal. Council members expressed strong concerns about customer confusion, lack of proactive communication, delayed responses, and the need for greater urgency, transparency, and accountability from all three entities.
Consent Calendar
- The minutes from the Joint Utility Committee meetings of September 16, 2024 and July 11, 2024 were approved unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jesse George (Alliance for Affordable Energy): Noted that rising gas prices also affect Entergy electric customers because Entergy generates nearly three-quarters of its electricity from natural gas. Urged the council to help residents reduce reliance on fossil fuels through programs like distributed energy resources and battery storage.
- Ladwina Hurst (senior citizen on fixed income): Stated her gas bill tripled over the past few months. She had levelized billing with Entergy but said Delta representatives did not proactively inform her about enrolling in levelized billing when she first called.
- Larry Morgan: Expressed anger over high gas bills, stating residents are suffering and that the council must hold utilities accountable. He warned that he would oppose the re‑election of any council member who does not address the issue.
- Galitha (resident): Described her gas bill increasing from $30 to $192 and said Delta representatives gave inconsistent explanations. She also noted that her paperless bill did not show a breakdown of charges and called for clearer explanations.
- Robin Miller: Reported that after her mother passed away, Entergy did not properly handle billing and that she received bills for periods when she was out of town and not using gas. She also raised concerns about water quality affecting her skin.
- Reverend William Calhoun Jr.: Questioned the structure of the gas bill, specifically the difference between the fixed gas services charge and the variable purchase gas adjustment. He asked what profit margin the equity company makes.
- Elizabeth Soychak: Urged the council to support solar and wind energy as alternatives to gas, noting that rising gas prices were predictable and that heat pumps in Maine have reduced dependence on gas.
- Belda Batiste: Called Delta Utilities “crooks and frauds” and urged the council to create a committee to oversee the utility. She demanded that the council fix the problem for seniors and disabled residents.
- Jesse Perkins (former SWBNO employee of 35 years): Praised SWBNO field workers for their skill in repairing the major water main break on Panola Street. However, he criticized smart meters for falsely indicating leaks, causing residents to spend money on unnecessary plumbing repairs.
- Edward Parker: Reported that SWBNO cut off water without notifying residents, and that a fire hydrant at Wales and Lamb Road has been leaking repeatedly.
- Christopher Merritt: Asked for transparency regarding the Dwyer Canal testing results and timeline, and requested a public outline of site managers and points of contact for the work.
- Rhonda Oliver (former SWBNO employee): Alleged that supervisors enable a culture of incompetence and that leadership ignores operational failures. She described a case where an 82-year-old woman was forced to pay the water bill for both sides of a double, despite only leasing one unit.
Discussion Items
- Delta Utilities – Winter Gas Bills: CEO Tim Pochet explained that winter gas usage per customer averages 60 CCF/month compared to 27 CCF on an annual basis. He noted that 90% of January’s gas volume was hedged or fixed before the month, but the remaining 12% subject to daily volatility saw significant cost increases. Sarah Podius stated that the gas rate structure has not changed since Entergy ownership. Council members criticized Delta for not automatically enrolling customers who had levelized billing with Entergy; Councilmember Green said the company should have let customers opt out rather than requiring them to opt in. Councilmembers also pressed for clearer explanations of the bill components (customer charge, gas services, purchase gas adjustment, formula rate plan rider) and urged proactive communication about levelized billing and assistance programs such as DU CARES (up to $250 per 12-month period). Councilmember McCarran requested a permanent physical presence in New Orleans East and the Lower Ninth Ward.
- Entergy New Orleans – Winter Storm Fern Performance: Dan Calamari reported that during the storm, outages were limited and restoration times were under 90 minutes. On January 31, high winds caused two events affecting the Lakefront and Gentilly areas; a third event on February 1 involved an O-ring failure in a breaker installed in January 2025. Councilmember Harris questioned the failure of a one-year-old O-ring and demanded inspections of 14 similar breakers. Councilmember McCarran challenged the reported restoration time of “within an hour,” saying power was out for four to six hours in some cases. Councilmember Willard asked for year-over-year citywide outage data. Council President Morel stressed the need for a complete inventory of end-of-life equipment to prevent preventable outages.
- Sewerage and Water Board – January 31 Water Main Break: Caitlin Timmerick reported that a 48-inch cast iron water main from 1908 broke on Panola Street, requiring a precautionary boil water advisory that lasted until Monday afternoon. Crews isolated the break by 6 PM on the day of the break. A hydrant will be installed before permanent paving, which is expected by February 27. Councilmember McCarran praised the quick response and communication.
- Lead Service Line Replacement Program: Executive Director Randy Heyman stated that the RFP for program management was posted on February 4, with bids due March 5 and selection anticipated by May 2026. He acknowledged that four of seven steps to close on a $66 million loan are complete. Councilmembers expressed concern that the rebid process could delay work and risk losing federal funds. Council President Morel criticized the RFP for not considering companies’ past performance on lead line replacement, warning that awarding contracts based on price alone could lead to cost overruns and delays.
- Smart Meter Leaks: SWBNO reported that about 3% of smart meter installations have resulted in leak reports, with 40% of those being actual leaks. Inlet leaks (before the meter) do not affect billing; outlet leaks (after the meter) are eligible for automatic bill adjustments. Councilmember King noted that small issues like incomplete sidewalk repairs and unrepaired service cuts erode public trust.
- Dwyer Canal Sewer Discharge: Residents and Councilmember King reported weeks of visible sewage discharge and foul odors from the Dwyer Canal. SWBNO acknowledged being alerted in December but did not begin water quality testing until February 8. Councilmember King and others expressed frustration that the response took two months. SWBNO said crews were on site on the day of the meeting clearing blockages. Councilmember Hughes demanded a greater sense of urgency and a clear timeline for resolution.
Key Outcomes
- Delta Utilities: The council directed Delta to more aggressively enroll customers who had levelized billing with Entergy into levelized billing with Delta, and to provide clear, itemized bills for paperless customers. Councilmembers also requested regular updates on outreach to customers in arrears.
- Entergy New Orleans: The council asked Entergy to provide a year-over-year comparison of citywide outages and to complete inspections of all 14 similar breakers following the O-ring failure. Council President Morel reiterated the long-standing request for a complete inventory of end-of-life equipment.
- Sewerage and Water Board: Councilmember Hughes committed to placing fire hydrant repairs on next month’s agenda and urged SWBNO to prioritize the Dwyer Canal testing and cleanup. The council expects monthly progress reports on the lead service line program and a comprehensive plan for hydrant repairs by district. SWBNO agreed to share testing results and a timeline for the Dwyer Canal work.
Meeting Transcript
Whenever you're ready, Erin. Good morning, Council members. Councilmember Hughes, present, Councilmember Green, present, Councilmember Morel present, Councilmember Willard, present, Councilmember King, present, Councilmember McCarran present, we have a quorum. Thank you. First up, we have the approval of the minutes from the joint utility committee from September 16th as well as July 11th. Those are the meetings for the joint committees, not the individual committees, just so you know. Um I will move for the approval of the September 16th and July 21st minutes. Second by Council Vice President Willow, all of those say aye. All right, unanimous, the minutes are approved. First up, we have Delta Utilities. Good morning, Council members. My name's Tim Pochet, I'm the CEO of Delta Utilities, and joining me today is Terren Brown, Ryan King, and Sarah Podius. Uh connection with your approval uh in December 2024. Uh we've also updated um the utility committee uh twice last year after the transaction uh was consummated on our progress with respect uh to uh to the integration of the business. But today we want to provide you an update uh as we get through the winter heating season, which generally runs uh from December through February of each year, when usage significantly increases. In New Orleans, our average customer consumes about 27 CCF of gas a month during the year on average, but during that heating season in December through February, that average increases to almost 60 CCF per month. Um this is particularly timely, giving our customers are now receiving separate bills for natural gas and electricity. On top of that, natural gas commodity prices uh have increased consistently over the past 12 months. All of these factors have led to a significant number of questions from our customers and and your constituents. And today we'd like to update you on our efforts to address these issues and meet our customers where there are. Whether we we are responding to customers' inquiries on billing, are participating in broader community outreach efforts uh and engagement activities, all of this is is part of our mission to deliver safe, reliable, affordable natural gas with a focus on customer service and making a positive impact in the communities that we live and serve. New Orleans uh every day. On top of that, in the last couple of weeks we have experienced a pretty significant winter storm. Uh we activated our emergency response protocols uh throughout our two-state system, and these efforts were led by our 700 legacy utility employees, including the 200 that joined our team from InterG. No significant service disruptions have occurred during this process. We actively monitored our system and the pressures and controlled uh those pressures at regulator stations as necessary to ensure reliability of our system. We operated our gas supply under the same ingredients that were in place in the prior legacy utility, and all of our gas nominations on the system were met, and we did not have any supply curtailments that affected our service to our customers. When significant winter events such as winter storm fern occur, inevitably there's some certain amount of volatility in gas prices, daily gas prices, as a result of increased demand and to a certain extent curtailment in the production of gas. But 90% of the gas volume that we delivered to customers in the month of January was not subject to daily volatility and fixed before the month started. And that was fixed for based really on three reasons. About 60% of that usage was based on the first of the month price. About 24% of that was based came from storage that we injected during the summer season when gas prices are lower and withdrew as gas prices increased during the heating season. And we exercised a certain amount of call options that we had for first of month prices. All this to get to uh over 88% of our gas was not subject to daily volatility. So but 12% of it was, and that was a significant increase in cost. We continually will meet with uh the council and its advisors on an annual basis to discuss and update our hedging plans to exit point execute upon agreed upon strategy there. But let's dive into a little bit uh more as to really what drove uh bills and in usage and volatility from our gas prices. So, Tiern? Yes. First, we want to acknowledge that we understand many New Orleans customers are frustrated and concerned about the higher bills they see this winter. We hear that concern every day through our call center, and we take it very seriously. I want to take a moment to explain in plain language what is driving these higher bills. Because for many customers, the increase can feel sudden and unexpected. So the main reason bills are higher right now is because people use a lot more natural gas during the winter. When temperatures drop, most homes use a gas furnace to heat the house. When the furnace runs more often, the home uses more natural gas, and that causes the gas bill to increase. Um that during these winter months, electricity is not used as much. In the past, well when electric, I'm sorry, electricity is not used that much because many customers use electric ACs to chill their homes during summer months. Now, what has changed is that customers are receiving two bills rather than one bill. And the past, many customers received one combined bill from Energy New Orleans, and that included both electric and gas charges together.
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