The city of New Orleans has a budget for 2026.
The city council unanimously voted to override Mayor LaToya Cantrell's veto of that budget, which fills a projected budget gap by including additional revenues that the city expects to receive during the upcoming year. In her veto message, Cantrell said she could not approve the budget that included those "uncertain and unverified" revenues.
Outgoing councilmember Oliver Thomas said Mayor Cantrell failed to provided the council with any alternatives.
"If you don't have something else to offer or an alternative or a viable option, that's not productive," Thomas said.
Thomas added that he owed it to the budget's author, incoming chief administrative officer Joe Giarrusso, to override the veto.
"I think, if nothing else, you're due to have what you want to work with as we try to fix this thing moving forward," Thomas said.
Giarrusso balked at Mayor Cantrell's suggestions that the council relied on uncertain funding to fill a projected budget hole.
"If we're wrong on anything else, I invite anyone to come to the podium right now and say that to us, but I think the absence of anybody from the administration tells us what the answer to that question is," Giarrusso said.
Mayor-elect Helena Moreno, who sat as council president for the final time during Thursday's meeting, says the 2026 budget and the additional revenue it includes mitigates massive cuts to city services proposed by Mayor Cantrell.
"It's disappointing that this current administration did not want to meet with us to recognize those additional dollars, but those additional dollars of roughly $75 million is going to be very impactful," Cantrell said.