With one New Orleans City Council member not at Thursday's meeting, the body failed to approve new contracts for garbage collection for about half of New Orleans.
Just days after Mayor LaToya Cantrell announced that IV Waste and Debris and Waste Pro would handle trash pickup in Lakeview, Gentilly, the Lower 9th Ward, and New Orleans East, the council split 3-3 on funding the contracts through the end of this year.
Councilmembers Helena Moreno, J.P. Morrell, and Freddy King voted against. Councilmembers Joe Giarrusso, Eugene Greene, and Oliver Thomas voted for. Councilmember Lesli Harris did not attend today's meeting.
Despite that apparent setback, city officials told the Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate that the two companies will begin their routes starting next week as planned.
The holdup in the council appears to be uncertainty over dealings with Metro Services Group, the current waste contractor. Metro has filed for bankruptcy protection and the company says that means the city cannot award new garbage contracts.
The city countered by insisting Metro return to twice-weekly pickup.
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