Members of the New Orleans City Council discussed Thursday how much to raise the trash collection fee that residents pay.
Chief Administrative Officer Joe Giarrusso says the city has been subsidizing trash pickup at increasing losses.
"Between 2023 and 2026, the city of New Orleans lost nearly $70 million," Giarrusso told members of the council's budget and sanitation committees.
"One of the things we commonly hear and what you commonly hear, is that the city, or a city, should be run as a business," Giarrusso continued. "Let me be very clear about one thing: we are not here trying to make a profit. All we're trying to do is stop the bleeding."
Mayor Helena Moreno's administration is proposing an increase of $8.25 a month, that would start in October.
The council will take up the issue again next week.
