Will New Orleans property taxes go up? Budget hearings start today

The issue of raising property taxes in New Orleans will get its first discussion before city council members today.

Today is the first day of budget hearings at city hall since the mayor laid out her proposal last week. It's about a hundred million dollars short of goals and the city council may have to roll property tax millages forward -- increasing what home and business owners pay -- to help close the gap.

"The council, after reassessment, can and should look at that any given year whether they do it or not," said New Orleans City Council President J.P. Morrell.

Morrell says now is the time for the people of New Orleans to reach out to their council.

"If the public is okay with us living within our means of those reduced services, then we don't have to roll any taxes forward," Morrell said, but he also had these words of caution: "There is not enough money in a roll-forward to avoid the cuts."

Tax millage roll-forward is New Orleans' big budget question