Is New Orleans' Recovery Money Arriving?

Once about $453 million in state and federal aid, mostly tied to the city's effort to rebuild its shattered infrastructure, is taken out, the 2008 budget for the day-to-day operation of city government is $459.6 million.

That total represents the general fund, the portion of the budget under the city's direct control, which comes from self-generated revenue such as sales and property taxes, service charges, license and permit fees, fines and interest.

Pointing to multiple pools of recovery dollars that are finally within the city's reach, Nagin said he expects to launch between $250 million and $500 million in public works projects in 2008.

"This is the evidence that we are really at the tipping point," he said. "The checks are no longer in the mail."

As examples, Nagin cited a $300 million revolving loan fund approved recently by the state, $117 million in infrastructure money released by the Louisiana Recovery Authority, $75 million in city bonds and $54 million in Federal Highway Administration dollars for improvements to major streets.

After more than a year of planning that includes blueprints for 17 target "recovery zones," Nagin told council members to prepare "for some serious implementation" now that the city can access an unprecedented amount of cash.

"This recovery is poised and ready to move to the next level," he said.

Among the roads scheduled for resurfacing are portions of Tchoupitoulas, Toulouse and Frenchmen streets, Robert E. Lee and MacArthur boulevards, and Harrison Avenue.

Maintaining that "city government is not built for speed," Nagin said he will seek to expedite things with the appointment of a public infrastructure program manager to recruit and oversee an army of architects, engineers and contractors.

To monitor the ambitious brick-and-mortar program, Nagin plans to establish a "project delivery unit" inside City Hall. The unit will serve a dual purpose: to help project managers navigate the city's bureaucratic maze and to guard against waste.