Councilmember Shelly Midura made the following statement during Thursday’s City Council meeting regarding her stance on the administration’s request for additional 311 funding:

I am resistant to supporting $180,000 in public funding for a 311 program that has not yet developed a compelling plan for success.  I question whether it makes sense to spend this amount of money until the larger structural and systemic issues are resolved.  We have got to plug the leaks and right the ship first.  Ordering new furniture for the Titanic would not have made a lot of sense.  I do not see how it makes a lot of sense here either.  Until we resolve 311’s core issues I am not going to support this kind of funding. 

New Orleanians are looking for effective government.  If we’re going to spend $28 million in taxpayer dollars on the 311 system, it had better work.  It had better effectively address city service requests and constituent complaints.  It had better have a tracking and delivery system that is transparent and accessible to constituents.  But at this point it does not.  Thus, I cannot in good conscience support spending this many public dollars on a broken program.  I do not fault the 311 workers who are only doing the job they were asked to do.  I do however believe in holding accountable the architects of a system that is not working.

We have a governmental responsibility to our citizens to allocate their tax dollars responsibly and wisely to the greatest extent possible.  In fact, this idea is fundamental to the concept of democratic governance.  Our power and authority derives from our agreement and commitment to wise stewardship in the public interest.  I do not see how this $180,000 in funding appropriately serves the public interest.  However, I do see how it may have strategic value for the system architects in separating funding on a piecemeal basis.  But that is not going to be enough for me to support it.