Friday morning on WWL radio, the city of New Orleans intergovernmental relations director Kenya smith answered questions about an Eyewitness News investigation in which experts and city council members said the city was paying about $17 million for a 3-year contract for 311 non-emergency service.

Smith, who would not agree to an interview with WWL-TV before or after the report, contended that the city budget caps the money allowed to pay any contract for the 311 system at $3.7 million.

Friday afternoon ACS, the company contracted to provide 311 service told us they interpreted the agreement somewhat differently, saying the contract costs just under $7 million for 3 years, because they aren't providing service currently for everything spelled out in the contract.

That contradicts Rutgers University at Newark professor Robert Schick, who in the Eyewitness News story said he interpreted the contract to be worth as much as $32 million for six years.

WWL-TV

Mayor Ray Nagin walks away from the camera as a WWL-TV producer attempts to ask questions about the 311 service contract Friday.

“If he based it on us paying $23 or $28 million instead of the $3 million or so dollars, then that analysis is fundamentally flawed to begin with,” said Smith. “No professional can do an analysis without speaking with the people involved.”

City council members say they also still have many questions about the contract, including trying to find out just how much the city's contractor was paid in 2007, how much they'll earn in 2008, and what that money's going towards.

Among other questions remaining: Why did city council members, the inspector general, a professor and an administrator of a major city's 311 call center all interpret the contract to be worth as much as $28 million. 

And that doesn't explain the alleged underperformance of the 311 system or why 311 operators send complaints to city departments and why some say complaints get lost.

“Why is it you can call the operator, you can give the information to her, she calls the department, and at that point it goes into a black hole,” asked Councilwoman Cynthia Hedge-Morrell.

An Eyewitness News crew tried to ask Mayor Nagin questions about the program's performance and price and as he walked away from the cameras, he said he would not comment.

“I ain’t helping you sensationalize nothing,” he said. “You can go and find that information somewhere else.”

After requesting an on-camera interview with a representative of the city for weeks on this story, the city issued a statement just before 5 p.m. Friday, blasting the report.

“It is apparent from the report that the contract was misinterpreted and misread, which is negligent and unfair to our citizens, especially during this time of recovery,” said the statement.

The city said that the contract states the maximum sum paid to the contractor in 2007 would be $3.2 million, $500,00 less than the figure Smith gave on the radio Friday.

The city said the 311 contract is for one year, with options for renewal every year after that. They have not said how much the contract is worth in 2008, nor for any renewal thereafter.