New Orleans council members questioned the city's non-profit agency, New Orleans Affordable Homeownership, and a Nagin administration official about a home remediation program that gutted properties for low-income and elderly people more than a year after Hurricane Katrina.

Many of the questions arose from a 4 Investigates report Monday night that showed many of the properties the group had claimed to remediate didn't exist, didn't qualify or didn't have any work done.

Wednesday, council members had questions about a new list of properties that the Nagin administration released early this week that the administration says is accurate.

Some council members seemed skeptical about a new list provided to them by the Nagin administration Tuesday that shows the non-profit New Orleans Affordable Homeownership gutted 870 homes and not the more than 1,200 they had previously claimed in multiple records provided by the non-profit.

“Being provided the information on the eve on this council meeting makes me think something wrong,” said Councilwoman Stacy Head, “whether it is bad recording keeping or more sinister than that.

Councilwoman Head held up a document that was used in a 4 Investigates report Monday night that showed dollar amounts listed next to nearly all of the properties, at that time, NOAH had claimed to remediate, which was more than 1,200. 

It's one of the many records requests Head made to NOAH, which officials now say are not accurate.

“We should be able to rely on the documents provided by the people with apparent authority to us,” Head said.  “And when, at last moment, when people have been potentially caught with their pants down they are changing documents and lists. And administration has known for months.  I'm terribly concerned about this issue."

A Nagin administration official told the council the inaccurate document is meaningless because he says city records show they only spent about $1.8 million of the $3.5 million contract.

“We have verification that we only paid for 870 properties,” said Anthony Facianne from the Office of Recovery.

In March, NOAH's executive director at the time, Stacy Jackson, told the council NOAH had gutted 1,200 homes and spent all of its $3.5 million dollars.  Jackson has left NOAH, but she did make a brief statement to the council, addressing the documents that included more than 1,200 homes.

“What we discovered at a later date is that list contained the addresses of homeowners, who either called in to inquire about the services, or the addresses we gave to other non-profits,” Jackson said.

Council members voiced frustration with the Nagin administration and some people in council chambers, who voiced displeasure about the council's probing questions.

“And for all of those people out there who cheer when there's criticisms of us for trying to do work on your behalf, shame on you,” said Councilwoman Shelley Midura.  “Shame on you.  We're trying to do your job and there's cheering when questions are asked. Shame on you.”

Eyewitness News still has some questions about the new list given to us and council members.

At the hearing, NOAH said they have a file on every home remediated that shows before and after pictures and has other detailed information.

Eyewitness News asked the Mayor's Office of Communications to view all of those folders tomorrow at NOAH's office. They said we had to ask NOAH directly, but said they would help facilitate our request.