New Orleans water board weighs governance overhaul for city integration
Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, Louisiana · Meeting date: October 15, 2026 · Published: October 16, 2026
The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans’ Governance Committee has begun detailed scrutiny of proposed bylaws developed by the city administration, including a standing city-transition committee, less frequent regular board meetings and a possible transfer of governance functions to City Council. No bylaws were adopted at the October 15 meeting, as members requested further review ahead of a year-end submission deadline.
Key points
- The City Council motion requires the utility to submit new bylaws by December 31, 2026; the board’s earlier resolution set a December 1 target.
- Proposals would set regular board meetings at least every other month, with at least one meeting per quarter in City Council chambers; additional meetings could be called as needed.
- The administration proposed eliminating the Governance and Strategic Planning committees, creating Employee Relations and City Transition committees, and merging plumbing functions into Operations.
- The committee amended Resolution R-148-2026 to include language access in proposed public-participation rules, with details to be developed later.
Full report
The Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans is considering a governance redesign intended to support its integration with city government, but board members signalled that they do not want core oversight duties to disappear in the process.
At an October 15 Governance Committee meeting, staff and the city administration presented proposed new bylaws that would establish a permanent City Transition Committee, create an Employee Relations Committee, eliminate the existing Governance and Strategic Planning committees, and combine plumbing functions with the Operations Committee. The proposals remain under discussion and were not adopted.
The bylaw review follows a City Council motion requiring the board to submit revised bylaws by December 31, 2026. The motion calls for provisions on the General Superintendent and Executive Director roles, including a potential combination of the positions, as well as procurement policies. The board had previously committed in Resolution R-118-2026 to provide bylaws to the council by December 1, according to the presentation.
The city administration’s proposed committee structure would place transition work at the centre of the board’s future governance. Andrew Cisolo, Special Counsel to the Mayor, said the proposed transition committee should be a permanent standing committee rather than an ad hoc body because the integration process would take longer than a year and potentially longer than two years.
Cisolo said the committee would provide continuity for a complex process, with designated transition personnel reporting directly to it. Committee members suggested retaining the strategic-planning label in some form, arguing that transition planning should not displace planning for projects, facilities, personnel, finance and information technology.
The proposal to remove the Governance Committee drew more direct concern. Cisolo said governance changes should be channelled through City Council because the council must approve them and because the administration wants the council to take a deeper role in the process. He also said capital planning is now intended to be integrated with the city’s capital-improvement programme and its public engagement process.
Committee members responded that the board needs a clear roadmap for responsibilities currently associated with governance, including board orientation, training, financial disclosures, compliance and legislative relations. One member said eliminating the committee created “a lot of angst” because the board provides a granular level of oversight over utility issues. Cisolo said board-relations staff could take on certain functions, while other work could be assigned to other committees; members requested that responsibilities and accountable parties be specified in the bylaws.
The proposed bylaws would also set regular board meetings at least every other month, rather than monthly, while permitting additional meetings when necessary. They would require at least one regular meeting per quarter in City Council chambers. Cisolo said use of the chambers would be free and the council president had requested board meetings there. Board members and staff noted that the utility currently needs a roughly 30-day cadence for contract matters, although the administration said committee meetings, council hearings and special board meetings could provide flexibility.
A new Employee Relations Committee was presented as a forum for workforce concerns during the transition, including workforce development, compensation and quality-of-life issues. The proposal contemplates participation by non-board members, including the utility’s human-resources director and potentially an employee-elected representative from the Civil Service Commission. Cisolo said the committee would make recommendations rather than take binding employment decisions.
Separately, the committee amended Resolution R-148-2026 on public participation rules to explicitly include language access. The underlying rules would retain a three-minute cap per speaker, require public-comment cards and codify procedures that staff said were already generally followed. Members said language accommodation should be available for limited-English-proficiency residents, including for written comments, with staff to develop operational details and explore coordination with the city.
The committee plans further individual review sessions and another public Governance Committee meeting, with the aim of moving a revised bylaw package to the full board in November.
This summary was generated by AI based on the source document and may contain errors.
Source: Governance Committee, Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans