The New Orleans City Council introduced an ordinance Wednesday (May 28) that would require local criminal justice agencies — from the Municipal and Traffic Court to the Coroner’s Office — to use the city’s accounting and contracting software when spending city funds.
But the ordinance is aimed, in particular, at Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson. More than 70% of the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office’s $91 million budget comes from direct city appropriations. But in spite of pressure from the council and the Office of Inspector General, which has over the past two years repeatedly said that adoption of the software would increase transparency between the city and the Sheriff’s Office, Hutson has refused to to do so.
“The purpose of this ordinance is to promote transparency and accountability,” Council President JP Morrell said. “It is jarring to me to see the lack of specificity in these [current] budget reports.”