It may cost more for Carnival krewes to roll in the future, as the New Orleans City Council will soon consider taxing each parade float or truck $850.
The fee, outlined in an ordinance on the council’s Thursday agenda, would be capped at $45,000 per parade, and is aimed at helping the cash-strapped city close a $4 million gap between the costs of hosting Carnival parades each year and the revenue the city receives from the events.
At the request of Mayor Helena Moreno, Council member Freddie King sponsored the proposed float-based tax that’s called the Carnival Gap Adjustment for Parades Fee – GAP Fee for short. King said Wednesday that the matter “is still being discussed,” and won’t be voted on Thursday. A discussion is planned for the Criminal Justice Committee Meeting on Aug. 31, he said. and a vote is planned for Sept. 6.
GAP Fee funds would be used exclusively to cover costs related to parade presentation including, “public safety, traffic control, emergency preparedness, route management, sanitation coordination, barricade operations, permitting administration, and other municipal services related to the carnival season,” according to the proposed change to the Mardi Gras code…