French Quarter leaders are seeking an emergency trash hauler to keep the historic neighborhood clean, flexing its newfound authority over sanitation contracting thanks to a state law approved in June.
The request for proposals issued Monday by the French Quarter Management District, a state-created board, is the latest maneuver in an on-going power struggle over the future of trash pickup in the Vieux Carré. The battle has pitted state leaders, City Council members and neighborhood property owners against Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
The solicitation comes after Louisiana lawmakers approved a bill in June, with the support of council members, allowing the 13-member board to secure “emergency contracts” for sanitation services when city government fails to provide those services in the neighborhood. The city would have to repay the board for the work. A spokesperson for the Cantrell administration did not respond Monday to a request for comment.
State Sen. Jimmy Harris, D-New Orleans, drafted the legislation as a stopgap to make sure the tourist hub doesn’t go without sanitation services after July 31, when the administration is set to terminate an emergency contract with IV Waste, the firm currently picking up trash in the Quarter…