Lona Edwards Hankins, chief executive of the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority, has quietly secured an extension of her employment contract through 2031, a development Mayor Helena Moreno and her newly installed board say they only discovered after the ink was dry. The extension, dated Oct. 15, 2025, and signed in a closed meeting, is fueling fresh scrutiny of an agency already under public and legal pressure.
How the extension came to light
Investigative reporting dug the extension out of agency files and reports that the contract was signed by outgoing board chair Fred Neal Jr. and by Hankins, effectively keeping her in place through 2031, according to WWLTV. That reporting says the agreement was handled in executive session rather than brought to a public vote, a procedural choice now drawing pointed questions.
Board paperwork and meeting notes
According to the RTA’s public calendar and board packet, the April 28, 2026 Board of Commissioners meeting listed “Personnel Matters,” the catchall category that includes employment agreements. Several related documents show printing dates in mid-October 2025, lining up with the contract’s document date. Those materials are available on the RTA’s Legistar portal: RTA meeting agenda.
Moreno’s response and oversight moves
Mayor Helena Moreno told reporters she and her new commissioners were blindsided by the extension and has asked the Louisiana Legislative Auditor to review the agency, with that review reported to begin next week. The RTA is already dealing with employee litigation and a federal court order that requires more wheelchair-accessible stops and additional streetcars with lifts. Public records cited in the reporting list Hankins’s base salary at more than $315,000, rising to nearly $500,000 with benefits, plus an approximately $16,000 annual vehicle allowance, according to WWLTV.
Why riders and critics are watching
The contract dust-up lands in the middle of a leadership shakeup Moreno kicked off in February when she nominated new board members to take control of the agency, part of her push for stronger oversight and regional cooperation. MassTransitMag detailed the mayor’s picks and the questions they raised about the RTA’s future direction.
Riders have felt the stakes on the street. The RTA’s system overview lists 28 current bus routes, and restoring reliability remains a central challenge for the new board. Route details and system maps are posted on the agency’s site at the RTA system overview…