Officials with New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu's administration have made their pitch to City Council members about a possible funding source to address a problem the city has struggled with since Hurricane Katrina: broken street lights.
The source would be an increased franchise fee charged to Entergy New Orleans — a fee that would be passed on to customers.
Landrieu's office said Tuesday that more than 23,000 lights have been repaired since Landrieu took office in 2010. However, numerous problems remain in keeping up with repairs. Those include an antiquated system, damage from Katrina and more damage from last year's Hurricane Isaac.
Council members said they want more information on the proposal, including how much money could be saved annually by upgrading the system with more efficient equipment.