Department of Parks and Parkways told the City Council its tree-planting work is backed by federal grants but that an ongoing hiring freeze and operating cuts for 2026 will worsen maintenance backlogs and shorten neutral-ground cutting cycles.

The Ouachita Parish School Board accepted a low construction bid for Stirlington High School additions, approved requests to put multiple projects and equipment purchases out for bid (including E‑rate technology procurement), granted a water‑line easement to the City of Monroe and approved the Louisiana compliance questionnaire.

Board members debated holding the contractor to $576,000 in liquidated damages and instead voted to approve a proposed settlement; the board voted 5–2 to accept the settlement amount presented in executive session.

The New Orleans Health Department detailed programs serving mothers, children, people with substance use disorder and violence survivors and warned a proposed 27% cut to its general fund would slow or halt services; dozens of community groups testified in support of continued or increased funding.

Public Defender Office presenters told City Council that a proposed reduction of more than $3 million would force unfilled positions and jeopardize services as caseloads increase because of Troop NOLA arrests and other system changes.

The Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (NOSEP) told the committee proposed cuts could reduce readiness and called on council support; community groups urged a 10% increase to NOSEP, arguing preparedness is core public safety.

Airport officials presented a largely flat 2026 operating budget, outlined projects including the express shuttle connector road and Runway 22 rehabilitation, and highlighted strong DBE/SLDBE participation on airport contracts.

Criminal justice coordination staff and partners presented evaluations showing INSTEAD returns $1.20–$3.61 for every dollar spent and asked the council to consider sustaining or expanding funding to increase referrals and reduce jail costs.

Terrebonne, Lafourche and other levee-district leaders told the CPRA board they have completed and planned levee lifts and interim protection work. Separately, a major pump-station construction contract was described — capacity rising from 400 cubic feet per second (CFS) to 1,000 CFS, with room for future expansion; the construction contract was $~

At a Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Board meeting in Thibodaux, staff gave an implementation update on hundreds of coastal projects, saying 32 are under construction and 69 are in engineering design. Presenters highlighted major Corps milestones, a large Treasury grant-derived project entering procurement, and near-term bids for marsh

CPRA presented a new programmatic approach to construct large-scale linear marsh-and-ridge restorations ("land bridges"), detailing screening criteria, a phased design approach and specific near‑term candidates that could be put into construction while the larger alignment is refined.

CPRA informed the board that it had withdrawn a permit for a large diversion project. Board members asked whether the cancellation was solely due to funding; staff said financial liability and other technical and programmatic reasons influenced the decision and that the change will be considered in the master-plan modeling.

Delta Utilities representatives briefed the Shreveport City Council on a proposed franchise agreement to operate natural-gas distribution within city rights-of-way; the company said terms largely mirror the prior agreement, with a 4.5% gross-receipts payment schedule and a planned effective date of Jan. 1, 2026 if ratified.

At its regular meeting the Shreveport City Council approved a series of resolutions — including a lease with Volunteers of America, endorsement of a restoration tax abatement, acceptance of a water pollution prevention report and multiple procurement actions — with most votes recorded as passing.

The city placed an order for 30 new police vehicles under a state contract; staff expect delivery in 180–360 days. Police said SPD issued 6,176 citations in the past three months across 131 categories (including 46 DWI and 406 seat-belt violations); staff discussed e-tickets and cost/rollout considerations

During public comments, residents criticized Ordinance 18 of 2025 and urged the council to adopt housing-first policies; a speaker also called for more police presence after gunfire at a Cedar Grove National Night Out event.

Officials presented cost estimates for three temporary substations and the main headquarters renovation: Monkhouse Drive just under $1.7 million; North Market about $1.9 million (expected to increase after furniture/finish); Cedar Grove bid about $1.78 million. Staff said interest earned on 2021 bond proceeds helped cover cost increases and an item

CAO Tom Dark told the Shreveport City Council the 2026 proposal is largely a continuation budget with limited new capital spending, no across-the-board pay raises, and persistent equipment and streets funding gaps; the council voted to table final adoption to Dec. 9.

The council was briefed on a Bloomberg Philanthropies $400,000 grant and a Providence House proposal to replace a warehouse with modular housing to serve homeless families and double bed capacity; officials said the full project is roughly $3 million and additional fundraising is needed.

Shreveport councilmembers and public-safety leaders discussed a cooperative air unit with DeSoto Parish Sheriff Jason Richardson that would place an upgraded helicopter in Stonewall and share operating costs among agencies; officials said personnel will begin in November and the unit could be operational by early 2026.

Dr. Sean Emerson Simmons, South Central Regional Director for Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, told the council the sorority will hold its South Central Regional Conference in Shreveport in March 2026 and expects a delegation of roughly 6,000 attendees. Officials said the group will book hotels across multiple council districts and that the event will

DeSoto Parish Sheriff Jason Richardson told the Shreveport City Council about a refitted jet ranger helicopter based in Stonewall that would serve north Louisiana. The sheriff proposed a cooperative cost-sharing model (about $150,000 per agency) and said the unit could be operational by early January; council members expressed support and requested

Councilmembers heard that the city accepted a two-year $400,000 Bloomberg Philanthropies grant for Providence House to develop modular housing for homeless families. Providence House will replace a warehouse on its property with new modular units, aiming to increase capacity from about 80 to 160 beds; total project cost is about $3 million and will

The JLCB approved a series of BA-7 adjustments and budgets, including federal-funded equipment for forestry, reimbursements for Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge repairs, a dyslexia testing fund increase, and the Greater New Orleans Expressway Commission FY26 budget. The committee recorded motions to approve each item with no recorded roll-call tallies.

The commission approved several procedural motions, deadline extensions and guidance changes, including minutes approval, project deadline extensions for three utilities, a scope-deferment for Pendleton, a Greenbrier clerical correction, and adoption of an amendment to the Phase 2 guidance.