ENROLLED
2019 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 173
BY REPRESENTATIVE JIMMY HARRIS
A RESOLUTION
To urge and request the New Orleans City Council to expand the authority of the city's code
enforcement department and its employees so as to provide for a more consistent
enforcement of the city's sanitation and zoning ordinances and enhance the city's
ability to collect payment for fines imposed for violations of these ordinances.
WHEREAS, the city of New Orleans is a vibrant and lively city and a major driver
of the state's economy as it is an annual destination for millions of conventioneers and
tourists from all over the world; and
WHEREAS, it is imperative that the city recognize that consistent enforcement of
the city's sanitation and zoning ordinances, including effective litter and blight control,
protects the health, safety, and welfare of its residents and enhances the beauty and quality
of the environment; and
WHEREAS, the city's residents, civic leaders, and business owners have a mutual
interest in maintaining all property located in the city in a safe and sanitary condition; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to provisions of the city's home rule charter and code of
ordinances, including the city's comprehensive zoning ordinance, several city agencies have
the authority to enforce ordinances pertaining to sanitation and zoning; and
WHEREAS, the current administrative adjudication procedures, established pursuant
to the city's code of ordinances, provide for limited jurisdiction over certain public health,
housing, environmental, historic district, and nuisance violations; and
WHEREAS, although employees of the city's code enforcement department are
authorized to issue citations for certain violations of the city's code of ordinances, they are
not authorized to issue municipal summonses, as that responsibility rests mainly with
officers of the New Orleans Police Department; and
Page 1 of 2 HR NO. 173 ENROLLED
WHEREAS, many officers of the New Orleans Police Department do not have time
to issue municipal summonses for violations of the city's code of ordinances as they are
tasked daily with responding to an overwhelming number of emergency calls; and
WHEREAS, because many violators of the city's code of ordinances do not receive
municipal summonses to appear in court, many fail to pay the fines issued for violations of
these ordinances as they are keenly aware that the city's code enforcement department and
its employees lack the ability to enforce the collection of these fines.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge and request the New Orleans City Council to
expand the authority of the city's code enforcement department and its employees so as to
provide for a more consistent enforcement of the city's sanitation and zoning ordinances and
enhance the city's ability to collect payment for fines imposed for violations of these
ordinances.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Page 2 of 2