Office of Resilience and Sustainability (ORS) staff described a slate of federal grant-funded programs and local initiatives the office expects to move ahead in 2026, and described constraints if the city reduces general-fund support.

ORS staff highlighted a $50 million award from the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program that will fund staffing and programs, several of which are already advertised for hire. ORS said it hopes to launch a $5,000-per-household solar subsidy program using CPRG funds, but that program required reworking after an anticipated state match did not materialize.

Greg (ORS presenter) and Megan Williams, urban water program administrator, described work to advance the Gentilly Resilience District, to issue a stormwater master-plan RFP (HMGP-funded), and to move Lincoln Beach toward construction. Williams said the Gentilly projects are “fairly far along” in design and that the office planned to advertise seven Gentilly construction projects and break ground in 2026.

ORS said it will pursue two drainage studies (Upper Ninth Ward and Algiers) and a citywide heat-mitigation plan; ORS asked the council to preserve about $175,000 of a $300,000 planning budget to finish that heat plan in 2026. Staff also asked the council to maintain general-fund or operating support for security and maintenance at Lincoln Beach and for required maintenance tasks at brownfield or capped landfill sites, which cannot be paid for with capital bond proceeds.

ORS staff emphasized continued recycling and circular-economy efforts tied to EPA grants and said the scope of the cityexpansions may be curtailed if municipal funding drops. ORS asked to continue community-energy advisory cohorts, e-bike incentives and expanded blue-bike deployments funded by federal grants and matching resources.