Officials from City Park, Audubon Nature Institute, NORD and Parks and Parkways presented a joint update on the parks millage and the Big Green Easy implementation, describing how redistributed millage revenue has been used for capital, maintenance and programming. "In fiscal year 2025, the village allocation was approximately $2,800,000," a City Park representative said, noting that money supported sanitation, horticulture, lagoon management and facility repairs across the park's roughly 1,300 acres.

A representative for Audubon said the commission received just under $8,750,000 from the city through September and that those funds have helped maintain operations, facilities and security while supporting debt service for recently completed capital work such as the Aquarium and Insectarium renovations. Audubon described its Community Connect program, which provides free or heavily discounted access to zoo and aquarium facilities for Orleans Parish residents, and noted partnerships with NORD campers and the public library's cultural-pass program.

Representatives reiterated work on the parks master plan and related first-year implementation items. The Big Green Easy plan called for a chief parks planning officer and a coordinated parks master plan; presenters said some first-year items have proceeded even without immediately filling that chief planning role. They listed accomplishments including a parks master-plan process for City Park that engaged thousands of residents, progress on Lincoln Beach and asset-tracking improvements citywide.

Presenters described the asset-management system rollout and a cooperative enforcement agreement among agencies that accompanied the millage redistribution. The asset-management system is designed to centralize work orders, maintenance tracking and records, reduce paper processes and help staff prioritize repairs. "The oncoming asset management system and the work order system are allowing NORD and Parks and Parkways ... an opportunity to assess what we have," a presenter said.

Council members asked about potential structural options raised in the Big Green Easy study, including a possible merger of NORD and Parks and Parkways. Presenters said an institutional merger or major reorganization was not advanced at this stage because such structural shifts were not considered appropriate at the end of a mayoral term; they noted that full implementation of the asset-management system would equip any incoming administration with better data to evaluate organizational changes.

Presenters also urged a coordinated legislative agenda to support parks funding; they emphasized that parks agencies serve far more properties than comparable jurisdictions and that a strategic legislative package may be necessary to close funding gaps. The session ended with partners reiterating their intention to continue implementation work and to return with more data as asset tracking and capital projects progress.