City staff and agency representatives advised the council to recognize specific one-time and recurring receipts to help balance the 2026 budget.

Sewerage & Water Board: Randy Hayman, executive director of the Sewerage & Water Board, said the board and city staff agreed to recognize $29.5 million in reimbursements by extending timelines to include receipts through Dec. 31, 2026. The board’s estimate includes FEMA reimbursements and other settlement or reimbursement streams tied to capital and recovery work; staff said the city would book incoming amounts into deferred revenue for 2026 recognition and use bond receipts to retire the receivable when funds arrive.

Wisner settlements: City presentations explained a current cash-on-hand pocket of about $7.6 million from Wisner-related distributions, with an additional $1.5 million payment reported and conservative 2026 projections of roughly $4.8 million based on 2024 net revenues. Staff and councilmembers discussed ongoing litigation and heirs’ appeals and noted the mayor’s representatives had taken a different position in litigation filings.

Parking collections: Consultant Sarah Shermer (PFM) explained a two-pronged parking strategy: hire 50 parking enforcement officers (projected $7 million in 2026 collections after hiring/training) and increase recovery of outstanding tickets (estimated $6.5 million). Combined, the parking items contributed to the overall $13.5 million parking collections projection.

The council folded these revenue recognitions into the omnibus amendment approved earlier in the meeting, while some council members and members of the public raised questions about contract terms and timing for collections and reimbursements.