Jeff Landry task force calls for state-led takeover of New Orleans S&WB

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A task force appointed by newly-elected Republican Gov. Jeff Landry is calling for a state takeover of the New Orleans Sewerage & Water Board, a drastic action that would yank oversight of the agency away from city officials and create a temporary "recovery district" to implement sweeping reforms.

The recommendation, contained in a report that suggests sweeping changes to the way the agency is governed and managed, offered the clearest sign yet that Landry is poised to take control of the utility from Democratic Mayor LaToya Cantrell while the GOP holds a supermajority in the state legislature.

The mayor -- who chairs the board -- and her appointees currently make up a majority of the 11-member governing board of the S&WB. State authorities would appoint a majority of the envisioned recovery district.

The proposal was met with silence by the mayor, who declined comment through her press office, and a muted response by the S&WB, which said it is still studying the recommendations. Some city council members criticized the proposal to strip away local control while eschewing any detailed suggestions for new funding, from the state or otherwise.

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