NEW ORLEANS, La. — Louisiana voters wrapped Election Day by approving seven of 10 constitutional amendments, including a New Orleans-focused measure that lets public funds help remove or replace lead pipes on private property.
Amendment 7 drew about 65 percent support statewide and unlocks access to roughly $152 million in federal funding for lead-pipe work in New Orleans, including lines that run onto private lots. Officials still face a far larger price tag, with full replacement costs pegged above $1 billion and a federal deadline of 2037 to finish the job.
The statewide ballot carried 10 constitutional amendments on Nov. 3. The Secretary of State guide says the approved lead-pipe change lets political subdivisions spend public money to identify, inventory, remove or replace drinking-water service lines covered by federal Lead and Copper Rule rules, including stretches that run from public property to a persons home.
Voters also locked in tougher lifetime limits on who can hold the governors office. The measure, approved with 56 percent of the vote, blocks anyone who already logged more than one and a half gubernatorial terms from winning the office again. That ends the old sit-out-and-return path and effectively keeps former Gov. John Bel Edwards and former Gov. Bobby Jindal from seeking the office again.
On property taxes, Amendment 9 passed with 58 percent support and raises the income ceiling for the special assessment freeze to $150,000 a year, up from $100,000. The higher cap covers older homeowners, disabled veterans, permanently disabled owners and certain surviving military spouses. Amendment 6, with 64 percent support, lets local governments ask voters for an extra homestead break for older owners.
Criminal justice language also changed. Amendment 3, approved with 68 percent support, blocks judges from granting post-conviction bail after convictions for certain aggravated crimes against minors. Another approved measure adds a state ban that stops foreign adversaries from seizing land through eminent domain inside Louisiana.
Three proposals failed. Voters rejected more flexible temporary millage cuts, a shift in how surplus dollars pay retirement debt, and a local option to exempt rehabilitated blighted property. For New Orleans, the lead-pipe green light and the senior tax changes are the pieces most likely to show up first in city budgets and neighborhood construction schedules.
Section: More New Orleans LA politics news
Filed under: New Orleans LA Politics News
