I think passage in April is likely. These increases are to offset prices for labor, supplies, materials and other items necessary to operate the public water, sewer and refuse systems.

We're hopeful that it's a constructive process that will lead to a positive result.

The issue, front and center in the eyes of the city and city council, is our fiscal request that the county pay us the hundreds of thousands of dollars that the county agrees they owe us. Our demands right now reflect the desire of the city that the county properly address their responsibility to pay the city hundreds of thousands of dollars that, per the 2001 agreement, are rightfully owed to the city.

And there's a shortage of labor in New Orleans and if we don't get a lot of volunteers going down there, some of the stuff won't get done.

There's not enough skilled labor in this town to build even half of what has been proposed.

Labor Day weekend is not as important from an economic standpoint as it used to be.