Topic: How Pay Advances Work - No cash for DA's debt, council trio says - The Times-Picayune - NOLA.com
Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, who leads the council’s Budget Committee, said any discussion of using the city’s scarce resources to pay down the judgment against Jordan must be preceded by a thorough examination of the district attorney’s budget. Hedge-Morrell said she is prepared to explore several options that might allow Jordan to pay at least part of the judgment, such as using money allocated for positions in his office that are unfilled and replacing investigators assigned to the district attorney’s office with Police Department personnel. Attorneys for the plaintiffs in the discrimination case said they are prepared to seize assets of the district attorney’s office — specifically payroll accounts — if Jordan’s office does not pay up. The difficult choice facing the mayor and council members, who since Hurricane Katrina have balanced the city’s budget with federal loans, is either find a way to pay Jordan’s legal tab or risk watching the prosecutors’ office shut down. A portion of the fines and fees from the Criminal District Court system, Eddie Jordan’s salary, and any discretionary funds the criminal court system has could be combined with any funds the city council might chip in to make up the amount of the judgment. Learn more
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