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NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) – The Office of the Inspector General released a public letter addressed to the mayor and the apartment’s operator, the French Market Corporation, letting them know that the mayor’s usage of the city-owned apartment at the Upper Pontalba Building may be a violation of the Louisiana Constitution.

The city-owned apartment is currently reserved for events sponsored by the mayor, but following allegations that Mayor LaToya Cantrell spends too much time at the apartment, the Office of the Inspector General launched an investigation.

As a result of their findings, Inspector General Edward Michel believes the apartment should be rented to one of the three hundred people on the waiting list to obtain one of the apartments.

“So, if you add the $2,900 a month, plus the $5,000 in utilities, that’s about $41,000 a year, every year in perpetuity, that the city could earn going forward if they were to lease this apartment to the public,” Michel said.

New Orleans City Councilman Oliver Thomas says that the city shouldn’t be too quick on making a decision because, historically, the apartment has been used to host dignitaries and believes a policy needs to be put in place before moving in a tenant.

Councilman Thomas said, “What are the rules? What are the guidelines? Should political people use it for personal use? And of course, I would say no, but if that’s the case, how do we use it for the intended purpose?”

Michel says the mayor should be utilizing Gallier Hall for special events and that visiting dignitaries would still be taken care of.

“The city could rent a room at any luxury hotel for one or two or three nights, and then take the remaining money that they saved from the $2,900 a month rent, every month in perpetuity, to put that back into the city coffers,” Michel said.

However, Thomas says it’s an unnecessary move.

“If the city needs a few thousand dollars in rent, to make it, from an apartment, we’re in trouble; that’s not going to fix it for us,” Thomas said. “But if we can use it as a place to host foreign dignitaries and prominent people who are interested in our city and who are interested in investing in our city, I think that’s the best use for it.”

We reached out to the mayor’s office for her response to the letter.

Director of Communications Gregory Joseph sent us the following:

“The Office of the Inspector General’s report yielded no substantial results and only further reiterated our position in that the most recent Franchise Agreement contains no rules governing how the unit should be used. Furthermore, seeing as though this apartment is and has always been owned by the French Market Corporation, it would be unsuitable for the City of New Orleans to take any specific position as to how they choose to operate their facility.”