Ezra Rapport, a top official with the city's recovery office, expected Nagin to sign it "any day."

When that happens, it would mark a breakthrough of sorts for City Hall and the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority, which have been at odds for months on issues of funding and what role each should play in redeveloping this city following Hurricane Katrina.
    
One agreement deals with the 17 sections of the city targeted for redevelopment by Nagin's recovery director, Ed Blakely; the other, property needed as part of a plan to develop a biomedical corridor seen as key to helping strengthen and diversify New Orleans' post-Katrina economy.

Each would provide funding for the work proposed. NORA officials have maintained that the city — a key source of agency funding — should provide extra aid if it wants NORA to take on additional, recovery-related projects.

Herschel Abbott, who heads NORA's board, told the agency's finance committee Monday that the pacts aren't perfect, and he noted concerns that have been raised that signing those would take away some of NORA's "bargaining authority" in signing a third agreement, one that would help fund NORA's operations next year. That has yet to be signed, and Rapport, chief operating officer in the city's recovery office, said discussions on that haven't yet begun.

The agreement awaiting Nagin's signature would free up, with the year almost complete, funds to pay NORA expenses in 2007. NORA eventually expects to receive about $1.2 million; officials say expenses so far this year have totaled at least $907,000.

However, Abbott said he believes the board wants to move forward and that the redevelopment pacts would be the "least objectionable" way to do that.

In particular, Abbott said the agreement for the "bio-sciences economic development district" could show the public that the city and NORA can work together.

In recent months, money has been a thorny issue between the city and NORA, as the two sides have tried to hammer out an agreement detailing NORA's role in redevelopment — and, particularly, in City Hall's targeted recovery plan — following Katrina.

NORA was created by the state to curb blight in the city years before the 2005 storm. But it had little funding and staff and was a relatively minor player in local redevelopment, moving, at best, a few hundred blighted or tax-delinquent properties back into commerce each year.

Since Katrina, its profile has been raised substantially. But it remains strapped for cash; the agency earlier implemented a hiring freeze.

The two sides publicly swapped proposals for NORA's post-storm responsibilities in September. The city's offer was far more detailed than one favored by NORA, which sought a multiyear funding commitment and separate agreements for future projects.

The NORA board voted to move ahead with the agreements, with the caveat, with little discussion Monday night, about an hour after the details were laid out in the finance committee meeting.

Abbott said his read of the two redevelopment proposals was that NORA was not obligated to do the work until it had the money to do so.

Separately, the board backed "redevelopment compacts" with the Irish Channel and Pontilly neighborhood associations, vowing to work with them in their redevelopment or rebuilding efforts. Board member Rob Couhig called it one of the most important efforts the board has been involved in.

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