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WEBVTT COULDTAKE SOME WORK GETTING OTHERS TOSUPPORT.>> THIS IS A JEWEL IN THE ROUGHAND WE CAN POLISH THAT JEWEL.CASEY CLYDE MCCOY MOVED TO NEW: ORLEANS EAST IN THE MID-90'SAND BUILT HIS DREAM HOME HERE.IT'S WHY HE SAYS HE WANTS TOMAKE IT A BETTER COMMUNITY.>> EAST I-10 AND WEST I-10, ITIS FULL OF TRAFFIC IN THEMORNING.SOME OF THAT TRAFFIC CAN BEDIVERTED OFF IF WE HAD THECOMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT OUT HERE.CASEY MCCOY AND 3 OTHER: RESIDENTS WANT TO CREATE A NEWCITY OUT OF DISTRICT E WHICHINCLUDES NEW ORLEANS EAST ANDTHE LOWER NINTH WARD.>> YES, WE CAN DO IT.IT MAY SOUND LIKE A FAR-FETCHEDIDEA BUT ANY IDEA THAT IS NOTAPPROACHED, WELL, YOU NEVERKNOW.CASEY HE SAYS THEY'VE RESEARCHED: OTHER CITIES THAT HAVESUCCESSFUL SECEDED.THEY BELIEVE THEIR SECTION OFTHE CITY GENERATES ENOUGHREVENUE TO SUSTAIN ITSELFMEANING A SEPARATE CITYGOVERNMENT POLICE AND FIRE, DEPARMENT AND OTHER CITYAGENCIES.>> IF WE MANAGE OUR FUNDSDIRECTLY, AND SEE WHERE THEY AREGOING, WE CAN DO THAT.THAT IS NOT A MAJOR PROBLEM.THE PROBLEM IS GETTING THINGSDONE AND GETTING THE CITY TOKEEP UP.CASEY THE CITY IS BROKEN UP INTO: FIVE DISTRICTS.DISTRICT E IS THE YELLOW SECTIONON THIS MAP.ALTHOUGH IT'S THE LARGEST LANDSPACE A CITY SPOKESPERSONESTIMATES IT CONTRIBUES ABOUT7-8% IN PROPERTY TAX REVENUE ANDTHERE ARE ABOUT 80,000 PEOPLELIVING THERE WHICH IS EQUAL TOTHE OTHER 4 DISTRICTS IN THECITY.MENARD JOHNSON SAYS HE WANTS TOSEE MORE AND FASTER IMPROVEMENTSIN HIS LOWER NINTH WARDCOMMUNITY BUT HE DOESN'T THINKSECEDING FROM THE REST OF THECITY IS THE WAY TO DO IT.>>> WE ARE BASICALLY OPENING OF ACAN OF WORMS.WE NEED TO HAVE ONE INDIVIDUALON OUR CITY COUNCIL WHO IS GOINGTO REPRESENT THE THREE AREAS INWHICH WE ARE TALKING ABOUT TOSTAND UP AND BRING THE MONEY

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A group that wants New Orleans East and the Lower 9th Ward to be its own city is trying to garner more community support because they want more control over how money is spent in their community."We can be the masters of our dollars and bring our funds into our community to make sure they're properly utilized," said Clyde McCoy. "This is a jewel in the rough, and we can polish this jewel."McCoy moved to New Orleans East in the mid-1990s and built his dream home there. That is why, he says, he wants to make it a better community."East and West I-10 is full of traffic in the morning. Some of that traffic should and can be diverted off if we have the commercial development out here," McCoy said.McCoy and three other New Orleans East residents are leading an effort to create a new city out of District E, which includes New Orleans East and the Lower 9th Ward."Yes, we can do it. It may sound like it's a far-fetched idea, but any idea that's not approached, you'll never know," McCoy said.He said the group has researched other cities that have successful seceded, including a Florida city near Miami-Dade County."They have a smaller population with a less tax base, and they were able to do so. We can do the same," he said.The group believes its section of the city generates enough revenue to sustain a separate city government, police and fire departments and other city agencies."If we manage our funds correctly and we see where they're going, we can do that. That's not a major problem. The problem is just getting things done and getting the city to comply," he said.New Orleans is broken up into districts. Although District E has the largest land space, a city spokesperson estimates it generates about 7-8 percent of the city's overall property tax revenue and there are about 80,000 people living there, which is equal to the other four districts.Menard Johnson said he also wants to see more and faster improvements in his Lower 9th Ward community, but he doesn't think seceding from the rest of the city is the way to do it."I think we just need to have one individual that will represent the areas in which we're talking about to stand up and bring the money back to where it belongs and stop wasting money," Johnson said.The group organizing this effort would have to get enough people to sign a petition in support of it to get it on a ballot for a vote by the entire city. If it passed, it would move to the governor's desk.The group will make a presentation about their proposal during a meeting of the East New Orleans Neighborhood Advisory Commission at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the New Orleans East Regional Library on Read Boulevard.Keep up with local news, weather and current events with the WDSU app here. Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news right in your inbox. Click here to sign up!