The race is on for New Orleans City Hall to clear the necessary hurdles fo r a quick cash infusion to make payroll, after the City Council on Thursday voted unanimously to take what amounts to a $125 million payday loan.

It’s a risky maneuver, since there is no guarantee the city will be able to pay off the loan when it comes due next year: city officials are banking on President Donald Trump’s administration releasing $120 million in grant funds to pay the loan, but that’s an uncertain prospect.

“No doubt about it that's a risk,” Mayor-Elect Helena Moreno said after the vote. “If for some reason that doesn't come to fruition, well then it's going to be up to me to figure out how we're going to deal with this.”

There is also no guarantee the loan gambit will work. The city needs the S

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