A deficit is one thing. A payroll crisis is another. Where did the city's cash go?

After months of hand wringing among New Orleans officials over a growing budget deficit, the city’s financial woes turned into a full-blown crisis with a stunning announcement two weeks ago: City Hall would soon run out of cash to make payroll .

The $160 million deficit poses a daunting challenge, but it’s one that a new mayoral administration and City Council can work through over the next year. The sudden cash shortage, on the other hand, needs an immediate fix to ensure 5,000 city workers keep getting paid.

City officials say there is enough money in hand to pay workers through Nov. 12. They are now working feverishly to come up with cash to last through the end of the year, after Gov. Jeff Landry said a plan to issue short-term bonds would only be approved if the state took over