New Orleans City Council members voted Thursday to sue Mayor LaToya Cantrell in an effort to force her administration to pay NOLA Public Schools $20 million. Why it matters: The Council's action ups the ante in a dispute between its members and Cantrell's administration.

The New Orleans City Council has taken the first steps towards zeroing out Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s travel and entertainment budget after her administration claimed city finances are so dire it must impose a new period of austerity and budget cuts,

The New Orleans City Council has voted to join the lawsuit brought by NOLA Public Schools against the Cantrell administration for backing out of an agreement to give the schools $20 million to fill a hole in the budget.

New Orleans City Council members are expected to decide Thursday whether they will sue Mayor LaToya Cantrell in an effort to force her administration to pay NOLA Public Schools $20 million. Why it matters: Cantrell's administration appears to be backing out on an agreement that the council says was already a done deal to avoid staffing cuts.

The New Orleans City Council has joined the Orleans Parish School Board's lawsuit against Mayor LaToya Cantrell's administration, arguing that the School Board is owed millions and that Cantrell cannot back out of a deal to pay it that her administration agreed to three months ago.