NEW ORLEANS -- Since Hurricane Katrina, the beer-soaked, urine-splashed, puke-puddled French Quarter of old has been scrubbed clean. But with the city facing tough financial times, it may no longer be able to afford to pay for all the services of an army of sanitation workers who pick up after the partying.

The timing couldn't be worse for tourism officials working to continue bringing visitors to one of the city's brightest post-Katrina spots during a recession -- and with Mardi Gras right around the corner.

The city's sanitation department has instructed contractor SDT Waste & Debris Services to halt its Disney-like services in the Quarter, including mechanical street sweeping and pressure washing, after Jan. 31. The company would still do basic trash pickup. But eliminating the $4 million in extra services would take about 75 sanitation workers off the streets.

Tourism and business leaders say the city, even with its financial struggles, can ill afford a return to a stinkier, dirtier French Quarter.

"The French Quarter is the face of the city of New Orleans for many people," said Kurt Weigle, president of the Downtown Development District, which does its own sidewalk cleaning outside the Quarter. "As it goes, so goes people's perceptions of the rest of the city."