Legislation will ensure greater transparency while maximizing cost efficiencies in City service contracting
Council will also vote to approve a project to construct city’s first Energy Neutral school;
Members will consider three green bills to preserve and protect city’s environment

New York, NY- Today, the City Council will vote to override a Mayoral veto of the Council’s Outsourcing Accountability Act. This legislation will amend an existing law to require the City to perform cost benefit analyses for certain outsourcing contracts. It will also increase transparency by requiring public notice of intended service contracts, giving City employees and private vendors alike increased time to better prepare to compete for the opportunity to fill those needs. The City Council unanimously passed this bill on October 5th and the Mayor informed the Council of his veto on November 4th.

The Council will also vote to approve a project to build the city’s first Energy Neutral school. This means the facility would use, on an annual basis, no more energy than the building produces. Additionally, the Council will vote on three environmental protection bills that will have a meaningful impact on New York City’s air, water and waste.

OVERRIDE OF MAYORAL VETO

When the Council passed the Outsourcing Accountability Act, it voted to safeguard billions of taxpayer dollars that are spent annually in the procurement of City services. The common sense legislation will amend an existing law to enhance competition, increase transparency and maximize cost efficiencies when entering into contracts that could displace City workers. The existing law, Local Law 35 of 1994, was intended to meet these goals. However, in the 17 years since that law was enacted, the City has rarely reached the cost-benefit stage of the process. By vetoing this bill, the Administration denies both the intent of the 1994 law and the increased competition that the amended legislation would bring.

“As I said in November, I am disappointed that the Bloomberg administration failed to approve this legislation. However, I also announced that we would aim to override this veto as soon as possible, and today we plan to do just that,” said Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. “This fiscally responsible, common sense legislation will certify that the City routinely weigh the necessity of outside contracts that cost taxpayers billions of dollars each year. The Council simply wants City agencies to consider costs and thoughtfully review decisions to outsource. These tough economic times demand nothing less.”

“It is now vital that the City save money whenever, wherever, and however it can,” said Council Member Darlene Mealy, Chair of the Contracts Committee and sponsor of the legislation. “By requiring agencies to consider and document whether City employees can perform services that might be outsourced, Intro 624-A is designed to make sure that City does just that.”

The Council has worked with the Bloomberg administration over the years to improve and streamline the contracting process. The Outsourcing Accountability Act further improves City contracting by implementing measures to maximize cost efficiencies in service contracts. Intro 624-A does not limit the City’s ability to outsource. Nor does it add an unnecessary bureaucratic layer to contracting.

CITY’S FIRST ENERGY NEUTRAL SCHOOL

The Council will also vote to approve a proposed project to construct the city’s first “Energy Neutral” school, so that on an annual basis, the building would utilize no more energy than it produces. The proposed project site, located in the Rossville/Woodrow section of Staten Island, is slated to contain 444 seats serving Pre-K through 5th grade as well as a District 75 Citywide Special Education program.

The new facility would provide additional public primary school capacity in Central School District 31.The proposed design includes optimizing natural day lighting while minimizing solar heat gain and loss and the installation of more energy-efficient kitchen equipment. The design would also incorporate solar rooftop panels, storm-water retention, and geothermal heating and cooling. An outdoor courtyard and vegetable garden located at the center of the building are also planned. Funding for the project would be provided in the New York City Department of Education’s (DOE) capital plan for fiscal years 2009 through 2014 with the school expected to be occupied by 2015.

“I am honored to have worked with the DOE and the NYC School Construction Authority to bring one of the most technologically advanced and environmentally friendly schools in the country to my district,” said Council Member Vincent Ignizio. “This school will leave a lasting imprint on the minds of the young children who attend it, while not causing lasting damage to our environment. This is the future of schools realized today. The savings this school achieves will be money that can and will be spent in the classroom on instruction.”

“This is a great first step towards creating environmentally friendly schools across the city, and I hope more will be built in the future,” said Land Use Committee Chair Leroy Comrie.

GREEN LEGISLATION
The Council will also consider three bills born out of recommendations made by the Green Codes Task Force.

The first of these bills would prohibit the disposal of water used to wash concrete off of trucks and other equipment at construction sites into the City’s sewer system. Concrete washout water can damage the City’s sewer infrastructure, as well as endanger aquatic life.

Another bill the Council will vote on aims to increase the use of recycled asphalt in the city. Currently, about one million tons of asphalt are removed from city streets every year, and the unused asphalt is sent to landfills, creating a significant environmental and economic cost for the City. In order to save the City almost $2 million in disposal costs and to reduce the amount of brand new material purchased by the City, this bill would require that all new, non-heavy duty asphalt that is used contain at least 30 percent of recycled asphalt.

“The key to greening New York City is not through radically changing everything the city does, but by continuing to do that which the city has always done, only in a more environmentally sustainable manner,” said Council Member James Gennaro. “The city pours a lot of concrete and lays a lot of asphalt. These bills make these ubiquitous activities much more environmentally friendly – and in doing so, will yield significant environmental benefits to the people of this city for generations to come. In passing these bills – both of which are endorsed by the city’s Green Codes Task Force – the city’s wetlands, coastal waters and sewer infrastructure will no longer suffer the deleterious effects from concrete ‘washout’ water, and this city will become the asphalt recycling capital of the country. Once again, New York City is showing real leadership, literally ‘paving’ the way towards environmental sustainability.”

Finally, the Council will vote to require all new Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems installed after January 1, 2013 to have more efficient filtration mechanisms. These new HVAC systems would filter out significantly smaller particles that could cause asthma, lung cancer, cardiovascular issues, birth defects and even premature death.

“I am pleased that this bill has come to the Council for a vote,” said Council Member Margaret Chin. “In lower Manhattan, air quality is of utmost concern to our residents. After the September 11th attacks, thousands of residents, workers, and students in the financial district were exposed to toxic dust and harmful pollutants. Only now are we beginning to understand the negative health effects related to the release of these chemicals. Also since 2001, lower Manhattan has been under constant construction, severely compromising air quality in our neighborhood. This bill will go a long way in addressing problems of air quality and respiratory illness, such as asthma, which are endemic in our city, and especially downtown. I want to thank Speaker Quinn for her leadership on this issue and my Council colleagues for their support in this endeavor.”

“I am proud to support these bills as they offer practical solutions in making our city more livable and sustainable for future generations,” said Council Member Erik Dilan. “Our city’s air quality, infrastructure and carbon footprint will be drastically improved with the passage of these bills.”
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