City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn today announced a comprehensive overhaul
\nof the City Council’s budget allocation process, continuing efforts to
\nstrengthen accountability and increase transparency. The reforms include:
\ntransforming the Speaker’s program allocations into a competitive, merit-based
\nRequest For Proposals (RFP) process; creating an Independent Compliance Office
\nwithin the Council to monitor budget and procurement actions; and, strengthening
\nthe requirements for awarding funds for local initiatives, including adoption of
\nrigorous new certification requirements for recipients developed in consultation
\nwith the Office of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo.<\/p>\n
“The people of New York must have full faith in the way public dollars are
\nallocated,” said Speaker Quinn. “We have made significant progress in improving
\nthe budget process over the last two years, and I remain fully committed to
\nmaking even more reforms and further strengthening the system. We owe it to the
\npeople of New York City to redouble our efforts and make this Council more
\ntransparent than the one we inherited.”<\/p>\n
Dick Dadey, Executive Director of Citizens Union praised today’s announcement
\nand said, “Citizens Union supports Speaker Quinn’s announced reforms to bring
\nfurther transparency, new oversight and increased inclusiveness to a merit based
\ndecision making process of the City Council’s review and enactment of the city
\nbudget. Her proactive response to address the past practice of some member items
\nis very encouraging to see happen. Speaker Quinn is a reform leader in city
\ngovernment and these actions today speak to her continued leadership in this
\nregard.”<\/p>\n
“We think that these reforms will increase fairness and transparency in the
\ngiving out of funds by the Speaker and by Council Members,” said Gene
\nRussianoff, Senior Attorney for the New York Public Interest Research Group
\n(NYPIRG). “These changes are in a line with other major past reforms adopted by
\nSpeaker Quinn and the Council, including more transparency for member items,
\ngreater disclosure of lobbying and lower limits on contributions by individuals
\ndoing business with the City.”<\/p>\n
Changes to the Speaker’s Program Allocations<\/p>\n
The funds traditionally allocated by the Speaker will now be distributed through
\na public competitive, merit-based RFP process. This initiative will be modeled
\nafter the successful merit-based funding system implemented under the Department
\nof Cultural Affairs last year. The Speaker, in consultation with her colleagues,
\nwill establish funding priorities, and groups will compete within those areas in
\na process overseen by the Mayor’s Office of Contract Services. The criteria set
\nwill delineate the specific types of groups and the uses for the funding. For
\nexample, one RFP could be targeted at alleviating hunger with funding to small,
\ncommunity-based organizations working in high poverty areas.<\/p>\n
The Mayor’s Office of Contract Services will assist in assuring that the RFP’s
\nreflect the areas and criteria set forth by the Speaker and the Council. The RFP
\nprocess will be structured in a way that will help smaller organizations meet
\nthe new requirements, in order to ensure they are not shut out of the process.<\/p>\n
Establishment of Independent Compliance Officer<\/p>\n
The Speaker announced the creation of an Independent Compliance Office whose
\nresponsibilities will include ensuring that the Council adheres to all
\nprocurement rules, charter mandates and Comptroller directives. Additionally,
\nthis office will assist in developing best practices and heightened local
\ninitiative review. The Compliance Officer will report to the Speaker and General
\nCounsel. The Speaker called for a change to the Charter to make the position
\npermanent and independent, set at a four-year term to overlap Speaker terms and
\nonly removable for cause.<\/p>\n
Strengthening Requirements for Local Initiatives<\/p>\n
Local initiatives will now be subjected to a more thorough review and
\ncertification process to be developed in consultation with New York State
\nAttorney General Andrew Cuomo’s office. Under this new process, there will be a
\nsignificant increase in the requirements for any community organization to
\nreceive funding through local initiatives, including:<\/p>\n
* Expanding the review process for groups that receive funding, ensuring the
\nCouncil more effectively monitors the allocated funds;<\/p>\n
* Moving up deadlines to eliminate last minute budget add-ons; and<\/p>\n
* Requiring additional disclosures to eliminate possible conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n
Searchable Database of All Funding Requests<\/p>\n
In a further effort to increase transparency, the Council will create an online
\nsearchable database, modeled after the Attorney General’s Project Sunlight
\nInitiative, containing all applications from any organization that applies for
\nfunding from the Council. The database will be updated within ten business days
\nof adoption of any budget allocation. Links on the Council’s database and the
\nCity Clerk’s lobbying database will make it easier for the public to
\ncross-reference information on funding with lobbying and client registration
\ninformation.<\/p>\n
Finally, the Council will release data on Council funded initiatives and
\nprograms (Schedule C) prior to budget adoptions, at least 24 hours before the
\nCouncil votes on the budget. This step will ensure a more public review of all
\nfunding allocations.<\/p>\n
“The reforms to the discretionary funding process as announced today by Speaker
\nQuinn are solid steps towards giving the budget process further transparency,”
\nsaid Finance Committee Chair David Weprin.<\/p>\n
The Rules Reform Working Group, chaired by Council Members Yassky and Garodnick,
\nwill draft proposed rules changes that reflect the reforms announced today.
\nThose changes will then be referred to the Committee on Rules, Privileges and
\nElections, Chaired by Council Member Diana Reyna. After review by the Committee
\nand full Council, the rules changes will be formally codified.<\/p>\n
Council Member David Yassky stated, “I’m proud to stand with Speaker Quinn to
\nannounce these bold reforms. This package will bring more transparency to the
\nbudget process than any legislation in the last two decades.”<\/p>\n
“This is the right moment to make some constructive reforms in the Council’s
\nbudget process,” said Council Member Dan Garodnick. “We need to shine the
\nsunlight on the Council’s budget process and give New Yorkers confidence in
\nwhere their money is going and how it is being spent.”<\/p>\n
“This is an important beginning that will allow for a more inclusive process of
\nserving all communities in the City,” said Majority Whip Inez Dickens.<\/p>\n
Speaker Quinn has made reforming the budget process one of the hallmarks of her
\nagenda and has taken a number of significant steps toward creating a more open
\nand responsive budget process. Over the last two years, the Speaker has
\neffectively worked to provide more detailed spending information for City
\nagencies, and publicly list sponsoring Council Members for local initiatives.
\nThe Speaker negotiated a memorandum of understanding with the Corporation
\nCounsel to increase accountability and transparency on local initiatives funded
\nwith Council Member discretionary funding.<\/p>\n
Last year, the Speaker implemented a new process for systematically evaluating
\nCouncil initiatives to ensure funding is directed where it is most needed, and
\nhas also proposed connecting spending to the Mayor’s Management Report (MMR) to
\nfurther help guide priorities and funding levels. Additionally, the Council has
\nsuccessfully base-lined funding for a number of citywide services, a process
\nthat limits the threat of drastic budget cuts to vital city services like city
\nlibraries or trash pickup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn today announced a comprehensive overhaul
\nof the City Council’s budget allocation process, continuing efforts to
\nstrengthen accountability and increase transparency. The reforms include:
\ntransforming the Speaker’s program allocations into a competitive, merit-based
\nRequest For Proposals (RFP) process; creating an Independent Compliance Office
\nwithin the Council to monitor budget and procurement actions;<\/p>\n
…<\/p>\n