Q&A
Discussion on DOB's headcount reduction and budget issues
3:16:50
·
3 min
Council Member Restler expresses concern about the 26% reduction in DOB's headcount since the beginning of the administration. Commissioner Oddo acknowledges the challenges and discusses the need for a smarter, more proactive approach to address issues with the city's aging housing stock.
- Restler argues that DOB should have been exempted from recent hiring freezes and budget cuts
- Oddo emphasizes the need for a team focused on proactive measures and predictive analytics
- Both agree on the importance of having adequate staffing to maintain service levels and address safety concerns
Lincoln Restler
3:16:50
And I have to say, the chairs opening statement was jarring for me.
3:16:58
The fact that we've experienced a 26% reduction in headcount since the beginning of this administration at DOB is indefensible with its impressive what you've been able to do considering the reduction in headcount.
3:17:14
But, you know, DOB should have been exempted from the most recent hiring freeze.
3:17:19
DOB should not have seen additional cuts to your head count in in the recent peg.
3:17:26
And I asked shock about this at our budget hearing last week.
3:17:31
And we will do everything we can to restore the headcount of the agency because we see the impacts it has.
3:17:36
I mean, you know, the PMMR showed on priority b complaints that we were fully 2 day slower to respond as a you know, which is a direct result of headcount.
3:17:46
And you gotta pick your spots and do the best you can when you don't have enough people and bodies, but I don't even have a question there unless there's something you wanna add.
3:17:55
I just wanna say, I trust your leadership, but if you don't have the people to do the job, you're putting an impossible situation.
3:18:03
And we need more inspectors and we need more people at DOB right now.
Jimmy Oddo
3:18:07
So, council member, thank you for that, and I will answer it this way.
3:18:13
I think If I said I didn't want more, then anytime I I go back to 280 Broadway and look at the team and ask them, for something, they should tell me to take a walk.
3:18:29
But I think we need to be different too.
3:18:33
And this is the point I wanted to say to the chair in the opening.
3:18:37
We are doing a really good job providing the services that we do.
3:18:43
Service levels bear that out.
3:18:45
But we are a complaint driven agency for the most part.
3:18:51
Right?
3:18:54
Even though there have been high profile incidents and people are painting a narrative, I can push back against that respectfully and say, human error, egregious human error, egregious human error, human error.
3:19:06
That doesn't negate the fact that we have an aging housing stock and maintenance as we all know is an issue.
3:19:14
So we need smarter.
3:19:16
Smarter to me is we have to get this agency to a point where we have a team that is on offense, that we go and act proactively that we get into the predictive analytics game, that we take advantage of all the data that DLB now has created, that we use the reports like Jumani's reports and all other data where we proactively go after the bad actors and that we have the ability to routinely look at open Class 1 violations.