QUESTION
What is the budget and capacity for removing derelict vehicles and addressing illegal dumping and street vending?
1:15:03
·
4 min
Commissioner Tisch explains the New York City Department of Sanitation's approach to these issues.
- DSNY has increased enforcement for removing derelict vehicles by partnering with NYPD, resulting in over 8,000 vehicles removed last year.
- DSNY utilizes cameras to catch illegal dumpers who receive $4,000 summons and must pay cleanup costs.
- For illegal street vending, DSNY aims for compliance first through warnings like multi-lingual flyers and written 'summons-like' warnings without fines.
Farah Louis
1:15:03
I have three questions.
1:15:05
I'll start with derelict vehicles, then I'll go into private property, and then enforcement.
1:15:12
So I wanted to know what is the expense dedicated to towing and disposal of abandoned or derelict vehicles and at in the FY 25 budget.
1:15:22
How many vehicles did DSNY process in FY 24?
1:15:25
And does this projection remain in FY 25?
1:15:29
And as abandoned vehicles in both residential and commercial neighborhoods become increasingly large and hazardous.
1:15:37
What is the main limiting factor in increasing capacity for removing such vehicles off the street?
1:15:43
And has DS DSNY requested for supplemental funding to address those aren't.
Jessica Tisch
1:15:48
I'm gonna forget, can I start with the derelict vehicles and then answer your other 2?
Farah Louis
1:15:53
Well, do you want me to ask all of them first?
Jessica Tisch
1:15:55
Okay.
1:15:56
Sure.
1:15:56
I'll reach.
Farah Louis
1:15:57
Alright.
1:15:57
So that's all Derelict vehicles.
1:15:59
Okay.
1:16:00
Now this is a private property.
1:16:02
How much funding is dedicated to illegal dumping prevention efforts, including maintaining the security cam cameras and dumping hot spots?
1:16:10
I think you're aware of the hot spot in my district.
1:16:12
Yeah.
1:16:13
And does DSNY bill for the cost of these cleanups to private owners?
1:16:17
To address these areas, and the last one is on enforcement.
1:16:21
How does DSNY currently enforce laws and regulations related to illegal street vendors?
1:16:27
That are not in compliance with the current laws, and their behavior continues to exude uncleanliness and public health concerns.
1:16:36
And have you provided have is there any funding an FY 25 executive budget to address that, whether through campaign initiatives for awareness or anything else?
1:16:46
That's it.
1:16:47
Thanks.
Jessica Tisch
1:16:47
Okay.
1:16:51
Let's start with a derelict vehicles.
1:16:55
So we have significantly upped our derelict vehicle enforcement.
1:17:02
We started last year And what we did is we made a partnership with the NYPD where whether a vehicle is abandoned or derelict, we can take it off the street.
1:17:16
So we have 5 NYPD officers assigned to work with our in our abandoned vehicle task force.
1:17:24
And we're doing, in addition to that, lots more joint operations on the Street.
1:17:29
Last year, we took over 8000 vehicles off of the street.
1:17:34
And this year, now that this task forces up and running, we are on pace to dwarf that number.
1:17:42
In terms of costs, we don't pay the tow truck companies that we use for the the service.
1:17:53
They So there are no specific costs in our budget or line items in our budget other than our personnel costs associated with it.
1:18:06
On illegal dumping We have been all this camera program has worked very well last year.
1:18:16
It's basically like we take we catch 1 illegal dumper a day in the city.
1:18:22
They get a $4000 summons.
1:18:24
Their vehicle gets impounded.
1:18:27
And they also and you touched on this in your question, have to pay the bill for the cost of cleaning up the material as well.
1:18:40
For On your question about vending, generally with vending, we take a compliance, we try to take a compliance first approach where we look to see is there some condition that the vending is created like for example, blocking the entrance to a store, blocking a curb cut, throwing grease down, a sewer drain.
1:19:07
We also have taken a warnings first approach to vending.
1:19:12
The warnings can take many different well, really 2 main different forms.
1:19:18
The first one and the one that we use much more often than not is putting up flyers in multiple languages in the areas where we're going to be performing the vending.
1:19:32
But we also have the ability.
1:19:34
We've upgraded our systems if we don't have a flyer in the area.
1:19:39
To issue what looks like as summons, but it's in fact a warning with no no cost associated to it.
1:19:47
To the person or the vendor.
Farah Louis
1:19:52
Thank you.
1:19:52
That's all my question.
Jessica Tisch
1:19:53
Thank you.