Q&A
Council Member De La Rosa questions HPD on comptroller coordination, staffing, and bill implementation
1:07:22
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142 sec
Council Member Carmen N. De La Rosa engages in a Q&A session with Ahmed Tigani from HPD, focusing on HPD's coordination with the comptroller's office regarding wage compliance and community hiring plans. They also discuss HPD's staffing challenges and the department's ability to implement a new bill given these constraints.
- De La Rosa inquires about HPD's plans to share and receive information with the comptroller's office on wage compliance and community hiring.
- Tigani explains HPD's current collaboration with the comptroller's office and emphasizes the need for streamlined processes to minimize barriers for companies.
- The discussion touches on HPD's staffing issues and the department's capacity to fulfill new bill requirements while managing existing responsibilities.
Carmen N. De La Rosa
1:07:22
Thank you.
1:07:24
As we get ready to hear from the comptroller's office, I wanted to ask specifically how will HPD coordinate with the comptroller's office to share and receive information about developers' wage compliance and community hiring plans.
Ahmed Tigani
1:07:39
So right now, we actually have we we work with the comptroller's office on a range of different pieces.
1:07:45
Including on oversight from everything from invoice to development finance will work collectively and regularly with the comptroller's office.
1:07:54
I will say that one of the questions here is what if, you know, if there is a requirement in oversight regime, what is the most streamlined and direct and least barrier of entry for companies who would be involved in this work?
1:08:10
And so we do have we do have things that exist now that companies may be more streamlined to be or more easily adapt and be streamlined for them to adapt if we move forward with any oversight regime.
1:08:26
We would talk to the comptroller's office.
1:08:28
We would talk to the council about what those are.
1:08:31
I think at the end of the day when and this comes to any of the construction, labor, protection, and wage work that's happened over the last couple of years, we're thinking about compliance, we really have to drill down and figure out what is the most effective and least pervasive barrier of entry so these companies can comply.
Carmen N. De La Rosa
1:08:51
Thank you for that.
1:08:53
We recognize that HPD like many other municipal agencies has been struggling with high vacancy rates.
1:08:59
You talked about staffing earlier today.
1:09:01
What would your department be able to adequately fulfill all of the requirements signed this bill while while contending with other staffing?
Ahmed Tigani
1:09:09
I think, you know, right now, we are we've actually done a lot to try to rebuild and deliver back to back record years in terms of financing and preserving affordable homes in New York City.
1:09:21
This is a bill that we we're still trying to understand the different parameters for and cannot say yet that we have we have what we would need to implement as written.
1:09:31
So that would come after a discussion about what this legislation would do and what the parameters of that would be.
Carmen N. De La Rosa
1:09:38
Thank you.
1:09:41
All right.
1:09:42
Thank you so much for being here today.
