REMARKS
Call for transparency and collaboration on the water rental payment issue
2:31:31
·
167 sec
Council Member Gennaro concludes by emphasizing the need for transparency and collaboration in addressing the water rental payment issue. He expresses appreciation for the Independent Budget Office's (IBO) involvement and calls for further investigation into the funding discrepancies.
- Gennaro reiterates his concern about the $310 million gap in rental payment funding
- He criticizes the system as allowing mayors to 'legally fleece the ratepayers of New York City'
- The council member expresses frustration that the rental payments impede DEP's ability to fund necessary infrastructure projects
- Gennaro praises the IBO's concise and well-written explanation of the issue
- He calls for continued collaboration, asking the IBO representatives to connect with his legislative director for future work on the issue
James F. Gennaro
2:31:31
That is an outrage, and I'm glad you folks are on it.
2:31:36
And because the World of Finance Authority is a is a state created entity, they're not gonna give me any information on it.
2:31:43
So but I'm working on this, and so and it it it's good to see you, you know, in common cause with me on this really important issue and bringing daylight to this issue that no one knows about.
2:31:59
Nobody knows about this.
2:32:00
And so and yeah.
2:32:03
But that issue about was the $330,000,000 coming from for Rome.
2:32:08
Right?
2:32:09
There's no it's 440 minus 130.
2:32:11
And so You got you got $310,000,000.
2:32:15
It's coming from some place.
2:32:17
It's not coming from the ratepayers.
2:32:19
Either we're gonna collect it from ratepayers going forward and add that into the future.
2:32:23
I didn't even know how it's gonna work, but it it just doesn't seem right to me But the biggest thing that's not right is that we have the ability for the mayor to legally 100% legally fleece the rate pairs of New York City and impede with DEP's ability to appeal to the water board for higher rates for stuff that they really need to do that relates to DEP, like doing all this stuff related to the fad and, you know, building out the storm sewer system and everything we're doing, you know, to push back against, you know, this new year of flooding storms every 5 seconds.
2:33:12
And I say that in a month where we where we haven't had any rain yet, and I don't even know what let's say, 29, 28, 20 something.
2:33:18
So it's it's been, like, 4 weeks of that rain.
2:33:21
So It's kind of an irony that I'm talking about, you know, super flooding storms like every month.
2:33:28
We haven't had a drop of rain this whole month.
2:33:31
But I I I think the IPO for being here for, like because this is this is well written you know, this is more concise that I could put it, and you lay down the history.
2:33:41
And I look forward to working together with you guys on it.
2:33:43
I would urge you to make sure you touch base with my Legislative director Josh Gache, who's right there, he's gonna raise his hand, and, you know, give him your contact information.
2:33:56
We appreciate, you know, the real value way that that that IPO has brought to this proceeding.
2:34:02
With that, I'm kicking out.
2:34:03
Okay?
2:34:04
In a nice way.
2:34:05
In a nice way.
2:34:07
Then, you know, thanks so much for being here.
2:34:08
I'm not really kicking out, and I'm just saying, you know, it's not that way, you know.
2:34:13
But thank you very much.
2:34:14
Really appreciate your hard work on this.
2:34:16
This is really good work.
