Q&A
HPD's enforcement capacity for cooling requirements
1:06:07
·
117 sec
Council Member Restler discusses HPD's potential enforcement capacity for cooling requirements, comparing it to their current heating season inspections. Deputy Commissioner Santiago acknowledges that implementing cooling requirements would require increased resources and staffing.
- HPD currently conducts about 100,000 heating inspections per year with a 48-hour response time
- Implementing similar requirements for a cooling season (June 15th to September 15th) would require additional headcount and resources
- HPD has not yet quantified the exact increase in staffing needed
- There are concerns about the enforcement aspects of the bill as written
- Council Member Restler emphasizes the need for proper funding and planning to ensure successful enforcement
AnnMarie Santiago
1:06:07
Currently, yes.
Lincoln Restler
1:06:08
Yeah.
1:06:08
That's it's impressive.
1:06:09
We'll see.
1:06:09
Hopefully, this hopefully, we'll I mean, I guess, I don't even know if I'm supposed to hope for mild winters anymore.
1:06:17
If we were to pass this legislation and, create a similar requirement during cooling season from June 15th to September 15th, have you considered what the implications would be for your workforce, How many additional head count you might need, to be able to achieve similar response times during the summer as you as you're able to do in the winter?
AnnMarie Santiago
1:06:38
Yeah.
1:06:38
Thank you, council member.
1:06:39
We've started to think about this.
1:06:42
Certainly, there there would need to be an increase.
1:06:45
At this point, we have not quantified that.
1:06:48
I think we really need to understand how this would be enforced.
1:06:53
You know, I think we do have some concerns about the bill as written in terms of the enforcement, so we would like to continue speaking with you on
Lincoln Restler
1:07:10
the way I've always internalized HPD's work or your team's work, I should say, specifically is heating season is bonkers and crazy busy and very intense, and you catch up on everything else during the rest of the year.
1:07:23
I think if we were to successfully pass this bill, it would make cooling season quite intense for you all to ensure that tenants are safe in the summer as well from extreme heat, and it would require an increase in headcount for HPD and for the enforcement team.
1:07:36
And, so that we're ensuring that there's effective enforcement against every other issue in addition to heating and cooling, lead, etcetera.
1:07:44
So we wanna have a real conversation about what those require what those, demands would be on HPD so that we can plan for it and fund it appropriately, to make sure that enforcement is successful here.
AnnMarie Santiago
1:07:56
I appreciate that, council member.
Lincoln Restler
1:07:57
And I'll I'll I I have some additional questions, but I will, defer back to the chair.
1:08:02
I really appreciate the chance to to go a little long.
