Q&A
Timeline for racial equity planning and its impact on budget processes
0:49:33
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171 sec
Council Member Williams inquires about the timeline for the racial equity planning process and how it will impact the FY2026 budget. Commissioner Sherman provides updates on the plan's progress and its potential influence on budget decisions.
- MOERJ is on track to release the preliminary citywide racial equity plan by March, with a final plan expected in June
- The timeline allows for the plan to potentially influence the executive budget
- Agencies are identifying priorities that may already be funded or can be addressed through resource reallocation
- The plan aims to influence both new needs and existing resource allocation in agency budgets
- After the plan's release, there will be a 30-day window for public feedback
- MOERJ will incorporate feedback from the public, CORE, the City Council, and other elected officials into the final plan
Nantasha M. Williams
0:49:33
Okay, now turning to racial equity planning.
0:49:36
The timeline on your website states a preliminary citywide racial equity plan is expected to be finalized by this March with updates and a final plan expected to be released by this coming June.
0:49:48
Does MOERJ feel as if it is, I guess back on track to meet these targets, these target dates?
0:49:58
If not, could you speak more on the needs of your agency in order to meet these target dates?
Sideya Sherman
0:50:04
So thank you Councilmember Brent.
0:50:06
I know this is of important interest to you so we are on track and we are working steadily as we speak to release the plan based on that timeline that is shared and so we look forward to engaging you once we release the plan and keeping you abreast of our progress.
Nantasha M. Williams
0:50:23
Thank you.
0:50:24
How will the administration ensure that any delays will not impact the fiscal year twenty twenty six budget process?
Sideya Sherman
0:50:31
So based on our timeline for release there's still an opportunity for the city to factor the plan into the preliminary plan into exec.
0:50:40
Additionally agencies are lifting up priorities that may already be funded as well as resource allocation within their agency particularly for their goals that extend between '26 and '28 which are usually pretty short term goals.
0:50:53
And so there's still an opportunity for the plan to influence the city budget.
0:50:57
One thing that I would also flag is you know the obviously the new needs are just really a fraction of the city budget and so that we've gone through this process.
0:51:06
We've also worked with agencies to think about how they're allocating their existing needs, their existing resources, right, as part of an effort towards structural reform to make sure that it's in alignment with their goals.
Nantasha M. Williams
0:51:22
What steps will MOERJ take to ensure that community feedback during the two month review process will be incorporated into the final racial equity plan?
Sideya Sherman
0:51:32
So once we release the racial equity plan, the public has an opportunity.
0:51:37
There is a thirty day window for feedback.
0:51:40
As I shared, we'll have an opportunity for the public to share that feedback directly with us, the Commission on Racial Equity, and I don't want to speak to their work, but I know that they will also be sharing feedback right and engaging their commissioners and the public and we encourage New Yorkers to engage with them as well.
0:51:56
And then of course we're looking for feedback from the council and other elected officials in the city.
0:52:01
Once we have that feedback there is then approximately around two and a half months that the city has to incorporate it and to work on an updated final plan.
0:52:10
And so we will as we get that information, you know, we'll stay in dialogue with with our partners to make sure that we understand it and that we're incorporating it and factoring it into what goes into the final plan.