Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Victoria (Vic) Lee, Co-founder and Executive Director of Welcome to Chinatown, on Borough-Based Jail Program Cost Overruns
5:52:21
ยท
151 sec
Victoria Lee, Executive Director of Welcome to Chinatown, testified about the cost overruns of the borough-based jail program and its impact on the community. She highlighted the lack of accountability for the significant budget increase and questioned the prioritization of incarceration over social services and community development.
- Lee emphasized the 79% budget increase from $8.7 billion to $15.6 billion for the jail program
- She specifically criticized the $4 billion cost for the Manhattan jail structure alone
- Lee urged the council to reassess the size and scope of the Manhattan Borough-based jail program while still meeting criminal justice reform goals
Victoria (Vic) Lee
5:52:21
Hi, councilwoman.
5:52:24
Thank you for opportunity to testify.
5:52:26
My name is Vic Lee and I'm the executive director of Welcome to Chinatown.
5:52:31
Judy who has spoken about some of the unbearable construction that the seniors have been facing, Those just represent a small fraction of the complaints that our organization has fielded from both residents, small businesses, those that are visiting the community.
5:52:48
What I really want to focus on during my testimony is the cost overruns of the borough based jail program.
5:52:57
We are a nonprofit that has worked with city contracts.
5:52:59
And from my personal experience, we have strict reporting deadlines as well as there is zero tolerance for cost overruns with our contracts the city.
5:53:08
And I want to ask why this project has been allowed to balloon 79% from 8,700,000,000.0 to 15,600,000,000.0 with no little accountability from DOC and DYCD I'm sorry, DDC.
5:53:24
So this budget overall ignores the economic realities that will push costs even higher on top of there's currently five year delay with no contingency plan for Rikers twenty twenty seven as their 2027 closure looms.
5:53:38
Overall, there's been a lack of transparency and little responses to why we continue to pour billions into incarceration instead of the critical social services, education, and economic development.
5:53:50
We really believe that there's still opportunities to course correct, especially looking at the size and scope of the Manhattan Borough based jail program given that that contract has not yet been signed.
5:54:00
The Manhattan Jail is going to be one of the most expensive buildings in Lower Manhattan at a staggering $4,000,000,000 just on the structure of the jail, not on the services, rehabilitation, and education that actually make for safer communities.
5:54:14
This is not this just isn't an investment in economic growth nor the opportunity to create pathways for the underserved communities.
5:54:22
So I ask that the committee imagine I'm almost done.
5:54:25
Imagine if those funds were directed towards affordable housing, mental health services, and job training, all of the solutions that the previous, those previous that were giving testimony, those are great examples of programs.
5:54:38
And last is like, I really urge that the council have the courage to rethink the existing plan by reassessing the size and scope of the Manhattan Borough based jail program while still meeting city council's criminal justice reform goals.
5:54:51
Thank you.