Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
REMARKS
Concerns over delayed council member projects and funding issues
5:38:50
ยท
139 sec
Council Member Rita Joseph expresses strong concerns about the increasing rate of delayed, pushed, or re-estimated council member projects. She highlights the difficulties this creates for members and the impact on communities.
- The rate of delayed or re-estimated council member projects has sharply risen
- Members face challenges with funding tied to projects that aren't moving or require changes after announcement
- Joseph cites personal examples of projects that required additional funding or are still not completed despite being funded in previous fiscal years
Rita Joseph
5:38:50
Thank you because we also want to make sure as we're planning with class size it's also equitable.
5:38:55
Equity will always be at the center of this work for our New York City Students.
5:39:00
So I just want to make sure that's centered as well.
5:39:03
I'm gonna get into delayed projects.
5:39:05
Boy, do I have a list, and I'm sure if I call a couple of council members they will feel the same.
5:39:10
So over the past few years the rate at which council member projects are delayed, pushed, or have caused for re estimate has sharply risen, and I don't usually say it's a re estimate, I say SCA likes to guesstimate.
5:39:23
We guesstimate and come back to the members and say you're short.
5:39:26
I always keep it real with you guys.
5:39:28
So we want to change that.
5:39:30
This put members in a difficult position of having their funding tied to projects that aren't moving or have to be changed after the project had been announced to the community.
5:39:39
And that's had happened that happened to a couple of projects I funded myself, a middle school in my district when I funded it at 800,000.
5:39:47
You guys came back and said, hey council member, you're short $200,000.
5:39:51
Made sure that additional funding was there and that library and computer lag in FY twenty three I funded this is still not up and running.
5:40:03
That's not That's not acceptable to our New York City Students who waits on these projects.
5:40:08
They leave schools and they have never used these spaces.
5:40:12
PS two seventeen in my district, I'm having a nightmare with that, I want to be able to do we can do better, that project was funded at 400,000, you guys came back and said no, you're short.
5:40:23
Came back put in my 550,000, this was in FY twenty three.
5:40:28
Nothing has started with this playground yet and it's supposed to be a ADA playground.
5:40:34
These kids, I promised them and I delivered and SCA has not delivered, so I'm gonna put that on you so New York City kids know PS two seventeen knows SCA did not deliver for them and not even have a conversation with them.
5:40:46
Yes, yes Emma, I'm disappointed, I'm unhappy because this is we promised these kids these things and we're adults and when you promise children you have to deliver.
5:40:57
So I would love to know where I am on P S 217, parents call me, kids call me, and all of the other PS two seventeen a playground, ADA compliant for our students with mobility issues.
5:41:07
That's the one thing they ask me.