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Q&A
Council Member Stevens questions DYCD on payment delays and procurement issues
1:26:56
ยท
3 min
Council Member Althea V. Stevens engages in a discussion with DYCD officials about payment delays for discretionary funded programs and broader issues with the city's procurement process. She highlights the case of the Game Over Foundation, which has not received payment for two fiscal years, and expresses frustration with the ongoing systemic issues in contracting and payments.
- Stevens criticizes the effectiveness of working groups, noting that previous efforts to clear backlogs have not led to lasting improvements.
- DYCD officials, including Commissioner Keith Howard and Deputy Commissioner Mike Bobbitt, respond to questions and promise to look into specific cases.
- The discussion highlights the need for long-term solutions and potential legislative changes to address the recurring problems in the city's procurement system.
Althea V. Stevens
1:26:56
You're all done?
1:26:57
Thank you, sorry.
1:26:59
I know we were talking about contracting and councilmember Riley sent me a question to ask around organization not being paid.
1:27:09
His question is the Game Over Foundation which has been funded by the twelfth district council member to run a youth program in the Northeast Bronx.
1:27:19
The organization has reported not receiving any payment for the past two fiscal years and is now facing fiscal challenges that may prevent them from continuing their program.
1:27:27
What is causing this delay and what steps are being taken to resolve it?
Keith Howard
1:27:33
I believe that's discretionary program.
Althea V. Stevens
1:27:35
This is discretionary funding and I know that that has been a bigger delay than even some of the contracting and so that's even separate from that and so have you have they reached out about this and where you guys at with this?
Nevita Bailey
1:27:50
We will look more into it.
1:27:52
See a deputy commissioner Bobbitt coming up.
Althea V. Stevens
1:27:53
You can come back Bobbitt.
Nevita Bailey
1:27:54
Bobbitt you can come up to speak to Who is better well versed on a discretionary portfolio.
1:27:59
Okay.
Mike Bobbitt
1:28:01
Thank you chair for the question.
1:28:02
I'll have my team look into it today.
1:28:05
I will say there are ongoing conversations with providers.
1:28:08
We make a point of having routine provider meetings.
1:28:12
And, basically, everyone in the discretionary portfolio, we try to make ourselves available when problems arise.
1:28:17
So I'll flag that now and bring it back to the team.
Althea V. Stevens
1:28:20
Yeah.
1:28:20
I know specifically the discretionary funding has been even more delayed than the contracting and the contracting has been the priority to get out and so
Keith Howard
1:28:30
It's it's a complexity in in that whole process and the whole system.
1:28:35
One of the good things that are happening is the working group with capital council finance you know happening on a deputy mayor level.
1:28:44
I participated in some of those those meetings and I I I do believe a % that the recommendations and the fixtures to the system is gonna show improvement across the board.
Althea V. Stevens
1:28:58
Listen, mean I gotta say it just because it's a budget hearing.
1:29:01
The procurement process in New York City is just out of control and ridiculous at this point.
1:29:06
And I know even with like even asking the contract questions to some of you guys sometimes, and I don't give you a lot of credit, it's not fair because a lot of it is out of the control of the agencies, but we do have to continue to push forward to figure out where the systemic issues are because it's a problem and we're not paying people.
Keith Howard
1:29:24
And 100 and that's why you know I just wanted to put some light at the end of the tunnel with the working group that's happening.
Althea V. Stevens
1:29:31
Maybe we had a working group before and we pretty much cleared up the backlog.
Keith Howard
1:29:34
But everybody's at the table and everybody's talking through systematic issues
Althea V. Stevens
1:29:39
fear.
1:29:39
Was the work we had a working group before when we
Keith Howard
1:29:41
cleared up the backlog and we're back to even more But I'm talking specifically about discretionary.
Althea V. Stevens
1:29:47
Okay.
1:29:47
Yeah.
1:29:47
When they had the working group before, it was cleared and we're back in the same position.
1:29:53
So I don't know if a working group was where we need to be.
1:29:55
I think that it's a systemic issue and we need to be looking at reforming real policy and not just trying to fix the issue.
1:30:01
It clearly needs long term solutions because literally when was it when I'll give the credit again, it was like two years ago the black fog was almost cleared out and now here we are again and the same thing.
1:30:12
So that means that it's a systemic issue and so it's not a working group because they had a working group and so clearly we need to make some legislative changes and some real investments into the mock system that often gets overlooked and underfunded, which isn't you guys so it's not my fight, that's Julie Wan's fight so I'll leave it there.
1:30:30
I'm going to turn it over to council member Williams at this time for her questions.