Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
OATH's role in analyzing and reporting summons data
2:05:33
ยท
112 sec
Council Member Restler questions Commissioner Rahman about OATH's role in analyzing the dramatic increase in summons and reporting this information to City Hall. Rahman clarifies OATH's limited role in this regard.
- OATH has access to summons data but doesn't analyze societal impacts
- OATH can provide data for analysis to City Council, City Hall, or other interested parties
- Rahman emphasizes that it wouldn't be appropriate for OATH, as an impartial tribunal, to flag larger societal impacts to City Hall
- OATH's role is limited to ensuring timely hearings and adjudicating cases impartially
Lincoln Restler
2:05:33
for your counterparts at City Hall the tremendous increase, doubling since the time the mayor took office so that they're thinking about the impacts of such a phenomenal increase in summons during this relatively short period?
Asim Rahman
2:05:46
It would be appropriate for oath to flag for city hall the impact it would have on oath and our obligation to make sure we can provide timely hearings.
2:05:54
It wouldn't be appropriate for the tribunal to flag for city hall any larger societal impacts of those summonses.
Lincoln Restler
2:06:01
But you do look at whether you think agencies are appropriately following their own rules and regulations and laws in the issuance of those summons.
Asim Rahman
2:06:09
In the issuance of those summonses.
2:06:11
But if we were to see a trend that this particular agency sees this type of dismissals or whatnot, that would be for the agency to study to see do they need to be doing anything differently.
2:06:20
It wouldn't be appropriate for the court to say hey agency, we see x y z thing happening because then we lose our status as being an impartial party.
Lincoln Restler
2:06:28
Certainly, I understand you're an impartial party, but flagging the trend lines both for the impact for Oath but also the impact on New York City seems like a notable thing to do.
2:06:38
It sounds like you have not had that conversation with counterparts at City Hall about a million summons being that we're on track for a million summons.
2:06:45
Do you know the average cost of a summons in New York City?
Asim Rahman
2:06:48
I don't, but
Lincoln Restler
2:06:49
Any of your colleagues?
Asim Rahman
2:06:50
It ranges.
2:06:52
I can tell you that the lion's share vast majority of summonses that we see are issued by the sanitation department.
2:07:01
And the categories of summonses that we see most frequently are the types of summonses that have what we may consider to be lower level penalties.
2:07:09
But I don't know how the numbers shake out if we were to do a pure across the board average.
2:07:12
But again, council member, I think it's really important to point out that while you and others may think that there is great value in analyzing that increase, that is not an analysis that the tribunal should engage in.