Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
REMARKS
Critique of the mayor's preliminary budget for housing and buildings
0:05:03
ยท
130 sec
Council Member Sanchez offers a critical assessment of the mayor's preliminary budget, arguing that it falls short of the necessary investments for housing and building agencies. She highlights several areas of concern regarding funding and staffing.
- Criticizes underinvestment in HPD's preservation and enforcement work
- Points out unfulfilled capital commitments from City of Yes initiative
- Highlights chronic delays in discretionary contracts and staff hiring processes
- Emphasizes the need for more funding and staffing to address housing issues effectively
Pierina Sanchez
0:05:03
I won't bury the lead.
0:05:04
The preliminary budget, in our view, falls far short of the level and types of investments that we need.
0:05:11
First, the city continues to under invest in HPD's preservation and enforcement work.
0:05:16
While this administration takes victory laps on the record breaking new housing that they have created, our legacy of affordable housing continues to deteriorate.
0:05:24
This is due to woefully inadequate investment investments in the programs that can preserve this housing and hold negligent landlords accountable.
0:05:33
For instance, through the end of fiscal twenty twenty four, there was a 24% jump in housing violations citywide.
0:05:41
A 15% vacancy rate in the HPD preservation office and preservation projects made up just 20% of all starts, just 24% of completions in the first four months of fiscal twenty twenty five.
0:05:55
And the Department of Building Buildings continues to have 200 vacancies with actual staffing levels remaining flat since fiscal twenty two despite the rising need.
0:06:06
Second, the city has not fulfilled its capital commitments from City of Yes.
0:06:11
At adoption last year, HPD had $10,100,000,000 committed for fiscal twenty six through thirty.
0:06:17
In the preliminary capital commitment plan over the same five year period, that number increased to just 10,700,000,000.0.
0:06:24
This is a far cry from the administration's commitment to add $1,000,000,000 in the next five years in housing capital.
0:06:32
And that is not, that is the only commitment, that is not the only commitment that appears unfulfilled in the preliminary budget.
0:06:38
Third, chronic delay has become the norm across the administration.
0:06:42
But at HPD, discretionary contracts are massively delayed with some organizations such as the CBOs, the community based organizations that make up stabilizing NYST, still waiting to be paid out from fiscal year twenty two for work that has long since been completed.
0:06:58
And OMB continues to delay final approval for key staff positions with delays lasting eight months or longer after an individual receives an offer.
0:07:08
I don't know about you, but I would try to move on with my life if that was the delay.
0:07:12
That's not acceptable.