Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
REMARKS
Council Member Justin Brannan's opening remarks on DOT budget hearing
0:00:47
·
173 sec
Council Member Justin Brannan opens the FY 2026 executive budget hearing for the Department of Transportation, outlining key issues including the DOT's budget allocation, vacancies, and road resurfacing goals. He expresses concern over unfilled positions and reduced road resurfacing targets.
- DOT's proposed budget is $1.5 billion, a $30 million increase from the preliminary plan
- Brannan highlights 630 vacancies at DOT, emphasizing the need to fill these positions
- The council pushes for restoring the commitment to resurface 1,300 miles of roadway per year, instead of the current 1,100 miles
Justin Brannan
0:00:47
Thank you, sergeant.
0:00:50
Okay.
0:00:50
Good morning and welcome to day two of the FY twenty six executive budget hearings.
0:00:55
Council member Justin Brannen, I chair the council's finance committee.
0:00:59
Today we're talking about something that affects every single New Yorker, our streets, our sidewalks, our bridges, and how we get around.
0:01:06
Pedestrians, cyclists, baby strollers, cars and buses.
0:01:10
Today's hearing focuses on the Department of Transportation.
0:01:14
I'm proud to be joined by my colleague and majority whip, Councilmember Silvina Brooks Powers who chairs the Committee on Transportation.
0:01:22
We've also been joined so far this morning by council members Lewis, Ayala, Carr, Hudson, and De La Rosa.
0:01:30
And of course, welcome back to a familiar face, our former colleague Commissioner Ioannis Rodriguez and your team.
0:01:37
Thank you all for being here, taking the time to walk us through the budget and answer our questions.
0:01:43
Just some quick housekeeping.
0:01:46
As part of our new format, public testimony will happen right after we hear from agency officials.
0:01:51
So if you're here to speak on the DOT executive budget, please just make sure you fill out a witness slip with the sergeant at arms in the back.
0:01:59
So let's talk numbers.
0:02:01
On May 1, the administration released its executive financial plan for FY26 to '20 '9 with a proposed FY twenty six budget of 115,100,000,000.0.
0:02:12
DOT's proposed share is 1,500,000,000.0, which is about 1.3% of the total budget.
0:02:18
That's a $30,000,000 increase from the preliminary plan back in January driven by collective bargaining costs, road resurfacing, ferry operations, and utility adjustments.
0:02:30
But what the council finds troubling is that as of March, DOT still had about six thirty vacancies.
0:02:39
That's hundreds of jobs unfilled, projects delayed, streets that go unrepaired, and New Yorkers that have to deal with unsafe conditions.
0:02:47
It's not okay with us.
0:02:48
We'll take it up with OMB as well.
0:02:50
But those vacancies need to be filled.
0:02:54
In the city council's preliminary budget response, we made it crystal clear.
0:02:58
Restore the city's commitment to resurfacing at least 1,300 miles of roadway per year.
0:03:04
Unfortunately, the executive budget kept it at 1,100.
0:03:08
That's just not a number.
0:03:10
That means more potholes, longer waits for repairs, and more frustration for everyday people who are just trying to get to work, school, or the store.
0:03:18
A city that runs on its streets can't afford to let them fall apart.
0:03:21
And I know DOT agrees with that.
0:03:23
My questions today will focus on the capital plan, the status of federal infrastructure dollars, and what it's going to take to get us back on track, literally.
0:03:33
With that, I'm going to turn it over to my co chair for this hearing, Council Member Silvina Brooks Powers, so she can give her opening remarks.
0:03:41
Thank you.