How the budget works, and my role in the process
As chairman of the Finance Committee, it’s my job to help guide the budget process and encourage agreements between the mayor and the City Council, as we develop our yearly spending plan that pays for cops, firefighters, food pantries, homeless shelters, museums and countless other programs and services across New York City.
The timing of the budget works like this: Each year, by January 16, the mayor releases the Preliminary Budget, which is a proposal for spending priorities in the upcoming year. The City Council then holds a series of hearings to listen to city agencies, advocates, and the general public, in order to get a better idea of where funding is needed. At the end of those budget hearings, which are usually held in March, the Council publishes its Preliminary Budget Response, which details the Council’s priorities and changes we would like to see in the budget. You can see this Fiscal Year 2011 budget response here.
The mayor then submits a revised Executive Budget, usually by April 26th. The Council holds additional hearings, and may change budget priorities and add “terms and conditions” on how city money is spent. For example, the Council could require that city agencies report to the Council specifically on how money is being spent throughout the year.
After intense negotiations, the two sides work together to develop and pass a spending plan prior to the start of the Fiscal Year on July 1.
Budget documents
In the interest of transparency, many of the documents related to the budget are available on the Internet. For example, you can click here for budget documents on the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget Web site.
The City Council also archives a wide array of documents. You can follow these links to find them:
For this year’s budget: Fiscal Year 2012
Fiscal Year 2011
Fiscal Year 2010
Fiscal Year 2009
Fiscal Year 2008
Information you can use
The Finance Department Web site is an incredible resource for a wide range of information and services, and it’s something you should familiarize yourself with. You can find information on property issues, such as bills and payments, tax reduction programs and digital tax maps. You can pay parking tickets or find information on disputing them. You can find tax filing information. It’s an incredibly important tool for individuals, consumers and businesses.
The Department of Environmental Protection Web site offers information on paying water bills, the water debt assistance program and updated information on water rate increases.
The Council’s Web page for the Finance Committee offers information on the other members of the committee, agenda items and hearing calendars.
If you’re a business owner and you want to object to the establishment of a Business Improvement District (BID), there’s a form you need to file with the Office of the City Clerk. Some people have had difficulty finding that form. Here’s a copy:
BID objection form
Helpful terms
The Finance Committee often addresses budget modifications and transparency resolutions. To help you better understand the budgeting process, here is an explanation of both.
Expense budget modifications are necessary when the mayor wants to transfer money in the budget from one area to another. The Council cannot initiate or amend an expense budget modification. This power lies solely with the mayor. The Council, however, has approval power over all budget modifications initiated by the mayor, and the Council has 30 days to decide on it. If the Council fails to act, the proposed action becomes effective and the mayor has the authority to make the transfer.
Transparency resolutions are often used to change the information for organizations receiving local, aging, and youth discretionary funding. These resolutions are mostly technical corrections and clean-ups, such as name corrections and Employee Identification Number (EIN) corrections. On all transparency resolutions, Council Members have to sign a disclosure form indicating whether or not a conflict exists with any of the groups being addressed. Any Council Member with a potential conflict with any of the organizations should disclose the conflict at the time of their vote.
SAVING MONEY ON YOUR WATER BILL
Did you know there’s a way to save money on your water bill?
If you pay your bill online, you could be eligible for a 2 percent Direct Debit Discount. Beginning with bills issued after July 1, 2010, customers who have enrolled in the Auto-Pay/Full-Pay option on the Department of Environmental Protection’s payment site can receive the credit.
To find out if you qualify and to sign up, visit the Department of Environmental Protection’s website.
