New York City Council Fiscal Year 2013 Preliminary Budget,
Mayor’s FY ’12 Preliminary Management Report and
Agency Oversight Hearings
Monday, March 5, 2012
10:00 a.m. Finance Committee – 250 Broadway, 16th Floor – Committee Room
10:00 a.m. Office of Management and Budget
♦ Capital Budget
♦ Expense Budget
♦ Revenue Budget
12:45 p.m. ♦ Contract Budget (Joint with Committee on Contracts)
1:15 p.m. Department of Finance
2:45 p.m. Department of Design and Construction
3:15 p.m. Comptroller
3:45 p.m. Independent Budget Office
4:00 p.m. Public
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
10:00 a.m. Transportation Committee – 250 Broadway, 14th Floor – Committee Room
10:00 a.m. Taxi and Limousine Commission
10:45 a.m. MTA/NYC Transit (Expense)
11:15 a.m. MTA/NYC Transit (Capital)
11:45 a.m. Department of Transportation (Capital)
12:45 p.m. Department of Transportation (Expense)
1:15 p.m. Public
Thursday, March 8, 2012
11:00 a.m. Land Use Committee – 250 Broadway, 16th Floor – Committee Room
11:00 a.m. Landmarks Preservation Commission
12:00 p.m. Department of City Planning
1:00 p.m. Department of Information, Technology & Telecommunications (joint with the Technology Committee)
2:00 p.m. Public
10:00 a.m. Fire & Criminal Justice Services Committee – 250 Broadway, 14th Floor – Committee Room
10:00 a.m. Fire/Emergency Medical Service
12:00 p.m. Department of Probation
12:30 p.m. Department of Correction
1:00 p.m. Criminal Justice Coordinator (Indigent Defense Services)
2:00 p.m. Legal Aid
3:00 p.m. Public
Friday, March 9, 2012
11:00 a.m. Higher Education Committee – 250 Broadway, 16th Floor – Committee Room
11:00 a.m. CityUniversityofNew York
12:30 p.m. Public
Monday, March 12, 2012
10:00 a.m. Consumer Affairs Committee – 250 Broadway, 16th Floor – Committee Room
10:00 a.m. Department of Consumer Affairs
11:00 a.m. Business Integrity Commission
11:30 a.m. Public
10:00 a.m. Oversight & Investigations Committee – 250 Broadway, 14th Floor – Committee Room
10:00 a.m. Department of Investigation
11:15 a.m. Public
12:00 p.m. Public Housing Committee – 250 Broadway, 14th Floor – Committee Room
12:00 p.m. NYC Housing Authority
1:00 p.m. Public
1:00 p.m. Aging Committee – 250 Broadway, 16th Floor – Committee Room
1:00 p.m. Department for the Aging (joint with the Subcommittee on Senior Centers)
2:30 p.m. Public
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
10:00 a.m. Sanitation & Solid Waste Management Committee – 250 Broadway, 16th Floor – Committee Room
10:00 a.m. Department of Sanitation
12:00 p.m. Public
10:30 a.m. Cultural Affairs, Libraries & International Intergroup Relations Committee - 250 Broadway, 14th Floor – Committee Room
10:30 a.m. Department of Cultural Affairs
12:00 p.m. Libraries (joint with Select Committee on Libraries)
1:30 p.m. Public
1:30 p.m. Environmental Protection Committee – 250 Broadway, 16th Floor – Committee Room
1:30 p.m. Department of Environmental Protection (Capital)
2:45 p.m. Department of Environmental Protection (Expense)
4:00 p.m. Public
Thursday, March 15, 2012
10:00 a.m. Public Safety Committee – 250 Broadway, 16th Floor – Committee Room
10:00 a.m. Police Department
12:00 p.m. District Attorneys/Special Narcotics Prosecutor
1:15 p.m. Office of Emergency Management
2:00 p.m. Civilian Complaint Review Board
3:00 p.m. Public
10:00 a.m. Youth Services Committee – 250 Broadway, 14th Floor – Committee Room
10:00 a.m. Department of Youth and Community Development (« Joint with Community Development Committee)
11:30 a.m. Public
1:30 p.m. Civil Rights Committee – 250 Broadway, 14th Floor – Committee Room
1:30 p.m. Equal Employment Practices Commission
2:00 p.m. Public
Monday, March 19, 2012
10:00 a.m. Health Committee – 250 Broadway, 16th Floor – Committee Room
10:00 a.m. Medical Examiner
11:00 a.m. Department of Health & Mental Hygiene
1:00 p.m. Health & Hospitals Corporation
2:30 p.m. Public
1:00 p.m. Mental Health, Mental Retardation, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse & Disability Services Committee – 250 Broadway, 14th Floor – Committee Room
1:00 p.m. Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (joint with Subcommittee on Drug Abuse)
2:30 p.m. Public
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
10:00 a.m. Economic Development Committee – 250 Broadway, 16th Floor – Committee Room
10:00 a.m. Economic Development Corporation (Capital)
11:30 a.m. Department of Small Business Services (joint with Small Business Committee)
12:30 p.m. Public
Thursday, March 22, 2012
10:00 a.m. Parks & Recreation Committee – 250 Broadway, 14th Floor – Committee Room
10:00 a.m. Department of Parks & Recreation (Expense)
11:30 p.m. Department of Parks & Recreation (Capital)
12:00 p.m. Public
12:00 p.m. Standards and Ethics Committee – 250 Broadway, 16th Floor – Committee Room
12:00 p.m. Conflicts of Interest Board
12:45 p.m. Public
Monday, March 26, 2012
10:00 a.m. Education Committee – 250 Broadway, 16th Floor – Committee Room
10:00 a.m. Department of Education and School Construction Authority (Capital)
12:00 p.m. Public
10:30 a.m. Housing and Buildings Committee – 250 Broadway, 14th Floor – Committee Room
10:30 a.m. Department of Housing Preservation and Development (Expense)
11:00 a.m. Department of Housing Preservation and Development (Capital)
12:30 p.m. Department of Buildings
1:15 p.m. Public
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
10:00 a.m. Education Committee – 250 Broadway, 16th Floor – Committee Room
10:00 a.m. Department of Education (Expense)
1:00 p.m. Public
Thursday, March 29, 2012
10:00 a.m. General Welfare Committee – 250 Broadway, 16th Floor – Committee Room
10:00 a.m. Department of Homeless Services
12:00 p.m. Human Resources Administration / Department of Social Services
1:30 p.m. Administration for Children’s Services (Agency for Child Development) joint with Women’s Issues Committee
3:30 p.m. Administration for Children’s Services (Juvenile Justice Issues) joint with Juvenile Justice Committee
4:15 p.m. Public
10:00 a.m. Governmental Operations Committee – Hearing Room – 250 Broadway, 14th Floor
10:00 a.m. Financial Information Services Agency
10:45 a.m. Board of Elections
11:30 a.m. Law Department
12:15 p.m. Department of Citywide Administrative Services
12:45 p.m. Office of Payroll Administration
1:15 p.m. Community Boards
1:45 p.m. Public
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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.
