Mayor Eric Adams’ charter commission is initially targeting council spending, shying away from public safety, the major issue Hizzoner assigned the group to address, according to a new report.
The progress report, issued by the newly formed commission on Monday, reveals that the panel intends for the council to have to navigate an additional financial hurdle before it can pass legislation.
Currently, the standard process involves the council receiving a cost estimate from the city regarding proposed legislative bills with financial implications; however, there is no official requirement in place prior to a final vote.
Under the Charter Review Commission’s potential amendment, council members would be compelled to obtain an official financial impact report from the mayor’s budget director before even holding the first hearing on a bill.
In a biting statement, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams criticized the commission as “wholly unserious.
This is a poorly constructed attempt to attack the City Council and its oversight of the executive branch, seeking to undermine representative democracy at a time when the Council is fighting to protect New Yorkers from the mayor’s excessive budget cuts,” said Adams, who has no familial connection to the mayor.
Other council members expressed their dissatisfaction with The Post, saying that the requirement would hinder the legislature’s ability to more easily and quickly pass bills.
If all legislative items become subject to closed-door budget negotiations, you’re undermining the stated goals of giving the public more transparency and input into the process,” a council member explained.
However, the Adams administration maintains that its aim is to address unfunded mandates.
The report offered the first glimpse into how the commission might attempt to change New York City’s Charter. It also listed a series of other potential amendments, such as expanding sanitation responsibilities, streamlining services for minority and women-owned businesses, and eliminating outdated redundancies.
The document summarized the first round of hearings held by the commission, which traveled across the five boroughs over the past few weeks to gather input from New Yorkers. It provides a focus on the topics for the next set of hearings.
Frank Dwyer, a spokesman for the commission, told The Post that the reason for another round of hearings is to ensure concerns are heard.
It’s a roadmap forward for further discussion,” he said of the report’s suggestions, adding, “If folks have concerns, they should come to the hearing to voice those exact concerns.
Any proposed changes to the charter would still need to be voted on by ballot in November. The commission noted that it would not make any alterations to ranked-choice voting or change the primary election process – despite these subjects being brought up multiple times during hearings.
