Performance management in New York City involves the systems, data, and processes used to track the quality, efficiency, and outcomes of municipal services. This page covers CBC’s work on the Mayor’s Management Report, resident feedback surveys, citywide performance tracking systems, agency accountability, and data-driven budget management.
This page was created with AICBC Insights uses AI to group, analyze and present data and recommendations from CBC's publications. Always reference the cited sources to verify important details..
New Yorkers should vote Yes on Question 1, which would accelerate review of applications for the private use of public space.
New Yorkers should vote Yes on Question 3, which would expedite the review and approval of street safety and certain public real estate transactions.
New Yorkers should vote Yes on Question 4, which would streamline and modernize the process to approve construction documents.
Because the streamlined process would reduce formal opportunities for public engagement, the City should ensure that the focus on speed does not come at the expense of meaningful community input.
Streamlining should be accompanied by transparency and accountability measures to ensure that City agencies protect the public interest and act in a timely manner.
Key Data
In June 2026, the CBC noted that while resident feedback is crucial for agency management, the City has not institutionalized this practice, having conducted its only official resident survey in 2008, while the CBC stepped in to conduct surveys in 2017, 2023, and 2025.
In November 2025, the CBC highlighted critical service delivery delays from the MMR, noting that only 63.2% of cash assistance applications were processed on time in fiscal year 2025, compared to an average of 95.7% between fiscal years 2016 and 2021.
A June 2025 resident survey revealed low public confidence in municipal performance, with only 27% of New Yorkers rating government services as excellent or good (down from 44% in 2017) and only 11% rating government spending as excellent or good (down from 21% in 2017).
In October 2024, the CBC reported that the Fiscal Year 2024 Mayor’s Management Report (MMR) added nearly 350 new indicators and more than 20 new goals, yet in 2023, only one-third of the report's metrics actually measured outcomes, quality, and efficiency rather than inputs, processes, and outputs.
According to an October 2024 analysis, the City's performance tracking lacks clear benchmarks, as only 25% of indicators in the 2024 Preliminary Mayor’s Management Report (PMMR) included numerical targets.
Proposed amendments to the city charter aim to improve government efficiency by streamlining administrative reviews, which could reduce public space permit approvals to two months and expedite real estate transactions through a 60-day review process. Additionally, modernizing the Department of Buildings by establishing a centralized permitting portal and expanding document approval authority would help eliminate costly project bottlenecks.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
New Yorkers should vote Yes on Question 1, which would accelerate review of applications for the private use of public space.
New Yorkers should vote Yes on Question 3, which would expedite the review and approval of street safety and certain public real estate transactions.
New Yorkers should vote Yes on Question 4, which would streamline and modernize the process to approve construction documents.
Because the streamlined process would reduce formal opportunities for public engagement, the City should ensure that the focus on speed does not come at the expense of meaningful community input.
Streamlining should be accompanied by transparency and accountability measures to ensure that City agencies protect the public interest and act in a timely manner.
Key Data
two months
— The estimated shortened approval time for revocable consents under the proposed administrative review process.
seven months
— The amount of time the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure can take for the City to acquire and sell real estate.
60-day
— The duration of the Expedited Land Use Review Procedure proposed for transactions on undevelopable properties and transferable development rights.
eight-month-long
— The duration of the current review process for private use of public space applications before votes by the City Planning Commission and City Council.
1,000
— The minimum consecutive feet of roadway required to define a major transportation project.
10,000
— The square footage threshold below which properties are considered undevelopable and eligible for expedited transactions.
New York City should amend its Charter to implement a comprehensive performance management system and improve the Mayor's Management Report to better measure outcomes, quality, and efficiency. Additionally, the City should mandate regular, statistically valid resident feedback surveys to ensure government services are effectively meeting the needs of the public.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
Modify the Charter to require the City to conduct a statistically valid and representative resident feedback survey at least every four years.
The Charter should establish a basic framework for a comprehensive performance management system that promotes quality and efficiency.
The Charter should require the Mayor’s Management Report to include a portfolio of indicators for each agency and major program to measure outcomes, quality, and efficiency.
Key Data
2008
— The year the City last conducted a resident survey.
2017
— The year the Citizens Budget Commission conducted a resident survey.
2023
— The year the Citizens Budget Commission conducted a resident survey.
2025
— The year the Citizens Budget Commission conducted a resident survey.
New York City faces a significant budget shortfall and must prioritize government efficiency by implementing a citywide performance management system and streamlining operations rather than raising taxes. By updating outdated labor relations and bureaucratic processes, the City can improve public services and ensure fiscal responsibility without harming residents.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The Administration should implement a citywide performance management system to improve services and guide smarter budget decisions.
The City should spend its $120 billion budget efficiently on effective programs before considering asking New Yorkers for more.
The Mayor should set ambitious minimum savings targets—not for blunt across-the-board cuts, but to generate options so he can make strategic choices that focus programs without harming New Yorkers.
To meet 21st Century needs, the City must also update 20th Century labor relations, technology, and bureaucratic processes.
The City should request relief from Albany’s class size mandate that costs the City $1 billion, partly to support high-performing schools serving low-need students.
Key Data
$8 billion
— Estimate of the budget gap facing New York City.
$120 billion
— Total size of the City's budget.
$1 billion
— Cost to the City of Albany’s class size mandate.
$2.3 billion
— Amount the City spent more than it received over the past three years.
17.44%
— Combined corporate tax rate in New York City.
New York City's service quality has declined, with residents expressing low satisfaction regarding how tax dollars are spent and the overall quality of services provided. Implementing a comprehensive, data-driven performance management system is essential to identify effective programs, improve service delivery, and ensure that spending aligns with measurable outcomes.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The Administration should launch a citywide Performance Management System, similar to CompStat, to deliver the efficient high-quality services New Yorkers deserve.
The administration should implement a system where leaders and managers regularly review data on quality, efficiency, and outcomes together to identify what works, fix or shrink what does not, and guide spending.
The City should fill affordable housing units faster, as it took nearly 5 months to fill a unit in fiscal year 2025.
The City should reduce ambulance wait times, which increased from 9 min and 34 seconds in fiscal year 2021 to 11 minutes and 21 seconds in fiscal year 2025.
The City should speed up the processing of cash assistance applications, as only 63.2 percent were on time in fiscal year 2025, far below the historical average.
The City should reduce wait times for building inspections, which were at least twice as long in fiscal year 2025 as in fiscal year 2019.
Key Data
5 months
— Time taken to fill an affordable housing lottery unit in fiscal year 2025.
9 min and 34 seconds
— End-to-end ambulance response time to life-threatening medical emergencies in fiscal year 2021.
11 minutes and 21 seconds
— End-to-end ambulance response time to life-threatening medical emergencies in fiscal year 2025.
63.2 percent
— Portion of cash assistance applications that were on time in fiscal year 2025.
95.7
— Average percentage of on-time cash assistance applications achieved between fiscal years 2016 and 2021.
11 percent
— New Yorkers who believe the City spends their tax dollars wisely.
New York City's land use decision-making process is currently too slow, expensive, and uncertain, often acting as an impediment to housing production. Voting yes on ballot questions 2, 3, 4, and 5 would streamline these processes, digitize the City Map, and create an appeals board to balance citywide needs with local concerns.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
New Yorkers should vote yes on Question 2, which would create fast track reviews for affordable housing through the Board of Standards and Appeals and for mixed-income residential projects in neighborhoods that produce the least affordable housing.
New Yorkers should vote yes on Question 3, which would create an Expedited Land Use Review Procedure (ELURP) for three types of zoning proposals to improve the efficiency of the land use process.
New Yorkers should vote yes on Question 4, which would create an Affordable Housing Appeals Board to allow for the overturning of Council disapprovals or modifications by a two-thirds vote.
New Yorkers should vote yes on Question 5, which would modernize the administration of the City Map by requiring it to be digitized and transferring administration from the Borough Presidents to the Department of City Planning.
Key Data
2 to 3 years
— Time required for private rezoning application approval under the current land use process.
$82,000
— Cost added to each housing unit in 2025 dollars due to the current land use process.
8,000
— Number of individual paper maps currently administered by the five Borough Presidents.
60-day
— Duration of concurrent advisory reviews required by the proposed Expedited Land Use Review Procedure.
30 days
— Time allotted for the City Planning Commission to act following advisory reviews.
Candidates for New York City mayor are proposing various strategies to improve government efficiency, including the implementation of performance management systems similar to CompStat and the creation of public dashboards to track agency accountability. These proposals emphasize the need for data-driven decision-making, faster payment processing for vendors, and targeted reforms to address systemic inefficiencies in city services.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
I will launch a platform to link residents to city resources, so they can apply for benefits, track request status, check payment timelines and request services with greater transparency and ease.
I will implement ambitious contract deadlines and launch ContractStat to clear the backlog and hold agencies accountable.
I have proposed standardized reporting metrics for all agencies - QualitySTAT to ensure high performance from city agencies, find budget inefficiency, and ensure quality of life city-wide.
The City's contracting and payment systems need a fundamental overhaul, cutting the red tape and getting payments out faster, including a public dashboard to track late payments.
Data matters, but it must reflect human outcomes, not just stats that justify cuts.
Key Data
$1.2 billion
— Cost of the CityFHEPS housing voucher program in fiscal year 2025.
$111 billion
— The City's five-year capital program.
$38K
— Amount spent per student in NYC public schools.
$2B+
— Amount in unpaid city fines and fees that could be recovered.
New York City residents report persistent dissatisfaction with quality of life, public safety, and government services, with ratings remaining well below pre-pandemic levels. To address these concerns and improve resident retention, the city must prioritize targeted policies and smart fiscal management in areas like housing, infrastructure, and public safety.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The City administration should focus on safety, housing, infrastructure, and cleanliness to address resident priorities.
The City should target improvement efforts, policies, programs, and resources toward areas of persistent dissatisfaction, particularly in the Bronx and among Black and Hispanic New Yorkers.
Ensuring public safety, improving services, and enhancing quality of life requires smart fiscal, management, and investment choices.
Key Data
34%
— Percentage of New Yorkers who rate the city's quality of life as excellent or good in 2025.
27%
— Percentage of residents who rate government services as excellent or good in 2025.
11%
— Percentage of residents who rate government spending as excellent or good in 2025.
76%
— Percentage of New Yorkers who cite affordability as a reason for considering moving out of the city.
73%
— Percentage of New Yorkers who cite safety as a reason for considering moving out of the city.
60%
— Percentage of New Yorkers who cite living space as a reason for considering moving out of the city.
New York City must implement a comprehensive citywide performance system to improve service quality, accountability, and outcomes while prioritizing evidence-based programs. To ensure the city's $115 billion annual budget is spent effectively, leadership should utilize budget-cutting mechanisms to improve operations and eliminate ineffective programs regardless of their popularity.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The next mayor should launch a citywide performance system to deliver quality, deepen accountability, and drive outcomes.
The next mayor should use Programs to Eliminate the Gap (PEGs) not just to cut but to improve and prioritize.
The next mayor should focus on what works by prioritizing evidence-based programs in education, housing, homelessness, and mental health.
The next mayor should drop what doesn’t work—no matter how popular.
Key Data
$115 billion
— The annual amount the City spends, which should be managed to ensure services are worth the money.
$280 billion is the total number of dollars held by New York City’s five pension funds over which the City Comptroller is custodian and investment adviser. The Comptroller plays a critical role in the City’s fiscal health, integrity, and accountability. In June, New Yorkers will head to the polls to…
New York City should amend its Charter to mandate a statistically valid resident feedback survey at least every five years, providing essential data on service quality to guide resource allocation and management improvements. This initiative would ensure government accountability by capturing direct input from residents across all community boards and demographic groups.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The City Charter should be revised to require the City to conduct and publish a statistically valid resident feedback survey at least every five years, with results at the Community Board level and disaggregated by key demographic groups.
Key Data
below 20 percent
— Ratings in each Community Board in the southern and central Bronx for neighborhood and quality of life satisfaction.
The Mayor’s Management Report, which includes over 2,000 indicators, currently focuses on operational inputs rather than outcomes, quality, and efficiency, limiting its utility as a performance management tool. To improve accountability and service delivery, the report should incorporate resident feedback, link performance metrics to granular spending data, and include more outcome-based targets.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The City should add outcome, quality, and efficiency metrics that demonstrate how well the City is doing its work.
The City should link performance metrics to more granular expenditure data, such as the budget function analysis.
The City should incorporate a periodic, statistically valid, representative resident feedback survey that provides New Yorkers’ ratings on quality of life and government services.
The City should include more performance targets and a direction for the targets to move.
The City should utilize the DMMR to provide geographic data for select indicators.
Key Data
25 percent
— of indicators in the 2024 Preliminary Mayor’s Management Report include numerical targets.
66.4 percent
— of restaurants were inspected in fiscal year 2024, down from 99.5 percent in fiscal year 2019.
$57 million
— was spent on HRA food assistance programs in fiscal year 2023, an increase from $27 million in fiscal year 2022.
3,026
— deaths from unintentional drug overdoses occurred in fiscal year 2023, rising from 2,103 in fiscal year 2021.
46.7 million pounds
— of food were distributed by City Food Connection in 2023, up from 17.8 million pounds in 2022.
350
— new indicators were included in the Fiscal Year 2024 Mayor’s Management Report in addition to the more than 2,000 indicators already reported.
New York City should amend its Charter to improve fiscal transparency and budgetary accuracy by requiring independent validation of high-cost legislative impacts and detailed explanations for significant estimation variances. These reforms, alongside mandates for regular resident surveys and stricter debt service limits, aim to ensure that policy decisions are grounded in reliable data and long-term fiscal stability.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The Charter should require a city resident survey every five years that is statistically significant at the neighborhood, race/ethnicity, and income-band level.
The Charter should require a local law that sets mandatory deposit and appropriate withdrawal rules for the Rainy Day Fund to ensure wise stewardship.
The Charter should ensure City long-term debt does not crowd out operating budget priorities by limiting debt service to 15 percent of City tax revenue.
The Independent Budget Office should produce an independent fiscal impact statement or validate the Council’s for programs that will cost more than $100 million in any year of the financial plan.
The Charter should require a detailed explanation of the causes of significant annual change or estimation differences when tax revenues or major program expenditures are projected to change more than 10 percent or when Executive estimates vary more than 20 percent from those of the City or State Comptrollers.
Key Data
$100 million
— The threshold for programs requiring an independent fiscal impact statement or validation by the Independent Budget Office.
15 percent
— The proposed limit on debt service as a percentage of City tax revenue to prevent crowding out operating budget priorities.
10 percent
— The threshold for projected changes in tax revenues or major program expenditures that requires a detailed explanation of causes.
20 percent
— The threshold for variance between Executive estimates and those of the City or State Comptrollers that requires a detailed explanation.
five years
— The frequency at which the City should conduct a statistically significant resident survey.
6,632 is the number of NYC households who responded to CBC's 2023 NYC Resident Survey: "Straight from New Yorkers." The survey provides the most comprehensive, statistically valid, post-pandemic view of how New Yorkers are feeling about the City's quality of life and the quality of government services. Among the many…
The City Charter should be amended to establish a comprehensive framework for performance management, including specific requirements for planning, scope, and reporting to complement the Mayor’s Management Report. Additionally, the City should be mandated to conduct and publish statistically valid resident feedback surveys every five years to better align government services with the needs of New Yorkers.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The Charter should set forth a framework—its management, planning, scope, periodicity, and reporting—for a comprehensive performance management process.
The Charter should require the City to conduct and publish a statistically valid resident feedback survey at least every five years, with results at the Community Board level and by key demographics.
The City Charter should be updated to establish a comprehensive performance management framework that includes robust data on inputs, processes, and outcomes, while also requiring a deputy mayor to oversee the system. Additionally, the City should mandate a statistically valid resident feedback survey at least every five years to provide critical information about service quality and neighborhood-level insights.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The Charter should establish a basic performance management framework—its management, planning, and reporting—while each administration should specify how it will implement the performance management system within that framework.
The Charter should require the Mayor to designate a Deputy Mayor or other senior official to be the chief performance officer overseeing the system, and specify a schedule for reviews, with a minimum number required in the Charter.
The Charter should create a review structure that cascades from the Mayor’s office to agencies and within agencies from the Commissioner to programs.
The Charter should require public reporting on the system’s activities and impacts, at least annually.
The City Charter should require the City to conduct and publish a statistically valid resident feedback survey at least every five years, with results at the Community Board level and by key demographics.
Key Data
$2.0 billion
— Overtime spending at uniformed agencies by the end of fiscal year 2024.
$100.3 billion
— The City's total OPEB liability.
$4.8 billion
— The current RHBT balance, which covers just 4.8 percent of the OPEB liability.
$10 billion
— The cost of the City Council's Family Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (FHEPS) expansion over five years.
$730 million
— Projected savings from the FHEPS bills as cited in the City Council's press release.
New York City faces a significant fiscal shortfall, necessitating a strategic shift toward prioritizing high-impact services and improving operational efficiency rather than relying on tax increases or reserve funds. To navigate this, the city must leverage transparent performance data and collaborate with labor unions to implement structural changes to work rules and benefits.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The City should prioritize key services, relentlessly manage them to get results, and operate effectively and efficiently.
The Administration and City Council should focus on expanding services less and prioritize those services with significant impact and increase efficiency.
The City must utilize transparent data on program impact and make a relentless effort to manage programs well.
Labor must be part of the solution, requiring agreed-upon changes to work rules, job titles, health insurance, and other benefit administration structures to deliver services efficiently.
The Council should focus on the data to help make the hard choices and minimize the impact on New Yorkers.
Key Data
$16 billion
— added costs through 2027 resulting from recent collective bargaining agreements.
$7.1 billion
— gap for fiscal year 2025 shown in the City's financial plan.
$10.6 billion
— more accurate budget gap when accounting for fiscal cliffs and regularly underbudgeted areas.
92 percent
— of savings measures in previous programs that did not directly affect program services.
20 percent
— of savings in the most recent program to eliminate the gap that will affect current programs.
New York City faces a significant fiscal cliff with projected budget gaps reaching up to $13.8 billion, driven by increased spending that has outpaced recurring revenue over the last decade. To stabilize the budget, the city must prioritize impactful programs, improve data-driven performance management, and implement efficiency measures to ensure long-term fiscal health.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
Doing this well relies on the city greatly improving its data on program efficiency and effectiveness, and implementing a performance management and accountability process.
To stabilize the budget and minimize any pain from cuts, the most impactful programs should be prioritized first, allowing the city to end programs meant to be temporary and consolidate duplicative efforts.
Agencies should implement changes to deliver services more efficiently and help the city run better.
The mayor’s office should take a hard look at staffing and performance, and make nuanced decisions to ensure city government can function well.
Strong consideration should be given to reviving the Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG) monitoring function that the New York State Financial Control Board provided years ago.
Key Data
$9.9 billion
— Lower estimate of the projected budget gap for the upcoming fiscal year.
$13.8 billion
— Upper estimate of the projected budget gap for the upcoming fiscal year.
50%
— Increase in city-funded spending over the past decade.
$16 billion
— Amount added to the budget by the city and unions without identified funding sources.
$2.5 billion
— Amount of programs funded by federal Covid aid and temporary tax revenue.
44 million pounds of trash are generated by New Yorkers every day. The NYC Department of Sanitation not only collects residential waste, recyclables, and compostables, but it also removes snow, cleans streets and lots, removes graffiti, and fights rats. CBC Chair Marissa Shorenstein is joined by Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch,…
The New York City Housing Authority faces a widening operating budget gap due to rising costs and declining rent collections, necessitating structural reforms to improve operational efficiency and financial stability. To ensure long-term viability, the authority must transition to a more effective property management model that includes rigorous performance tracking and modernized labor agreements.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
Fix or replace deteriorating buildings with Permanent Affordability Commitment Together (PACT) and the Preservation Trust.
Improve management effectiveness and efficiency, and publicly track progress and impacts.
Negotiate savings and increase productivity through collective bargaining.
Overhaul the rent collection process.
Key Data
$789 million
— NYCHA’s operating revenue shortfall in 2022.
$1,481
— NYCHA’s monthly per-unit operating cost in 2022.
63 percent
— The rent collection rate in February 2023.
$152 million
— The amount spent on overtime in 2022.
19 percent
— The increase in total public housing expenditures over the past four years.
1,000
— The number of positions added to the headcount since 2018.
The New York City Department of Buildings has seen its budget double over the past nine years while struggling with an 18 percent vacancy rate for authorized full-time positions. Despite increased spending, the agency faces concerning performance trends, including significantly longer wait times for plan reviews and a decline in the auditing of professionally certified construction jobs.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The Department of Buildings must prioritize improving hiring to address vacancy rates that remain in excess of 18 percent.
The Department of Buildings should address concerning trends in wait times for plan reviews to ensure efficient construction permitting.
The Department of Buildings needs to increase the audit rate of professionally certified jobs to ensure buildings are compliant with relevant codes and to protect workers and residents.
Key Data
$322.1 million
— Total projected spending on the Department of Buildings in fiscal year 2023.
18 percent
— The vacancy rate for authorized full-time positions at the Department of Buildings.
2 percent
— The rate of professionally certified jobs audited by the Department of Buildings in fiscal year 2022.
8.5 days
— The average wait time for new building plan reviews in borough offices in fiscal year 2022.
New York City lacks a robust performance management system to track the impact of over $25 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funds, leaving the public without clear information on program outcomes. Furthermore, the city faces a fiscal cliff of at least $1 billion in 2026 due to the reliance on one-time federal aid to fund recurring programs.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The City should closely assess how best to allocate remaining federal funds and provide clear and transparent information about the programs being funded, including goals, benchmarks, and performance metrics.
The City should release a list of programs that will be underfunded when the federal aid is depleted.
The list should quantify the shortfall in funding by program and clearly state whether the program will be ended.
If the City intends to continue these programs with City dollars, it should include them in baseline spending in the financial plan and either widen budget gaps or fund them with resources reallocated from existing programs.
The Mayor should establish a COVID Federal Aid Tracking Working Group to identify critical metrics for tracking federal funds.
Key Data
$25 billion
— Total federal COVID-19 relief funds received by New York City.
$19 billion
— Amount of federal COVID-19 relief funds spent through the end of fiscal year 2022.
$6.2 billion
— Remaining federal funds to be spent over the next three years.
$1.1 billion
— Estimated federal funding fiscal cliff in fiscal year 2026.
$376 million
— Cost of 3K expansion in fiscal year 2026 that relies on federal funding.
New York City's housing plan requires specific operational and policy actions, including the establishment of clear performance metrics and a management accountability process, to ensure goals are met. By tracking outcomes like rent burden and streamlining approval processes, the city can better address its housing supply crisis and improve service delivery.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The City should identify responsible parties, set implementation milestones and performance metrics, and create and implement a management accountability process to track and manage progress.
The City should publish a portfolio of resource and performance metrics to allow the public to monitor the plan’s progress.
The City should track and publish outcome metrics, such as the share of rent burdened households, to monitor the effectiveness of housing policies.
The City should improve basic operations by speeding up approval times for zoning certifications, building permits, and certificates of occupancy to improve housing service delivery.
The City should identify the specific operational and policy actions needed to achieve its housing goals and then diligently manage their execution.
Key Data
20,000
— The number of vacancies within the City that could be utilized to help implement housing plans.
560,000
— The estimated number of additional housing units needed by 2030 to meet existing needs and future population growth.
50,000
— The number of housing units that need to be permitted annually to meet housing demand.
40%
— The percentage fewer permits for housing units issued per resident in New York City compared to San Francisco.
20%
— The percentage of the city’s residential lots that have enough capacity under current zoning to make development worthwhile.
New York City can achieve significant efficiency savings by modernizing labor contracts, streamlining procurement processes, and better managing city-owned space and vehicle fleets. Implementing these management reforms would allow the city to reduce costs and improve service quality without resorting to service cuts or layoffs.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The administration and unions should modernize employee benefits, eliminate outdated salary differentials, and change contractual work rules that impede efficient service delivery.
The city could save $675 million annually if city employees shared premium costs slightly below the level of state employees.
Consolidating the roughly 75 separate union welfare funds could save $160 million annually through administrative efficiencies and greater purchasing power.
The city and unions should modify some of the Citywide Agreement provisions for work hours, vacation and sick leave, overtime, and other benefits common across nonuniformed collective bargaining units.
The next round of collective bargaining should set a productivity savings target for all bargaining units.
Lengthening sanitation routes so that trucks are full when they tip could save more than $120 million annually.
The Absent Teacher Reserve should be time-limited, giving employees an appropriate opportunity and incentive to find new positions within the department.
Key Data
$53.6 billion
— Funds wages, health insurance, and pensions, representing more than half of the city’s budget.
$675 million
— Potential annual savings if city employees shared premium costs slightly below the level of state employees.
$1.3 billion
— Amount spent to lease space in fiscal 2021.
$160 million
— Potential annual savings from consolidating the roughly 75 separate union welfare funds.
$120 million
— Potential annual savings from lengthening sanitation routes so that trucks are full when they tip.
95%
— Percentage of city employees who elect health insurance plans with no premium contributions.
New York City should establish a comprehensive public tracker for federal COVID-19 aid to ensure transparency, accountability, and effective management of the $16.5 billion in federal funds received in fiscal year 2022. This initiative should be paired with a citywide performance management system that requires leaders to regularly review data, address operational problems, and hold managers accountable for program outcomes.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The City should create a robust public tracker both to support diligent management to ensure the funds have maximum impact and to allow the public to know how the money is being spent, what effect it is having, and to hold government accountable.
The Administration should implement a citywide performance management system, in which leaders and managers participate in a structured process to regularly review the tracker’s data, identify what is working well, identify problems, implement rectification plans as needed, and appropriately hold managers accountable.
The COVID-19 tracker should be built and maintained by government, based on consultation with nonprofit and private organizations and fiscal oversight entities.
The Mayor, perhaps in partnership with the City Comptroller, should establish a COVID Federal Aid Tracking Working Group, including representatives from OMB, the Comptroller’s Office, Operations, key City agencies, fiscal monitors, advocates, community groups, social service providers, and private firms.
The Adams Administration should build a robust federal COVID-19 aid public tracker to ensure accountability and maximize the impact these critical resources have on recovery.
Key Data
$22 billion
— Expected COVID-federal aid to New York City between fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2025.
$16.5 billion
— Total federal aid in the New York City budget for fiscal year 2022.
$5.9 billion
— Amount of ARP State and Local Recovery Funds (SLRF) that should be prioritized for tracking.
$7.0 billion
— Amount of Education Stabilization Funds from both the ARP and the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRSSA) that should be prioritized for tracking.
$700 million
— Expected American Rescue Plan (ARP) State and Local Recovery funds not currently reflected in the November 2021 financial plan.
$251 million
— Funding directed by the City to special education including afterschool and Saturday programs, additional pre-K seats, and other services.
To improve city services and accountability, the administration should implement a citywide performance management system that utilizes data to track spending, efficiency, and service quality. This approach includes reforming the Mayor’s Management Report to better reflect public needs and integrating performance metrics into budget savings programs to address annual fiscal gaps.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The administration should prioritize instituting a performance management process citywide to drive change and results.
The administration should set a framework defining the right data and process and adapt it to each agency’s services and culture.
Officials should use data to track and manage spending, outputs, service quality, efficiency, and ultimate impacts across all levels of government.
The administration should fix the Mayor’s Management Report to better reflect New Yorkers’ needs, administration priorities, and surveyed assessments of city services.
The administration should intimately tie the Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG) process to the new performance management system to ensure efficiency.
Key Data
$13 Billion
— Amount of COVID federal aid that requires detailed public data on revenues, expenditures, and outcomes to ensure impact.
$5 Billion
— Annual budget gaps the city faces starting in the next fiscal year.
New York City should implement a comprehensive performance management framework that links agency goals to budget allocations and the Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG) to ensure high-quality, cost-effective service delivery. The administration must move beyond merely releasing data to the public by establishing a portfolio of metrics that track efficiency, effectiveness, and outcomes for every significant program.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The incoming Administration should champion comprehensive performance management as a tool to improve operations rather than merely as a release of data to the public.
The City should establish and leverage a portfolio of metrics across categories like efficiency, effectiveness, quality, and outcomes for each significant program and initiative.
A core subset of performance metrics should be available to the public.
The City should ensure the Mayor’s Management Report’s identified priorities and data reflect the Administration’s priorities.
Managers and their supervisors should review the performance measures together regularly to identify shortcomings and successes, enhancements to improve performance, and solutions to performance deficiencies.
Key Data
327,110
— The peak number of city employees reached in September 2019, representing a 10 percent increase from fiscal year 2014.
4.2 percent
— The average annual growth rate of City health and welfare benefit costs since fiscal year 2014, which now total nearly $7.2 billion a year.
6 percent
— The annual growth rate of City-funded spending in fiscal years 2018 and 2019.
$18 billion
— The expected amount of City-funded expenditures in fiscal year 2022, which is 34 percent higher than in fiscal year 2014.
50 percent
— The portion of third to eighth graders who were meeting or exceeding standards in either math or English language arts in fiscal year 2019.
The next New York City Comptroller will play a critical role not only in holding the next Administration and agencies accountable, investing and managing five pension funds with $248 billion in assets, and partnering in $13 billion City debt issuance, but also in spotlighting and promoting New York City’s fiscal…
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted New York City's public services, leading to decreased inspection volumes, slower repair times, and increased demand for social services. While the Mayor's Management Report captured some of these impacts, the city continues to lack robust performance metrics and adequate reporting on the effectiveness and efficiency of its services.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The City needs to orient the structure of the Fire Department and its allocation of resources away from firefighting toward medical response to better address the high volume of medical incidents.
The Department of Sanitation requires more flexible routing and work rules to allow for the quick redeployment of resources in response to changing waste generation patterns.
The City must prioritize the use of resident feedback surveys to collect high-quality data on key quality of life indicators.
There is a critical need for robust performance metrics to foster a better understanding of City services.
The City must improve its reporting to provide adequate data on the effectiveness and efficiency of services.
Key Data
74.5 percent
— The percent of SNAP applications processed within 30 days in fiscal year 2020, down from 92.7 percent the prior year.
9.3 tons
— The low amount of refuse collected per truck shift by the Department of Sanitation in fiscal year 2020.
57 percent
— The increase in the number of Department of Correction uniformed staff per inmate from fiscal year 2016 to fiscal year 2020.
25 percent
— The increase in the number of segment 1 medical incidents, the most severe, during the pandemic.
$1.5 billion
— The amount of capital expenditures in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2020, the lowest in a decade.
295,000
— The number of noise complaints made to 311 from July 2020 through September 2020.
The New York City Charter should be amended to improve fiscal management by establishing a rainy day fund, mandating the Retiree Health Benefits Trust Fund, and expanding the capital asset inventory. Additionally, the city should require statistically valid resident feedback surveys to complement existing performance reporting and refine the capital budget roles of Borough Presidents.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The Charter should be amended to allow for and create a Rainy Day Fund to help the City accumulate reserves during good economic times.
The Charter should be amended to mandate the Retiree Health Benefits Trust Fund and require annual deposits to ensure sufficient resources for retiree health and welfare benefits.
The Charter should be amended to make the City’s capital inventory and needs assessment more comprehensive by including all assets that meet capital financing eligibility criteria.
The Charter should be amended to focus the Borough Presidents’ roles on identifying borough-based needs and advising the Mayor and the City Council on how best to address those needs.
The Charter should be amended to require the City to solicit resident feedback on quality of life and City service delivery in a manner that produces statistically valid results at the community district level at least every four years.
Key Data
$15 billion and $20 billion
— The estimated range of a potential tax revenue shortfall over three years during a recession.
$103.3 billion
— The total OPEB liability at the end of fiscal year 2018.
4.4 percent
— The portion of the $103.3 billion OPEB liability covered by the RHBT balance at the end of fiscal year 2018.
$182 million
— The total funding received by the Public Advocate, Comptroller, Borough Presidents, Community Boards, and the Civilian Complaint Review Board in fiscal year 2019.
5.3 percent
— The average annual growth of City-funded spending over the last 18 years.
2.3 percent
— The average annual rate of inflation over the last 18 years.
The appointment of a federal monitor for the New York City Housing Authority offers a critical opportunity to improve agency operations through a robust performance management system, increased accountability, and strategic labor reforms. To succeed, the monitor must advocate for federal policy changes, secure state funding, and leverage existing strategic plans like NYCHA 2.0 to address long-standing physical and management deficiencies.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The monitor should establish an accompanying performance management system that includes a portfolio of metrics, a progress tracker, and a review process with management.
The monitor should be a strong advocate for changing federal policies to benefit NYCHA, such as increasing funding and securing regulatory relief.
The monitor should urge the State to extend permanent design-build authority to all of NYCHA’s State- and City-funded projects and exempt NYCHA from Wicks Law.
The monitor should push NYCHA to devolve responsibilities to the development level, including requiring property managers to develop project-level budgets.
The monitor can help NYCHA implement additional reforms to boost productivity without increasing NYCHA’s operating costs.
Key Data
$2.2 Billion
— Amount of capital funding the City committed to NYCHA through 2027.
$972 Million
— Amount of expense funding the City committed to NYCHA through 2027.
66%
— Reduction in federal capital funding received by NYCHA in 2017 compared to 2002, adjusted for construction cost inflation.
$450 Million
— Amount appropriated by the State in the previous two budgets for NYCHA capital repairs that has not yet been released.
New York City's procurement process is hindered by outdated laws and bureaucratic inefficiencies, resulting in a complex system where only 42 percent of contracts are competitively bid. Reforms such as centralizing procurement, streamlining capital project approvals, and modernizing e-procurement systems could improve efficiency and generate significant taxpayer savings.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
Continue to improve e-procurement systems, including e-invoicing and payment.
Centralize more procurement under DCAS to leverage expertise and save money.
Streamline approval of capital projects and change orders to reduce time and generate savings.
Continue to urge the State to change construction procurement laws to permit best value awards and design-build authority.
Key Data
$20 Billion
— Total amount of goods and services purchased by New York City in fiscal year 2018.
42 percent
— Portion of city contracts that were initial competitive bids.
179 days
— Median cycle time for the city's procurement process in fiscal year 2018.
$80 Million
— Potential annual savings from greater centralization of contracting under DCAS.
90 percent
— Portion of the City's contracts that were for services.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority requires fare and toll increases to maintain fiscal health and fund service improvements, as current revenues fail to keep pace with rising costs. While riders demand better service, tying fare hikes to performance standards risks undermining ongoing improvement efforts, necessitating instead a focus on adequate funding and stricter board oversight of management.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The MTA board should ensure both that the authority is adequately funded and that management is pursuing — and achieving — adequate standards of service.
A renewed board effort for stricter oversight of MTA performance could benefit the system and its users.
The MTA must be leaner and must right-size service as it restores the transit system from the depths of its state of emergency.
The MTA’s fiscal and performance system should incentivize good management.
Key Data
44%
— Fares cover 44% of the cost to run the transit system.
$1.93
— Most riders pay on average $1.93 per trip due to discounts.
$250 million
— The MTA will have to cut $250 million from its 2019 budget without fare and toll increases.
$1 billion
— Cash deficits are expected to grow to nearly $1 billion in 2022.
$40 billion
— The Fast Forward program is a $40 billion, 10-year program to restore and modernize the transit system.
New York City's emergency medical services are currently inefficient, with excessive resources allocated to non-emergency calls and redundant fire engine responses, while response times for critical, life-threatening incidents remain suboptimal. To improve performance and reduce costs, the city should implement programs to divert non-emergency requests, optimize ambulance staffing models, and scale back the use of fire engines for medical incidents.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
Build on the experience of other cities to develop programs to reduce residents’ unnecessary or inappropriate requests for an ambulance.
Increase the number of and more efficiently staff the ambulances which are best able to respond to the life threatening incidents (known as Advanced Life Support or ALS ambulances).
Dramatically reduce the role of fire engines in responding to medical incidents; they should be dispatched to these incidents only when it is likely the engine will arrive before an ambulance and the fire engine’s staff’s presence will result in quicker, appropriate medical treatment.
Reverse REMSCO’s policy that New York City ALS ambulances must have two paramedics to allow the City to assign one paramedic and one EMT, as is the practice in the rest of the state.
Conduct a thorough assessment of the location, coverage, and workload of fire companies to identify where companies could safely close without jeopardizing response times.
Key Data
$1.1 billion
— Annual spending by the City of New York to provide emergency medical services.
$58.5 million
— Estimated annual savings from a 10 percent reduction in unnecessary or inappropriate ambulance requests.
$1,970
— Estimated average cost of a fire engine response to a medical incident in 2017.
$486
— Average cost of an ambulance run in 2017.
281,000
— Number of medical incident runs made by fire engine companies in 2017.
57.6%
— Percentage of ALS responses to ALS incidents that met the 10-minute benchmark in 2017.
45 is the number of agencies that submitted performance metrics to the recently released Mayor's Management Report. Agencies organize their reports according to service areas and goals, and present the indicators to help the public understand agency performance. NYC's Deputy Mayor of Operations Laura Anglin joined the podcast to discuss…
The Mayor’s Management Report provides essential metrics for assessing city agency performance, yet it fails to capture resident satisfaction, which often diverges from official data on issues like traffic, air quality, and cleanliness. Incorporating direct feedback from New Yorkers into performance reporting would provide a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of the city's service quality and quality of life.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The Mayor’s Management Report should be broadened to include citizen satisfaction measures, such as results from periodic surveys of City residents, to get a fuller and more accurate picture of the City’s performance.
The way some areas are assessed—particularly air quality, neighborhood cleanliness, and cultural activities—could be rethought so that indicators better capture what New Yorkers experience.
Key Data
19.6%
— Percentage of residents citywide satisfied with traffic.
113,222
— Number of for-hire vehicles on the City’s streets in fiscal year 2018.
61,342
— Number of noise complaints made to the Department of Environmental Protection in fiscal year 2018.
$32 million
— Funding for the Neighborhood Rat Reduction Initiative announced in July 2017.
175,000
— Number of pest control inspections conducted in fiscal year 2018.
23.2 million
— Total number of visitors to cultural institutions in fiscal year 2018.
The NYC Money Meter dashboard utilizes the Budget Function Analysis and the Mayor’s Management Report to provide transparency into agency spending and performance metrics. Expanding the Budget Function Analysis to include more agencies would improve the city's ability to track and assess performance across all departments, as it currently only covers 34% of the fiscal year 2018 budget.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The Budget Function Analysis (BFA) should be expanded to cover more agencies.
Key Data
34%
— The Budget Function Analysis accounts for only 34% of the city’s fiscal year 2018 budget.
44
— The Mayor’s Management Report currently reports on 44 city agencies.
15
— The NYC Money Meter dashboard allows users to explore spending on core services provided by 15 New York City agencies.
This episode's datapoint is "4,” as in Bill de Blasio's four years as mayor. Greg David of Crain's New York Business and CUNY Journalism School joined the podcast to discuss his recent investigative piece in Crain's about Mayor de Blasio's performance during his first term.
New York City has significantly increased spending on preventive services for children, yet current reporting mechanisms fail to adequately measure whether these programs effectively reduce foster care placements or child maltreatment. To ensure accountability and program efficacy, the city must shift from tracking simple caseload volumes to implementing rigorous, outcome-based performance metrics.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
Further investment should be contingent upon a more thorough public reporting on outcomes.
The City Council should work with ACS to expand the required indicators to measure outcomes rather than just outputs.
ACS’s performance should be evaluated consistently, using data and metrics, rather than in response to headlines of tragic cases.
The City should differentiate between the different service models and case severity in reporting so that there is a better understanding of what works best for which populations.
Key Data
$313 million
— Projected spending on preventive services in the Fiscal Year 2018 Adopted Budget for the Administration for Children’s Services.
42 percent
— Increase in spending on preventive services from Mayor Bill de Blasio’s first year in office.
17.0 percent
— Repeat substantiated maltreatment rate that has remained stable in the last 8 years.
63.5 percent
— Decline in foster care entries between fiscal years 2000 and 2016.
$125
— Average daily cost per child in foster care in fiscal year 2015.
$24
— Average daily cost per child in preventive services in fiscal year 2015.
The NYC Resident Feedback Survey reveals significant disparities in resident satisfaction across Bronx community districts, particularly regarding quality of life and government services. While citywide ratings for fiscal responsibility and services for vulnerable populations remain low, the data highlights substantial gaps in perceived neighborhood quality and service delivery between the most and least satisfied districts.
Key Data
20.8%
— NYC overall resident rating for the city spending tax dollars wisely.
13.7%
— NYC overall resident rating for services provided for homeless people.
54.9%
— The satisfaction gap between the most and least satisfied Bronx community districts regarding rat control.
51.3%
— The satisfaction gap between the most and least satisfied Bronx community districts regarding their neighborhood as a place to live.
Only 44% of New Yorkers rate city services as excellent or good, with particularly low satisfaction regarding services for homeless people, public housing, and at-risk children. Regular citywide satisfaction surveys should be implemented to provide actionable management data that guides administrators in improving government performance.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
Surveys gauging satisfaction with city services should be a regular part of how the city does business.
The Mayor and City Council should now create and make public a plan for improvement in the areas that city residents found wanting.
Key Data
44%
— Overall percentage of city residents who rate city services as “excellent” or “good.”
14%
— Percentage of New Yorkers who rate services for homeless people positively.
20%
— Percentage of New Yorkers who rate public housing services positively.
23%
— Percentage of New Yorkers who rate services protecting at-risk children positively.
39%
— Percentage of New Yorkers who rate maintenance of streets and roads positively.
20%
— Percentage of New Yorkers who believe the City spends tax dollars wisely.
A 2017 survey of nearly 10,000 New York City households reveals that residents identify infrastructure, safety, and housing as the most pressing issues requiring government attention. The findings provide a comprehensive assessment of public satisfaction across various city services, ranging from sanitation and public education to emergency response and transportation.
Key Data
29.9%
— Proportion of survey respondents who identified infrastructure as a top issue requiring more attention from city government.
29.5%
— Proportion of survey respondents who identified safety, crime, and safety services as a top issue requiring more attention from city government.
29.3%
— Proportion of survey respondents who identified housing issues, development, and gentrification as a top issue requiring more attention from city government.
9,873
— Total number of households that completed the resident feedback survey.
72,000
— Total number of households randomly selected to receive the survey.
20,599
— Total number of individual issues named by survey respondents regarding city government attention.
New York City's municipal service delivery and quality of life should be assessed through regular, independent resident surveys conducted every two to four years. These surveys, ideally timed for mayoral election years, provide a critical management tool for understanding public perception of city services across different neighborhoods.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
Regular citywide surveys should be used as a management tool to assess municipal services and quality of life.
A resident survey should be conducted every two years — or every four years at the least — and preferably by a non-governmental entity.
A resident survey should be conducted early in every mayoral election year, when the public focuses especially on city government's performance.
Key Data
72,000
— New Yorkers selected at random from all five boroughs and each community district who will receive the resident survey.
2008
— The year the City of New York last conducted a comprehensive survey similar to the current one.
The 2016 Mayor's Management Report indicates that New York City made progress on three priority fronts, including affordable housing completions and recycling rates, while results were ambiguous for five other areas such as jail safety and employment assistance. The report highlights concerning trends in public safety and homelessness, with major felony crimes rising by 1,742 and shelter populations increasing across all categories.
Key Data
1,742
— The number of additional major felony crimes committed in fiscal year 2016 compared to fiscal year 2015.
12.3%
— The increase in the number of single adults in shelters per day.
82%
— The increase in affordable housing unit completions by the Department of Housing Preservation and Development in fiscal year 2016 compared to fiscal year 2015.
26.5%
— The increase in the incidence of violence between inmates in New York City jails.
16.9%
— The recycling diversion rate achieved by the Department of Sanitation.
47.8
— The average number of incidents of violence between inmates per month per 1,000 average daily inmates.
The Mayor’s Management Report serves as a critical assessment tool for evaluating the progress of New York City agencies across various policy priorities, ranging from public safety and health to housing and education. By tracking specific performance indicators, this report provides transparency into whether administrative initiatives are effectively meeting their goals or if adjustments are required to improve service delivery.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The Mayor’s Office of Operations should expand coverage of new service areas, such as the ThriveNYC mental health initiative, in the Mayor’s Management Report.
Key Data
1,600
— The Mayor’s Management Report includes more than 1,600 indicators to assess the progress of New York City’s 41 agencies.
74 percent
— From fiscal year 2009 to fiscal year 2015, the incidence of inmate-on-inmate violence in New York City jails increased 74 percent.
197 percent
— From fiscal year 2009 to fiscal year 2015, the incidence of inmate assaults on staff in New York City jails increased 197 percent.
41 percent
— The number of cash assistance recipients placed in a job by the Human Resources Administration declined 41 percent between fiscal year 2009 and 2015.
16.1 percent
— The diversion rate of recycled materials reached 16.1 percent in the first four months of fiscal year 2016.
42.5 days
— Average wait time for non-emergency repairs at New York City Housing Authority developments peaked at 42.5 days in fiscal year 2013.
The New York City Fire Department faces a significant operational mismatch, as the vast majority of its emergency responses are for medical incidents rather than fires, yet the agency continues to allocate most of its resources to traditional firefighting. To address this inefficiency, the department should rebalance its staffing and training models to better align with the actual demand for emergency medical services.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The FDNY should apply again to the NYC-REMSCO for permission to change ALS ambulance staffing to one paramedic and one EMT, as this would not diminish the quality of care and would yield about $5 million in savings.
The department should increase the medical training of firefighters so they can handle more situations without reliance on a separate ambulance and its staff.
It may be preferable to require EMT qualifications for new applicants for firefighter jobs, which would also effectively create a career ladder for advancement among the EMS staff.
The relationships between the two services should be redefined, and the financial and human resources provided for each type of service should be rebalanced.
Having at least one of the firefighters staffing an engine company trained as an EMT would require training about 850 or roughly 8 percent of uniformed personnel.
Key Data
75%
— Percentage of the 1.2 million incidents in 2014 to which FDNY vehicles responded that were medical incidents.
49%
— Decline in the number of fire-related incidents between 1998 and 2014.
879,298
— Annual number of medical emergencies to which the FDNY responded in 2014.
$3.8 Billion
— Total FDNY budget in fiscal year 2015.
$6.8 Million
— Estimated average annual cost of operating an engine company in fiscal year 2015.
$8.6 Million
— Estimated average annual cost of operating a ladder company in fiscal year 2015.
In fiscal year 2015, New York City Fire Department engine and ladder companies completed over 1.1 million emergency runs, with medical and non-fire incidents accounting for the majority of activity. The workload varies significantly by neighborhood, with engine companies averaging just under 10 runs per day and ladder companies averaging just under 8.
Key Data
1.1 million
— Total emergency runs completed by engine and ladder companies in fiscal year 2015.
735,000
— Number of runs completed by engine companies in fiscal year 2015.
413,000
— Number of runs completed by ladder companies in fiscal year 2015.
34%
— Portion of all engine company responses that were medical emergencies.
74%
— Portion of all ladder company runs that were non-fire, non-medical incidents.
16%
— Average percentage of engine runs that were fire-related.
The FDNY's current resource allocation, which prioritizes firefighting despite medical emergencies accounting for 75% of incidents, is inefficient and requires structural reform. Integrating fire and EMS services through increased medical training for firefighters and revised ambulance staffing models would better align department operations with actual service demands.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The FDNY should petition the NYC-REMSCO again to change ALS ambulance staffing to one paramedic and one EMT, which would yield about $5 million in savings.
The department should increase the medical training of firefighters so they can handle more situations without reliance on a separate ambulance and its staff.
It may be preferable to require EMT qualifications for new applicants for firefighter jobs, which would also effectively create a career ladder for advancement among the EMS staff.
The FDNY should fundamentally reorganize the department to redefine the relationships between the two services and rebalance the financial and human resources provided for each.
Key Data
75%
— Percentage of the 1.2 million incidents to which FDNY vehicles responded in 2014 that were medical incidents.
$3.8 billion
— Total FDNY budget in fiscal year 2015.
71%
— Portion of the FDNY budget devoted to staffing fire units in fiscal year 2015.
$5 million
— Estimated annual savings from changing ALS ambulance staffing to one paramedic and one EMT.
13%
— Portion of the FDNY budget allocated to EMS operations in fiscal year 2015.
New York City's settlements and judgments represent a significant financial burden, totaling $674 million in the fiscal year 2015 budget. By shifting financial responsibility for malpractice claims to individual agencies and utilizing data-driven tools like ClaimStat, the city can incentivize better risk management and reduce these substantial costs.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The NYPD should increase accountability at the precinct level to reduce settlement and judgment costs.
The NYPD should examine claims filed to identify practices, shifts, precincts, units, or officers that open the department to legal liability.
The NYPD should act quickly to address any issues identified through ClaimStat analyses.
The City should include the cost of settlements and judgments in agency budgets to improve fiscal responsibility.
The City should ensure that settlement and judgment costs become a more explicit part of each City Commissioner’s responsibility.
Key Data
$674 million
— Total settlements and claims expense in the fiscal year 2015 budget.
54%
— Combined share of total settlements and judgments for HHC and NYPD in fiscal year 2013.
$82.7 million
— Settlements and judgments against HHC for medical malpractice in 1992.
$195.4 million
— Settlements and judgments against HHC for medical malpractice in 2003.
$130.6 million
— Settlements and judgments against HHC in fiscal year 2013.
$137.2 million
— Settlements and judgments against the NYPD in fiscal year 2013.
New York City's Department of Sanitation faces significantly higher collection costs than private carters and public agencies in other major cities, largely due to inefficient operational practices and rigid labor contracts. Implementing modern technologies like automated collection trucks, adopting pay-as-you-throw pricing models, and reforming route management could improve efficiency and reduce the high taxpayer burden associated with waste removal.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The City should implement a pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) system for residential service, paired with household rebates or property tax reductions to avoid increasing the overall tax burden.
DSNY should invest in automated collection trucks to reduce labor costs and worker injuries, particularly in neighborhoods where logistical challenges can be mitigated.
Management should utilize GPS data to implement productivity gains and improve the efficiency of collection routes.
The City should limit the number of private waste carters through franchise agreements to reduce truck traffic, emissions, and improve monitoring of business practices.
The City should experiment with and invest in sophisticated sorting technology to determine if commingled recycling collection is economically beneficial in specific areas.
Key Data
$2.3 billion
— Total annual local spending on residential and commercial garbage collection and disposal.
$433 per ton
— Average combined collection and disposal cost for DSNY.
$185 per ton
— Average combined collection and disposal cost for private carters.
$629 per ton
— DSNY cost to collect recyclable material in fiscal year 2012.
$251 per ton
— DSNY cost to collect refuse in fiscal year 2012.
$119.5 million
— DSNY overtime expenses accrued in fiscal year 2011 due to 61.5 inches of snowfall.
New York City's economic development programs require improved management, including more rigorous cost-benefit analysis and greater transparency in the distribution of discretionary tax incentives. Future administrations should prioritize infrastructure investments in high-potential neighborhoods, utilize conduit financing for non-profit growth, and reform tax expenditure programs to ensure they effectively drive job creation.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
Use capital investments to enhance infrastructure in neighborhoods with job growth potential.
Encourage growth in the cultural, medical and educational sectors by enhancing access to capital through conduit financing.
Continue reform of as-of-right tax expenditure programs to make them more cost-effective.
Establish clearer standards for awarding discretionary tax expenditure benefits.
Continue rezoning and expand special mixed use districts to facilitate diversified job growth in areas currently limited to industrial use.
Better manage the Economic Development Corporation by focusing on job creation and enhancing transparency.
Key Data
$1.6 billion
— Annual tax expenditures in 2012.
$751 million
— Annual capital spending in 2012.
$9.2 billion
— Total face value of bond issues for 226 projects between 2002 and 2012.
$238 million
— Annual cost of discretionary tax benefits.
$368 million
— Relevant operating expenditures in 2012.
36%
— Percentage of the city's land area rezoned since 2002.
This presentation was given by Maria Doulis, CBC’s Director of New York City Studies, at “The Measured City: Using Data to Improve New York City Government” Conference, on Oct. 30, 2013.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey requires improved budget transparency and accountability, specifically through the adoption of multi-year financial plans and long-term capital strategies. Implementing regular performance reporting and public review processes will align the agency with best practices used by other major regional public entities.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The PANYNJ should specify performance measures of activities and accomplishments for each major agency activity and present regular, frequent reports comparing actual and targeted performance.
The PANYNJ should have a detailed annual operating budget and a four-year financial plan prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
The PANYNJ’s capital budgeting should be guided by a long-term capital strategy that is revised every four years and based on a professional assessment of investment needs.
The PANYNJ should ensure the operating budget is adopted only after opportunities for public review and is revised and updated during the fiscal year.
The PANYNJ should provide regular and frequent reports to the Board and the public on the status of each capital project relative to scheduled milestones and planned costs.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) services were benchmarked against other large U.S. transit systems, revealing that while New York City subways are relatively efficient, the MTA's bus systems and commuter railroads perform poorly. The analysis identifies vehicle maintenance and non-vehicle operations as the most troublesome functions, suggesting these areas as primary targets for future efficiency initiatives.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The MTA should prioritize efficiency initiatives by comparing unit cost measures with other large urban transit agencies to identify areas where the authority is out of line with national practices.
The MTA should explore practices in Chicago to identify potential new initiatives for improving subway labor productivity.
The MTA should continue efforts to terminate inefficient staffing patterns in stations, such as the continued use of former token booth clerks, to improve efficiency.
The MTA should prioritize efficiency improvements for the two large bus systems, which are inefficient compared to other large U.S. systems and represent a major portion of operating expenses.
The MTA should address troublesome functions in commuter railroads, specifically vehicle maintenance and non-vehicle operations, where the LIRR often ranks as the worst in the nation.
Key Data
$935 million
— Total projected savings from all identified MTA efficiency initiatives in 2014.
$8 billion
— Total 2009 operating expenses for the five largest MTA passenger transport divisions.
$525 million
— Recurring savings expected from MTA efficiency measures and service cuts.
$100 million
— Annualized savings projected from MTA service cuts that took effect in June 2010.
$1.2 billion
— Projected budget gap for the MTA in 2013.
$300 million
— Operating budget deficit the MTA ended with in 2009.
The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation has significantly expanded its park system and improved maintenance, yet it lacks objective measures of park use and efficiency to guide future management. To address these gaps, the city should implement strategic planning, incentivize revenue generation, and establish consistent, transparent guidelines for partnerships with nonprofit organizations.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The City should create a stronger incentive for increasing concessions and other earned revenues by dividing growth in these revenues between the City’s general fund and a new fund dedicated to parks improvements.
The City should institutionalize responsibility for strategic planning for parks by engaging an entity within municipal government with a clear mandate from City Hall.
The DPR should bring all parks to an acceptable condition by creating a strategic plan that includes a timetable for bringing all park facilities to an acceptable condition.
The DPR should improve the quality and productivity in parks maintenance and operations by establishing measures of park use and unit costs.
The City should encourage preventive maintenance and longer periods of usefulness by funding routine repairs and replacements in the operating budget.
The City should ensure that common principles guide the relationships between the DPR and its nonprofit partner organizations and that the terms of these arrangements are transparent.
Key Data
$394 million
— The amount needed to bring major DPR assets to a state of good repair in the latest fiscal year.
$780 million
— Total City funds provided for DPR facilities in fiscal year 2006.
$81 million
— Total revenue generated by the DPR in fiscal year 2006.
$48.1 million
— Total concession revenue generated by the DPR in fiscal year 2006.
$63 million
— The net amount devoted by park-specific conservancies to services in the parks annually.
$111 million
— The estimated cost for converting 290 public school yards into public playgrounds over a ten-year period.
New York City's performance management framework requires significant improvement to better align budget allocations with program outcomes and efficiency goals. The city should adopt more rigorous outcome-based metrics, implement comparative benchmarking against other jurisdictions, and incorporate citizen satisfaction surveys to ensure government services meet public needs.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
New York City leaders should reorganize the budget to better track programs and program performance.
Measuring and reporting unit costs should be a high priority in every service area to focus on efficiency.
Leaders should push to develop and track desired results for every service area to improve outcome measurement.
New Yorkers should be able to compare the caliber of their services to those provided by other competitor cities.
Public perception of City services should not just be measured by complaints but also by satisfaction survey measures.
Key Data
24
— Number of the 30 largest U.S. cities that publish performance metrics in their budgets.
4
— Number of efficiency indicators New York City reports out of 42 tracked by the ICMA.
13.2 Million
— Total number of calls handled by the 3-1-1 system in fiscal year 2006.
47%
— Percentage of 3-1-1 calls that were requests for information.
140
— Number of outcome measures reported by New York City for 41 agencies.
New York City's performance management framework needs improvement to better connect budget allocations with program results and to incorporate more robust efficiency and outcome measures. The city should also adopt comparative benchmarking against other municipalities and expand the use of resident satisfaction surveys to ensure government services are effectively meeting public needs.
Recommendations related to City Performance Management
The budget should be reorganized to better align with programs and program performance.
Unit-cost measures should be a high priority in every service area.
A push to develop and track the desired end result measures in every service area should be made.
New York City should compare its performance to competitor jurisdictions.
Public perception of City services should not be measured just by complaints, but also by satisfaction survey measures.
Key Data
24
— Number of the 30 largest U.S. cities that publish performance metrics in their budgets.
13.2 million
— Calls handled by the 3-1-1 system in fiscal year 2006.
15
— Number of the 30 largest U.S. cities that use resident satisfaction survey measures in their performance reporting.
33%
— Reported use of local government survey data to make policy decisions.
1,000
— Number of performance statistics included in the Mayor's Management Report.
40
— Number of City agencies covered by the Mayor's Management Report.
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