Committee on Governmental Operations, State & Federal Legislation meeting
March 13, 2026, 12:30 PM
The Committee on Governmental Operations held its FY2027 preliminary budget hearing on the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, the Law Department, the Board of Elections, and the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings. The committee took testimony and recorded no votes.
What was discussed
- Opening and swearing in for the Governmental Operations budget hearing Chair Gale A. Brewer gaveled in the Committee on Governmental Operations' FY2027 preliminary budget hearing, beginning with the Department of Citywide Administrative Services; committee counsel swore in the DCAS panel.
- Commissioner Yume Kitasei's opening testimony for DCAS DCAS Commissioner Yume Kitasei delivered abbreviated opening testimony on the agency's FY2027 preliminary budget, noting the warm hearing room and reminding the committee that city employees get a City Store discount.
- How will the hiring restrictions and vacancies affect DCAS? Chair Brewer raised the Mayor's order limiting agencies to filling half of vacancies; First Deputy Commissioner Shana Midelton said DCAS has 370 vacancies as of January, about a 15% vacancy rate, and that the agency would leverage its strength as a citywide buyer.
- Can DCAS meet the fleet electrification mandates, and how is it funded? Chair Brewer questioned fleet electrification; Chief Fleet Officer Keith Kerman said no part of the EV program has stopped, that Local Law 140 requires light- and medium-duty vehicles to be electric by 2035 and heavy/specialized by 2038 if doable, and First Deputy Commissioner Midelton said the $10
- How are DCAS's renewable energy, Renewable Rikers, and demand-response efforts progressing? Chair Brewer asked about clean energy; Commissioner Yume Kitasei said DCAS pursues solar wherever it can and that the Renewable Rikers Act work is further in the future, and First Deputy Commissioner Midelton said the summer demand-response program generates roughly $2 million in revenue, with staff
- How is the Space Savings Initiative working, and when will City Hall get EV charging? Council Member Linda Lee asked about office space-sharing and EV charging; First Deputy Commissioner Midelton said FY25 was a big planning year for space savings (not currently publicly reported), Deputy Commissioner Laura Ringelheim said agencies are persuaded to share space, and Chief Fleet
- How is DCAS recruiting for city jobs and running hiring halls? Council Member Ty Hankerson asked about recruitment; Commissioner Kitasei and Katrina Porter described social-media outreach (including Instagram), partnerships with city agencies, and hiring halls, and said DCAS would follow up with hiring-hall placement numbers - while the Commissioner noted DCAS
- What did the emergency heating-oil response cost, and how is school-bus GPS tracking used? Chair Brewer asked about the winter emergency and school buses; First Deputy Commissioner Midelton said the emergency oil/trucking operation cost an estimated $300,000 a day, and Chief Fleet Officer Kerman said all city-owned school buses (about 300) and bus companies have access to GPS tracking
- How much solar and lighting work is done, and who manages the resiliency capital projects? Chair Brewer pressed on energy and capital projects; Commissioner Kitasei said the city has completed over 204 solar installations (about 33.5 megawatts) and lighting upgrades in 367 schools with 433 to go, and that the East Side Coastal Resiliency project and 70 Mulberry are DDC-managed, with First
- How does DCAS handle Staten Island facilities and access to government service locations? Council Member Frank Morano asked about Staten Island court capital projects and service access; Commissioner Kitasei and Deputy Commissioner Laura Ringelheim said several capital projects sit in DCAS's budget but are managed by other entities, and that DCAS works with agencies on catchment areas
- Corporation Counsel Steven Banks's opening testimony for the Law Department Recently confirmed Corporation Counsel Steven Banks delivered opening testimony on the Law Department's FY2027 preliminary budget before the committee's questions.
- Will the Law Department be more transparent on settlements and the Timothy Pearson representation? Speaker Julie Menin and Chair Brewer pressed on transparency; Corporation Counsel Steven Banks committed to be as fulsome as possible on settlement data, said he had reviewed and ended Timothy Pearson's right to legal representation at city expense, and discussed savings from prior 9/11-related and
- How will new attorneys, procurement reform, and judgment payouts shape the Law Department budget? Council Member Linda Lee asked about staffing and claims; Corporation Counsel Steven Banks said the department is pleased to have funding for 200 attorneys and 100 support professionals to restaff, that added torts staffing will help manage a pending caseload of roughly 70,000 (about 35,000 in
- When does the city join federal-policy litigation, and what is the fiscal exposure from FEMA and survivor-act cases? Council Member Frank Morano asked about federal litigation; Corporation Counsel Steven Banks cited examples such as defending counterterrorism funding, said roughly $80 million in FEMA asylum-seeker reimbursements were at issue, and that the impact of continued Adult Survivors Act and Child Victims
- Why does the Law Department need outside counsel, and how is it handling family court and Rikers remediation? Chair Brewer asked about external counsel and litigation areas; Corporation Counsel Steven Banks said outside counsel is used for specialized expertise (such as water-rights matters) and should decrease as in-house capacity grows, and that the department has met with the Rikers remediation manager
- Executive Director Michael Ryan's opening testimony for the Board of Elections Board of Elections Executive Director Michael Ryan delivered opening testimony on the BOE's FY2027 preliminary budget, joined by Deputy Executive Director Vincent Ignizio.
- How much will replacing the ballot-marking devices cost? Chair Brewer asked about new voting equipment; Executive Director Michael Ryan and Deputy Vincent Ignizio said replacing the ballot-marking devices (BMDs) would be roughly a $30 million expenditure while leaving current voting machines in place, that the state Board does the certification, and that
- How is the Board making poll sites accessible and moving out of schools? Chair Brewer pressed on accessibility and school poll sites; Deputy Vincent Ignizio said the Board uses about 17 vendors for accessibility ramp contracts paid with expense money, that of 158 early-voting sites it is working to relocate some out of schools, and welcomed the Council's help finding
- How is the Board recruiting poll workers and speeding early-voting results? Council Member Frank Morano asked about poll-worker recruitment and turnout; Executive Director Michael Ryan and Deputy Ignizio described improved poll-worker pay and recruitment, treating every election event seriously regardless of turnout, and reported the city produces among the fastest
- How does the Board register justice-involved and incarcerated voters? Chair Brewer asked about voters in jail; Executive Director Michael Ryan said the Department of Correction is responsible for facilitating registration since the Board lacks direct access to incarcerated individuals, that the Board has over 5 million registered voters, and that new tracking and
Agenda
1 item
- T2026-1357 New York City Council Budget and Oversight Hearings on The Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2027 The Preliminary Capital Plan for Fiscal Years 2027-2030, and The Fiscal 2026 Preliminary Mayor’s Management Report 12:30 p.m. Department of Citywide Administrative Services 1:30 p.m. Law Department Hearing Held by Committee