Photo Courtesy of Comptroller Stringer’s Office
The departments of Homeless Services, Education, and Correction made Comptroller Stringer’s inaugural Agency Watch List.
By Forum Staff
The City comptroller’s analysis of the mayor’s Fiscal Year 2019 Preliminary Executive Budget featured a new Agency Watch List to spotlight departments that raise the most budgetary concerns, and for which data-driven approaches are critically needed to measure and improve performance.
This year, Comptroller Scott Stringer’s annual review of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s financial plan placed some agencies and their leadership squarely on the hot seat, including the departments of Homeless Services, Education, and Correction.
“Our economy is in solid position, but it won’t last forever, as economic and job growth slow in the years to come. With President Trump’s proposed budget cuts going after the most vulnerable New Yorkers, and his tax bill targeting our economy, it’s absolutely critical that New York City prepare today for whatever comes tomorrow. That means spending our limited resources in a way that achieves maximum impact,” Stringer said. “Budgets are about priorities, and ours need to be on making sure that those who need our help the most get it, and that we can continue to provide all New Yorkers the critical City services they count on—in both good times and bad. Mayor de Blasio has offered a Preliminary Budget that puts forward a number of laudable initiatives that I support. But as we confront the challenges ahead, we will have to grow our budget cushion and implement a more vigorous agency savings program. That’s why this year, I’m introducing an ‘agency watch list,’ to shine a light on the departments that absolutely must deliver better results if we’re going to maintain City services, while keeping our fiscal house in order.”
According to Stringer’s analysis, citywide spending for homeless services continues to rise while the homeless population grows. Despite major investments in prevention and housing, the number of individuals residing in shelters has steadily increased to 61,029 (as of Feb. 2) from 49,673 in 2013; spending on shelters alone has nearly doubled to $1.9 billion in FY 2019 from $1 billion.
The comptroller’s review rips the Department of Education, where, according to Stringer, “there is rampant waste and lack of accountability.” Audits have found: in a sample of eight schools and one administrative site, one-third of computer hardware was unaccounted for, with no follow-up action to implement basic controls; $1 billion investment in high-speed broadband while one in three teachers remain dissatisfied with the service; and $2.7 billion in no-bid contracts.
And while the City jail population is down, spending and violence are up, according to Stringer’s analysis. In the last decade, the average daily inmate population has declined by over 30 percent, to 9,500 in 2017, from 13,850 in 2008; but over the same period, the average annual cost of housing an inmate on Rikers Island has more than doubled: to over $270,000 in 2017, from about $117,000 in 2008; and the number of violent incidents against both inmates and correctional officers has more than tripled over the same period: to 1,332 per 1,000 average daily population in 2017, from 441 per 1,000 average daily population in 2008.
