LAST week, I announced five ways to make government more accountable.
What exactly does accountable government mean to the average New Yorker, to you and your family? Accountable government is the way we’ll make sure our kids learn, our economy works and our city builds and invests for the future.
1) We need renewed accountability from our independent public agencies.
Entities like the Health & Hospitals Corp. and NYC Transit aren’t official city agencies – but every year they spend 35 billion public dollars.
Last year, the city Housing Authority was in such dire straits that it asked for a hundred-million-dollar infusion from the taxpayers. We stepped up to the plate and provided it. It wasn’t our legal responsibility, but it was the right thing to do.
But we shouldn’t find out about a shortfall like that only when it reaches a point of desperation. Instead of getting end-of-year reports when problems are already set in stone, we should be able to conduct monitoring on a regular and ongoing basis. This way, we’ll make sure that every nook and cranny of our government is accountable to the public.
2) It’s time to make our budgeting more accountable.
The next mayor must be required by law to disclose the city’s monthly tax collections and spending numbers to the City Council, the city comptroller and the Independent Budget Office.
That way, we can all make sure we’re still meeting our projections and fulfilling our priorities.
3) New York needs to save for its future.
New York City needs the authority to do what thousands of jurisdictions and every state in America can do – put our surplus in a rainy-day fund.
A rainy-day fund would give us options when tough times hit – allowing us to maintain our health care, schools and housing and a business climate in which New Yorkers can invest.
4) They’re public projects. We should be public about who asks for them.
Each year, the city government spends billions on capital improvements – brick-and-mortar construction – a vital investment in our future. Our most recent four-year capital plan was for $44.5 billion dollars, with projects sponsored by officials at all levels of city government.
That’s why the City Council is taking another step toward a more transparent city budget: full disclosure of all the sponsors of council capital-budget items. If you sponsor a capital project, you ought to be ready to stand behind it publicly.
5) It’s time for programmatic budgeting.
The current budget is presented in a way that is very hard to understand. People don’t care whether pre-K is listed on line ABC in the Department of Education or line XYZ of the Administration for Children’s Services budget. What New Yorkers care about is having books for their kids and teachers in the classroom.
At my request, Mayor Bloomberg will be expanding the number of city agencies with programmatic budgets from two to 16. This means average citizens may soon be able to view where and how agencies spend the valuable taxpayer dollars they receive and to track just how effective the work really is.
These five proposals will make our city government more responsible, give all of us more power to plan for the future and hopefully improve the lives of New Yorkers.
We don’t pursue responsible government for its own sake; it means we can protect New York’s middle class and nurture the aspirations of those trying to join it.
It’s not rocket science. It’s reform.
Christine C. Quinn is the speaker of the City Council.