Council Minority Chief Joseph Borelli mentioned he might be introducing the invoice at Thursday's assembly.
Daniel William McKnight
A Staten Island pol says town has such a suspect historical past of unnecessarily flushing away cash on capital tasks — together with a projected $6 million toilet facility slated for a park in his district — that he’s pushing new laws requiring businesses to be extra clear about how they’re spending taxpayer dough.
Council Minority Chief Joseph Borelli mentioned he might be introducing a invoice at Thursday’s assembly that will require town to publish giant indicators at building websites of its capital enchancment tasks.
The indicators can be up to date at the very least month-to-month and determine the precise challenge below building, anticipated prices, town company dealing with oversight and different data to assist the general public observe doable value overruns and delays.
“Individuals should be extra outraged by how a lot issues value,” Borelli mentioned. “The [city’s] capital procurement course of is basically flawed. Regardless of lip service from earlier administrations, nothing vital has been carried out to assist the method.”
Borelli mentioned he’s been shocked up to now by how a lot some tasks wind up costing, together with a rest room facility he satisfied former Mayor Invoice de Blasio in 2017 to greenlight building on at Seaside Wildlife Nature Park in Nice Kills.
It was initially slated to value a whopping $6 million, however may now wind up costing taxpayers much more — as much as $10 million, in keeping with the Parks Division’s web site. The consolation station has been designed, however its building timeline has been pushed again at the very least a 12 months due to the pandemic with a builder but to be chosen.
Within the meantime, the favored park continues to haven't any restrooms — forcing some to resort to excessive measures.
“Individuals go residence or discover a tree,” quipped Borelli. “Both we pay the vig to the Parks Division for capital prices, or individuals are caught pissing behind a tree in perpetuity.”
Borelli additionally plans to introduce one other invoice on Thursday in a bid to create a brand new 15-person process pressure whose mission can be to reform town’s capital building system.
The duty pressure would come with seven council members, 5 mayoral appointees and the commissioners of the Buildings Division, Parks Division and Division of Housing Preservation and Growth.
The Parks Division has an extended historical past of coming below fireplace from critics for overspending on loos, together with $2 million spent to construct a 400-square-foot restroom at Gravesend Park on 18th Avenue in Brooklyn that opened in 2017.
Spokespersons for each the Mayor’s Workplace and Parks Division mentioned their places of work would evaluation the laws as soon as it’s launched.
The suspect spending extends far exterior metropolis parks.
Final week, some council members have been floored at a price range listening to after studying the FDNY is searching for to construct new kitchens at a few of its firehouses — at a price of $1.2 million apiece.
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