New Yorkers headed to the polls won’t just be deciding the races for Congress and the governor’s office — they’ll also get to vote on five questions that would make changes to the City Charter, the city’s governing document.
The proposals were put forward by a panel convened by Mayor Mamdani called the Commission on Government Efficiency, or COGE. The five questions get at some of the mayor’s priorities, like streamlining government processes.
They’d speed up the creation of bike lanes and outdoor dining setups, accelerate city contracting processes for nonprofits and small businesses as well as permitting for construction projects, and set a target goal for the city’s reserves.
COGE heard testimony from over 1,000 citydwellers at ten public hearings across the city over the summer. They released their proposals in July.
Lately, Mamdani faced questions about the propriety of a $1.6 million campaign on digital platforms and social media urging New Yorkers to flip their ballot to vote on the proposals. Good government watchdogs said it was unclear whether that video crossed the line into electioneering.
“How fast does government run? That’s up to you,” the mayor said in an ad. “This November, there will be five questions on your ballot aimed at making government work more efficiently for New Yorkers.”
But what exactly are the proposals?
Proposal 1: Lift some regulations for outdoor dining
The first proposal would seek to undo red tape around the city’s outdoor dining program by removing some steps and fees from the process of getting city approval for building ramps, benches and outdoor structures.
COGE officials say the changes would cut the application process down to two months and save restaurants up to $1,800 in fees.
Outdoor dining exploded during the pandemic, but the number of participating restaurants plummeted when the City Council passed restrictions in 2023.
Previously this year, the City Council took steps to reverse some of those regulations and allow more eateries to take part in the program.
This proposal would also remove the City Council’s veto power over sidewalk setups.
Proposal 2: Speed up city contracting process
One recurring problem in city government is the slow contracting process — both in inking contracts and in companies getting paid for their work.
This question seeks to simplify the process by streamlining a questionnaire that, under the current rules, all businesses must fill out regardless of whether they’re a huge corporation or tiny nonprofit.
The ballot proposal also would change the required public hearing for some contracts into a written comment period.
The commision says these changes would cut down the procurement timeline by 12%.
Proposal 3: Build faster bike and bus lanes
This proposal seeks to remove some steps in the process of building new bike and bus lanes across the five boroughs, with the goal of speeding up construction by 33%.
To do that, the city would cut the number of sign-offs projects need from different levels of staff and agencies, and it would fast-track projects for the most dangerous streets and intersections.
It would also put the review of unused city property under the purview of the City Planning Commission instead of the City Council for smaller lots and developments, as well as lift some hearing requirements and approvals when the city leases office space.
Proposal 4: Simplify construction permits process
This proposal would condense all applications for construction permits into a single digital hub, rather than routing projects through multiple different city agencies to secure the permits.
It would also task the Department of Buildings with overseeing all waterfront development permits, some of which currently fall under the Department of Small Business Services.
Proposal 5: Set target amount for city’s reserves
This ballot question would set a target amount for the city to stash away in its “rainy day fund” — money the city can use in case of economic downturn or other financial strains.
The city’s reserves were first established with the passage of a ballot question back in 2019, but no target for savings has been set.
Budget watchdog Citizens Budget Commission has been advocating for a savings benchmark to be set — but the group is against this question, arguing the 12% target is too low and won’t protect the city against a possible economic crisis. The savings target is based on the previous year’s tax revenue.
The proposal would also limit withdrawals to no more than 50%, unless there were outstanding fiscal circumstances.