Dear New Yorkers,

Twice a year, City Hall publishes the "Mayor's Management Report” (MMR), a charter-mandated report card on how the City is measuring up. It serves as a public accounting of City agency performance, tracking whether agencies are delivering services efficiently, effectively, and expeditiously.

The latest MMR was released yesterday, moments after the City Council rightfully overrode the veto of the How Many Stops Act and the HALT Act.

My office promptly dug into the data. We found encouraging improvements, like faster building application processing times and increased child care voucher enrollment. But we also identified areas where more capable, compassionate City leadership is needed – like SNAP applications and cash assistance. 

Here are a few highs and lows on how New York City agencies performed, according to the Mayor's Management Report:

Department of Social Services (DSS): Cash assistance timeliness has plummeted to 14%, down from 55% the year before. As demand increases, acceptance rates dropped to just 35% of applications accepted.

SNAP applications are still only 42% on time, improving slightly from last year’s low of 41%.

Administration for Children’s Services (ACS): The state’s expansion of child care voucher eligibility is making a positive difference. Enrollment is up 25% year-over-year with over 65,000 vouchers issued.

Department of Sanitation (DSNY): Sanitation is cutting funding for vacant lot cleaning, and the negative impact shows. Compared to last year, requests for vacant lot cleanings are up 22% and cleanings are down 11%.

New York City Fire Department (FDNY): Combined EMS-Fire response times have risen by 4% in a year to 7 minutes 10 seconds. Meanwhile, the department contends with EMS overtime limits.

Department of Correction (DOC): People in DOC’s care have visited a health clinic 7,647 times this fiscal year, which is 29% fewer visits compared to last year.

Department of Homeless Services (DHS): Subsidized shelter exits are not keeping pace with the number of people entering shelter. The shelter population increased 53% since the 2023 PMMR (including many asylum seekers), but subsidized exits only rose by 2%.

Department of Buildings (DOB): Processing times on construction applications are getting faster. Processing time has decreased 16% and 11% for new buildings and major renovations, respectively.

Department of Transportation (DOT): DOT’s response time to unsafe traffic signals is down under two hours, a 17% decrease since last year.

Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS): The City’s electric vehicle fleet continues to expand, up from 4,044 this time in 2023 to 4,956 in 2024.

Are there City agencies that you think could be doing better? Are there issues you're concerned about?

Make your voice heard by suggesting an audit—yes, you!—and my office will review your recommendation. As always, my office is dedicated to making New York City work more efficiently and equitably for all New Yorkers.

Thanks,

Brad