Watchdog Testimony to NYC Council: Restore DOI’s Staffing and Funding
Oversight Hearing Examining How the Department of Investigation (DOI) Encourages City Employees to Report Corruption
Re: Key Oversight Agency is Grossly Understaffed and Underfunded;
Thank you for the opportunity to provide written testimony as the City Council considers the important role of the Department of Investigation (DOI) in preventing and investigating corruption in New York City, and combating related waste, fraud and abuse. Reinvent Albany advocates for transparent and accountable government in New York.
We strongly support the updated recommendations of the Council’s Charter Revision Commission regarding the Department of Investigation, which:
- Establish a minimum budget for DOI based on a percentage of the total expense budget.
- Ideally, we hope this fixed percentage can bring DOI up to its former staffing level of 422 ($63 million inflation adjusted from FY2017 – see below).
- Establish a five-year term for the Commissioner of Investigation, with the accompanying protection from removal except for cause;
- We additionally support DOI’s recommendation to require Council approval and a hearing for removal.
- Put mayoral executive orders establishing the independence and authority of DOI into the City Charter.
We hope to see these recommendations advanced by the Council’s Charter Commission and put on the ballot for voters. However, given the mayor’s current ability to “bump” council (or voter) ballot proposals, the Council Commission’s recommendations are not guaranteed to get on the ballot. (Please note that Reinvent Albany strongly supports removing the power of the mayor to “bump” council or voter ballot proposals.)
Accordingly, we ask the City Council to do three things to strengthen the effectiveness of the Department of Investigation, which is grossly understaffed and underfunded:
- Index the DOI’s budget to inflation, because a dollar spent on DOI saves New York City many times that amount in funds otherwise lost to waste fraud and abuse. Assuming NYC DOI is equally as effective as federal Inspector Generals, a dollar spent on DOI saves NYC at least $18 in tax-dollars. If DOI is as effective as the federal General Accounting Office, a dollar spent on DOI saves New York City $123.
- Increase DOI’s budget for FY 2026 to $63 million to keep pace with inflation, allowing the agency to get back up to prior staffing levels. (Inflation adjustment from FY 2017 levels, when DOI had 422 staff and a budget of $47 million). DOI’s staff is only at 293 in the latest executive budget. See the appendix for prior budget levels.
- Conduct an oversight hearing on the DOI’s recommendations dashboard, to determine which agencies are not implementing the DOI’s recommendations.
Thank you for your consideration.
Appendix: 10-Year Analysis of Budget of NYC Department of Investigation
