24-1483 : Nowakowski: Strengthening Lease Compliance through Charter Adherence

This resolution, initiated by Council Member Mitchell P. Nowakowski, addresses issues with lease compliance and aims to strengthen adherence to the City Charter. It cites two reports from the Comptroller's Office (December 2023 and June 2024) that highlighted deficiencies in the management and oversight of revenue-generating contracts, particularly by the Department of Public Works (DPW).

The resolution argues that the DPW's resources and staffing are strained by responsibilities not explicitly outlined in the City Charter, such as overseeing leases and their compliance. It references City Charter Section § 6-23, which assigns the Director of Real Estate the duty to maintain records related to city property ownership, leases, and sales. Therefore, the resolution proposes that lease compliance oversight should be transitioned to the Real Estate Department.

Key Actions:

• Requests the Law Department, Director of Real Estate, Commissioner of DPW, and Commissioner of Administration, Finance, Policy & Urban Affairs to attend a finance committee meeting on September 24, 2024, to discuss transitioning staff responsibilities for lease compliance.
• Requests the City Clerk to submit a copy of this resolution to the aforementioned departments and officials.

The resolution emphasizes that improper lease management leads to financial losses for taxpayers and aims to correct these issues to protect the city's revenue sources.