At their final meeting of the term, the New York City Council voted last night to pass two bills from New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. The first will help to prevent street and subway flooding by improving catch basin maintenance. The second, part of a package of street vendor reforms, will establish a division of street vendor assistance.
Intro 403-A requires the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to unclog catch basins within eight days of an inspection or complaint and that the agency reports catch basin clearance data each year. The bill also requires the DEP to inspect catch basins in accordance with a multi-tiered inspection schedule – based on data collected under a previous law from the Public Advocate – and to evaluate this schedule at least once every 3 years.
Catch basins are a type of storm drain that serve a critical function in reducing the likelihood of inland flooding citywide. They serve as a component of storm drains and play a key role in keeping New York City’s streets free of flooding, but they require frequent attention and upkeep.
Over time, they can become clogged as leaves and litter pile up inside and out, leaving water with nowhere to go. With the climate crisis making extreme weather the new normal, there’s real risk of dangerous flooding – above and below ground.
“Across this city, clogged catch basins have led to mass flooding in the streets,” said Public Advocate Williams. “It's an issue that not only inconveniences neighborhoods, but can cause significant damage and danger. This bill will help clear the backlog of complaints and ensure things flow smoothly, keeping our streets safe and our subways dry.”
Intro 408-A creates a Division of Street Vendor Assistance. The new unit, housed within the Department of Small Business Services, will provide training, outreach, and education to all food vendors and general vendors regarding entrepreneurship and compliance with all applicable local laws, rules, and regulations. This would give street vendors access to many of the same tools afforded to other small businesses.
“Street vendors are New York City’s smallest businesses, and provide some of the most affordable options for New Yorkers facing an increasingly unaffordable city – yet they don’t have the support from the city they need to survive," said Public Advocate Williams on the vote. “In speaking with vendors about the barriers they face, it’s clear we can do more, and an office dedicated to street vendor assistance will help these entrepreneurs navigate obstacles to licensing, inconsistency in enforcement, and regulations that make it near-impossible to operate in a successful and sustained way.”
Street vending continues to be an economic anchor for many New Yorkers, as it is a particularly important cornerstone for many immigrants, people of color, and military veterans to successfully operate the city’s smallest businesses. With over 20,000 street vendors operating in the city, change needs to be made to ensure NYC’s smallest businesses can thrive rather than face an unsafe system that too often criminalizes this economic engine of our city rather than advance the opportunity and diversity it presents.
The bills now go to the Mayor’s desk for signature.
No comments:
Post a Comment