Sunday, August 18, 2024

Office of the New York State Comptroller - NYC Revenue Better Than Projected


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NYC Finances Continue To Benefit From Better Than Projected Revenue but Spending Pressures Remain

New York City’s finances continue to benefit from better-than-projected revenues and savings generated through initiatives launched in response to its financial challenges, but the continued influx of asylum seekers, elevated demand for City programs and a declining surplus demand preparation to navigate future uncertainty, according to a report on the city’s Financial Plan released by State Comptroller DiNapoli.

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State Comptroller DiNapoli Details Progress on Corporate Political Spending Disclosure

During the 2024 proxy season, three portfolio companies agreed to publicly disclose their political spending while proposals at three other companies won significant support from shareholders, State Comptroller DiNapoli, trustee of the New York State Common Retirement Fund announced. Comptroller DiNapoli also announced that he called on 16 companies, including Tesla Inc., Domino’s Pizza Inc., and Garmin Ltd., requesting similar comprehensive disclosure of political spending.

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State Contract and Payment Actions in June

In June, the Office of the State Comptroller approved 1,909 contracts for State agencies and public authorities valued at $7.3 billion and approved more than 1.8 million payments worth more than $14.1 billion. The office rejected 262 contracts and related transactions valued at $5.5 billion and nearly 3,100 payments valued at more than $7.2 million, primarily for mistakes, insufficient support for charges, and improper payments. More information on these contracts and payments is available at Open Book New York.

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Municipal & School Audits

ALSO IN THE NEWS THIS WEEK

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Post of the Week
Tom DiNapoli @NYSComptroller 

State Comptroller DiNapoli at the Dominican Parade

 

NYCHCC Presents Met Expert Talks in Spanish at The Met Cloisters — The magic of natural dyes in the Middle Ages

 

Museum


themet image

Join Museum experts, such as curators, conservatives, scientists, and academics, to delve into a selection of objects exhibited in the rooms. Learn new insights and stories never told by The Met experts and take a closer look at the artwork. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions.


In this talk, discover the different plants (and insects!) used as natural dyes in medieval times to create some of the most iconic tapestries in The Met Collection, such as King Arthur's tapestry, one of the first acquisitions of the Museum of the Nine Heroes series.


Free with the entrance to the Museum. The price of the ticket is at the discretion of the New York State resident visitor and is free for those under 12 accompanied by an adult and for the accompanying caregiver of a visitor with disability.


RSVP Today


Van Cortlandt Park Alliance - Vannie’s XC Course NEEDS YOU!

 


It’s time to get ready for Cross Country season in Van Cortlandt Park!

 

Recent rain storms have caused profound damage to the fields and trails and we need help. 

  • Seasonal maintainers respond to each event, they:
  • Repair storm damage to restore the fields and trails;
  • Mow the grass on lawns and fields;
  • Remove branches, trash, and leaves;
  • Fill holes and ruts on the trails and clear drainage grates.

Volunteers are needed to work with VCPA and NYC Parks to ensure that the course is in tip-top shape for the upcoming season.

 

Volunteer as an individual…

 

Trail Thursdays on the XC

Every Thursday until November 21, 2024

Meet at 9am at the VCPA Garden & Compost Site

 

Or join us with your school, corporate or other group of individuals by completing this form to schedule a date that works for you!

 

Want to help but can’t volunteer, then consider making a donation to our Field & Trail Fund.

 

With your support we can hire seasonal maintainers to supplement the work done by VCPA and NYC Parks’ staff.

 

This year, it is more important than ever to support VCPA’s work because the NYC Parks’ budget was slashed by $20 million and there is a hiring freeze that accounts for 1,000 jobs lost… which means there are not nearly enough Parks workers in Vannie! 

 

Together, we will make sure the Cross Country Course is ready for the 2024 season.


GrowNYC - 🌱 Cultivating the next generation of leaders




We hope you’re enjoying the summer as much as we are! Read on to learn more about GrowNYC’s summer interns and other fun updates.

🌱 Meet GrowNYC's Workforce Development Interns


GrowNYC WFD

Igniting the spark of learning in the next generation is key to fostering a resilent climate future. GrowNYC’s 2024 Summer Workforce Development Interns, start their career journey with us in July!

What is it? This is a paid summer internship opportunity for young people ages 16-19 that helps them to gain skills in food and agriculture and prepare for green careers in NYC.

Through this program GrowNYC aims to:

  • Build a future environmental workforce comprised of diverse participants from across NYC’s boroughs.

  • Provide hands-on participation in NYC’s local food system and rich learning opportunities on topics such as food justice, environmental advocacy, and climate change.

  • Foster collaboration between environmental organizations working to make NYC a more sustainable city.

  • Support participants in developing skills in communication, teamwork, public speaking, and more!

What’s next: Throughout the next summer the interns engaged in hand-on workshops and cycle through various GrowNYC program sites including Greenmarket, Farmstand, Teaching Garden, and so much more! Stay tuned for future profiles and updates on these impressive young leaders.

🍅 Summer produce and loyalty rewards

Summer Shopper

GrowNYC’s network of Greenmarket and Farmstand sites are all open and buzzing with shoppers and a beautiful array of summer produce!

  • This is your friendly reminder it’s tomato season. 🍅✨ You can also expect to see a stunning selection of August delights such as melon, donut peaches, fairytale eggplant, okra, peppers, herbs, and so much more!

  • What's new: We launched a Summer Shopper loyalty program to reward our loyal customers for shopping and supporting farmers through the summer months—between vacations, rainy days, and heat waves! Customers who check in 5x receive a GrowNYC branded foldable nylon tote bag, 10x a GrowNYC branded whisk, and entry into a raffle for a GrowNYC umbrella!

What’s next: Visit your nearest GrowNYC Greenmarket or Farmstand and get started TODAY! 💚

U.S. Attorney’s Office Obtains Settlement Of Fair Housing Act Case Compensating Discrimination Victim Threatened With Eviction For Maintaining Support Animals

 

Co-op Agrees to Pay $165,000 in Damages to Victim of Housing Discrimination and to Offer to Purchase Shares in Her Co-operative Apartment for $585,000

Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced the entry of a Consent Decree with the RUTHERFORD TENANTS CORP. (“RUTHERFORD”) resolving the United States’ lawsuit against RUTHERFORD and its former Board President James Ramadei under the Fair Housing Act (“FHA”). The lawsuit alleged that RUTHERFORD discriminated against a shareholder (the “Complainant”) in its co-operative building by refusing to permit her to live with emotional support animals to accommodate her disability and by retaliating against the Complainant when she filed a Complaint with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”).  U.S. District Judge Jennifer H. Rearden approved the Consent Decree on August 16, 2024. 

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “This is the largest recovery the Department of Justice has ever obtained for a person with disabilities whose housing provider denied them their right to have an assistance animal.  This outcome should prompt all housing providers to consider carefully whether their policies and procedures comply with federal law.  We greatly appreciate our partners at HUD who provided invaluable assistance in the investigation and resolution of this matter.”   

According to documents filed by the Government in federal court:

The Rutherford is a residential cooperative apartment building that contains 175 units and is located at 230 East 15th Street in New York, New York.  Defendant RUTHERFORD is the shareholder cooperative association.  The Complainant moved into the building in 1999.  At the time, RUTHERFORD did not have a reasonable accommodation policy of any kind, whether for people with disabilities generally or for assistance animals specifically.

The Complainant maintained parrots in her home as emotional support animals to assist her with her disabilities and did so without incident until March 2015, when one of her neighbors began complaining about alleged noise.  In response, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) visited the building and/or the Complainant’s apartment on 15 occasions over the course of a year and conducted inspections of these noise complaints.  DEP issued zero notices of noise violations.  RUTHERFORD never conducted any decibel testing or other objective evaluation of the alleged noise complaints.  Similarly, RUTHERFORD never retained the services of a noise prevention consultant, architect, engineer, or anyone with qualifications or experience in soundproofing to address the neighbor’s complaints.

In March 2016, the Complainant asked RUTHERFORD to allow her to maintain her parrots as support animals as a reasonable accommodation under the FHA, supporting her request with a letter from her treating psychiatrist.  

The FHA makes it unlawful to discriminate in the terms and conditions of the sale or rental of, or to otherwise make unavailable or deny, a dwelling based on the prospective buyer or renter’s disability.  The FHA also mandates that reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, and services be provided when necessary to afford equal housing opportunities to persons with disabilities.  The assistance animals that must be allowed in private dwellings under the FHA are different from those that must be allowed in places of public accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is limited to dogs and miniature horses.  Under the FHA and its applicable regulations, persons with disabilities may maintain in their homes a wide array of animals as support animals, provided the animal does not pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others, and does not physically damage the property.

Despite being aware that the Complainant was a person with a disability who needed the parrots as support animals, RUTHERFORD commenced eviction proceedings against the Complainant in May 2016.  The Complainant began to suffer severe emotional harm because of the eviction proceedings and left her apartment in July 2016.  Despite the fact that the Complainant left the building in 2016, RUTHERFORD continued to maintain the eviction proceeding against her well into 2024.

In May 2018, the Complainant filed a Complaint with HUD, alleging that the eviction proceeding interfered with her fair housing rights.  While HUD was investigating the Complaint, the Complainant obtained an offer to purchase the shares appurtenant to her unit for $467,500, but RUTHERFORD rejected the application from the proposed purchaser, thereby prolonging the dispute and, as alleged by the Government, engaging in retaliation against the Complainant for asserting her rights.

HUD completed its investigation and, in January 2021, found probable cause to believe that RUTHERFORD violated the FHA, at which juncture the parties had the opportunity to settle the matter, or, failing that, either the Complainant or RUTHERFORD could elect to proceed to federal court with the dispute.  RUTHERFORD chose to proceed to federal court, thereby triggering the statutory requirement that the Department of Justice file suit against it to resolve the matter in federal court.

Under the consent decree approved by Judge Rearden, RUTHERFORD must:

• Pay the Complainant $165,000 in damages, upon receipt of a release from the Complainant;

• Offer $585,000 to purchase the Complainant’s shares in the co-operative at a time when similarly situated units in the building are valued at approximately $500,000;

• In the event that the closing of the sale of the Complainant’s unit does not occur, provide the Complainant with additional accommodations, including a right to sublet the unit for 10 years;

• Adopt a reasonable accommodation policy regarding requests for assistance animals;

• Comply with certain notice, training, and recordkeeping requirements to ensure that its

agents and officers are knowledgeable about and comply with the requirements of the FHA;

• Allow the U.S. to monitor compliance with the Consent Decree;

• Dismiss the eviction proceedings against the Complainant in Housing Court.

This is the tenth case brought in recent years by the Southern District of New York to vindicate the rights of tenants and co-operative shareholders to maintain support animals in their homes, and the tenth case to end with an agreement compensating the victims of the alleged discriminatory acts and requiring the adoption of reasonable accommodation policies to protect future residents and co-operative shareholders from discrimination.  The monetary recovery for the Complainant in this case, above and beyond the value of her shares, is the largest recovery by the Government for a victim of housing discrimination denied the right to an assistance animal.

Individuals who believe they have been victims of housing discrimination may submit a report online at www.civilrights.justice.gov, by email to SDNY.Rights@usdoj.gov, or may contact the Department of Housing and Urban Development at 1-800-669-9777 or www.hud.gov.