State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli's Weekly News - State Agency Overtime Costs Increased in 2024

 

State Agency Overtime Costs Increased 10.2% in 2024, Up 1.8M Hours Over 2023

New York State agency overtime costs increased 10.2% in 2024 for a total of $1.3 billion, while the number of overtime hours increased by 7.8%, or 1.8 million hours higher than the previous year, according to the annual report issued today by Comptroller DiNapoli examining state agencies’ overtime and workforce trends. 

After a long-term decrease in staffing levels, the size of the state workforce, not including SUNY and CUNY, grew from 2023 by 3.7% in 2024, or 5,330 positions, to an average annual total of 151,309. This was the second year in a row the workforce increased, but headcount is still below where it was in 2019 and markedly lower than 15 years ago when it was over 177,000. 

“Overtime continued to grow in 2024 despite increases to a workforce that remains below pre-pandemic staffing levels,” DiNapoli said. “New York needs to continue to attract and retain a range of diverse employees, and agencies need to ensure the use of overtime hours is justified and services are delivered safely and effectively for residents.” 

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Tax Cap Remains at 2% for 2026

The 2026 property tax levy growth will be capped at 2% for local governments that operate on a calendar-based fiscal year, according to data released today by State Comptroller DiNapoli. This figure affects tax cap calculations for all counties, towns, and fire districts, as well as 44 cities and 13 villages. 

"Allowable tax levy growth will be limited to 2% for a fifth consecutive year," DiNapoli said. “The challenge for local governments will be maintaining essential local services within this cap, while still dealing with higher prices for commodities and services and the potential impact of policy choices at the federal level." 

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State Tax Receipts Higher Than Projections in First Quarter

State tax receipts totaled $33.2 billion through the first quarter of State Fiscal Year 2025-26, $580.5 million higher than the most recent Division of the Budget estimates. State tax collections were also $3.3 billion higher than the first quarter of 2024, according to the monthly State Cash Report released by Comptroller DiNapoli.

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Progress Made to Improve the Nourish New York Program

A recent audit from Comptroller DiNapoli found that the Department of Agriculture and Markets and the Department of Health have made significant progress in making needed improvements to the Nourish New York Program, which supplies surplus New York-grown agricultural products to populations in need through the state’s network of regional food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens for distribution to people experiencing food insecurity.

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Improvements Needed in Oversight of Homeless Shelters and Services

The Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) has made some progress in improving its oversight of homeless shelters, particularly related to improving policies for regular shelter inspections and taking steps to ensure shelter violations were corrected, according to a follow-up report released by Comptroller DiNapoli. But another follow-up report found the agency has made limited progress in ensuring timely needs assessments and effectively assisting clients with the transition to permanent housing.

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Greene County Couple Pleads Guilty to Stealing Over $35,000 in Pension Payments 

A Greene County couple pleaded guilty to grand larceny for stealing over $35,000 in pension payments, Comptroller DiNapoli, Greene County District Attorney Joseph Stanzione, and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James announced. As part of their plea agreement, they will pay full restitution.

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A U D I T S

• Oversight of the Nourish New York Program (Follow-Up)
• Oversight of Homeless Shelters (Follow-Up)
• Homeless Services Housing Needs Assessment (Follow-Up)
• Oversight of Disability Services (Follow-Up)
• New York City Department of Homeless Services – Oversight of Contract Expenditures of Church Avenue Merchants Block Association, Inc.
• Oversight of Contract Expenditures of Bowery Residents’ Committee (Follow-up)
• Farmland Protection Program

A L S O   I N   T H E   N E W S

• Trump's budget cuts to cost New York State billions, with big hit to health care
• Heed report on adult care facilities, improve state oversight
• Audit reveals risks in adult care facilities
• Tesla change to limit shareholder suits slammed by New York officials
• Nourish NY guidelines now include honey and maple syrup
• DiNapoli report scrutinizes New York state's oversight of homeless shelters
• Greene Co. couple admits stealing pension payments, will pay $35K in restitution

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P O S T   O F   T H E   W E E K

MAYOR ADAMS EXPANDS PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS WITH ‘NYC PUBLIC SAFETY’ ACCOUNT ON CITIZEN APP TO KEEP NEW YORKERS SAFE AND INFORMED

 

No-Cost Initiative Allows City to Share Verified Real-Time Safety Updates Directly to Over 3 Million New Yorkers on Citizen 

 

Rollout Builds on Adams Administration’s Commitment to Breakdown Communications Siloes, Make New York City Safest and Best Place to Raise a Family 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced a new city-run account, “NYC Public Safety” on Citizen, a free app that provides users with real-time notifications about nearby emergencies and ongoing incidents. The account will compile public safety alerts and notifications from across public safety agencies to share public safety updates and incident information directly with Citizen users — including more than 3 million subscribers across the five boroughs — ensuring that critical information reaches New Yorkers when and where it matters most. New York City government has a presence in multiple languages across various social media channels, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, X, and the city’s own NotifyNYC channel, among others, to meet New Yorkers where they are online and ensure information is accessible. 

 

“A huge part of building a safer city is ensuring New Yorkers have the information they need to keep themselves and their loved ones safe,” said Mayor Adams. “Whether it’s a heat emergency, a flood warning, a fire or crime, our new ‘NYC Public Safey’ account on Citizen will keep New Yorkers informed on threats and how their city government is working to keep them safe. Since taking office, we’ve made real progress on making our city safer and improving communications, and this new official account is yet another way we’re working to meet New Yorkers where they are by providing real time alerts to keep every New Yorker safe and informed.” 

 

“Millions of New Yorkers already use the Citizen app to stay informed about public safety incidents in their neighborhoods, and now the people who protect our city will be able to use this platform to send critical information directly to the people we serve,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Kaz Daughtry. “Whether it’s an alert about a major incident, a crime pattern, or a safety tip that could help someone avoid being scammed, we’re putting that information right into New Yorkers’ hands. That’s what this administration is all about: meeting people where they are, keeping them informed, and using technology to protect our communities.” 

 

“Easily accessible and digestible information and clear, accurate communication are critical to keeping New Yorkers safe, especially during emergencies,” said Deputy Mayor for Communications Fabien Levy. “Today’s announcement builds on the work our administration has already done to utilize technology and expand our channels of communication as we break down siloes to make our city safer for the 8.5 million New Yorkers we serve and who call this city home every day. By expanding our outreach and establishing the ‘NYC Public Safety’ account on Citizen, we will more immediately share more information with more New Yorkers about the emergencies and public safety issues they care most about, keeping people across the five boroughs informed and safe.”  

 

The NYC Public Safety account will publish public safety-related announcements, alerts about major incidents or weather emergencies, safety tips about crime patterns and scams, and updates to high-profile incidents. The city will also be able to send geo-targeted push notifications to users citywide based on neighborhood, zip code, or borough. This initiative has been launched at no cost to the city.  

 

Additionally, designated public safety agencies — including the New York City Police Department (NYPD), Fire Department of the City of New York, and New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) — will be granted secure access to a dashboard that allows authorized personnel to view and download user-submitted videos from incident scenes, potentially aiding investigations and after-action reviews. NYPD and NYCEM also operate accounts on Citizen to share alerts with New Yorkers. 

 

Today’s announcement adds another layer to the city’s public safety communication strategies, helping to reach even more residents with timely, verified information from official sources. Over 1.2 million New Yorkers are enrolled in NotifyNYC, the city’s official emergency notification system. Subscribers can opt in to receive updates through text, email, social media, RSS feed, or the Notify NYC mobile app. It is available in 14 languages, including American Sign Language. In April 2025, Mayor Adams announced that New Yorkers could enroll in Notify NYC by texting “NOTIFYNYC” to 692-692 in addition to the previous methods of signing up on the NotifyNYC website, by calling 311, or by downloading the free NotifyNYC app. 

 

This initiative is the latest way the Adams administration is leveraging emerging technologies to serve as force multipliers for first responders, increase efficiency, and keep New Yorkers safe. In May, Mayor Adams announced that the city is investing $1.6 million to equip bodegas with emergency buttons to combat retail theft and protect staff and customers. In March, he expanded the New York City Department of Transportation’s automated enforcement efforts to keep streets safe. And, last year, he launched a program allowing businesses to voluntarily share security camera footage with the NYPD to aid in criminal investigations. New York City has also led the nation in utilizing drone technology to keep residents safe, including by creating the “Drone as First Responder” program to enhance the NYPD’s emergency-response capabilities, as well as to use drones to combat subway surfing, increase situational awareness for first responders, inspect infrastructure, assist with search and rescue operations, deliver flotation devices to distressed swimmers and monitor for sharks at beaches, and broadcast flood warnings in low-lying communities. 

 

Permits Filed for 2055 Ryer Avenue in Tremont, The Bronx

 

Permits have been filed for a 13-story residential building at 2055 Ryer Avenue in Tremont, The Bronx. Located between East 180th Street and East Burnside Avenue, the lot is near the Tremont Avenue subway station, served by the B and D trains. Darwin Torres is listed as the owner behind the applications.

The proposed 114-foot-tall development will yield 64,908 square feet designated for residential space. The building will have 95 residences, most likely rentals based on the average unit scope of 683 square feet. The masonry-based structure will also have a basement and a 33-foot-long rear yard.

Becall Engineering Services Inc. is listed as the architect of record.

Demolition permits were filed in March for the residential structure on the site. An estimated completion date has not been announced.