|
IBO's staff met with most Community Boards and made presentations to numerous other groups, such as: Agenda for Children Tomorrow, Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management; Big Apple Budget School, City Council Forum on Public Funding and Siting of Stadiums, New York City Council Finance and Governmental Affairs Committees; Fiscal Policy Institute, League of Women Voters, and Long Island City High School. In response to such meetings, many organizations have requested analyses from IBO. For example, after an IBO budget analyst met with Brooklyn Community Board 6, the members requested that IBO analyze the budgetary implications of providing residential garbage collection on the eleven annual holidays on which such service is currently suspended. IBO found that adopting a policy of providing regular citywide collection services on holidays would cost the city about $10 million annually. "Requests from community groups are often the catalyst for some of our most interesting and informative work," stated Herbert Block, Director of Inter-governmental and Public Affairs for IBO. "Bronx Community Board 10 requested that IBO analyze the staffing levels of the 45th Police Precinct. IBO found that while the number of police officers per capita and per square mile in the 45th Precinct is below the borough-wide average, so too are the area's felony and misdemeanor crime rates. We've received literally dozens of requests for copies of this study and several other Community Boards have asked us to duplicate the study for their precincts." As Craig Hammerman, District Manager for Brooklyn Community Board 6 wrote, "Before there was an IBO, agencies like Community Boards had nowhere to turn for nonpartisan insight and assistance with budgetary analysis." Inside the Budget IBO has created a bi-weekly newsfax, Inside the Budget, to provide our readers with brief articles on various issues concerning the city's budget. The newsfax highlights important fiscal issues facing the city, summarizes IBO publications, and lists upcoming events in the budget world. Information Anytime In February 1997, IBO launched its web site (www.ibo.nyc.ny.us). The site contains a directory providing the names and telephone numbers of all IBO staff. When New Yorkers have a question on a city budget matter, they can visit our web site and call or e-mail the relevant staff member directly for an answer. IBO was designated Site of the Week on May 1, 1998, by Atnewyork.com, which called IBO "one of the most cybersavvy groups in town." Along with our directory, the web site also contains:
Budget Hotline & Cyber Town Hall Meeting By April 26th each year, the mayor releases an executive budget. That event represents the final opportunity for elected officials and the public to debate the proposed city budget for the upcoming fiscal year. In some cases, it can be difficult to find information on particular programs. Our budget hotline gives callers an opportunity to obtain budget information needed on service delivery and funding levels for various city programs and agencies. Through the hotline, callers can talk to IBO staff who help them decipher the voluminous budget documents issued each year. Last year, we also conducted a cyber town hall meeting, in conjunction with Citysearch.com, to give internet users the opportunity to post comments on the budget or to ask IBO questions which were then answered on line. Budget Roadmap We produced a new pocket-sized brochure, The Road to Adopting New York City's Budget, to be used as a concise guide to the city's budget process. It highlights key dates, officials, and governmental bodies involved in the budget-making process and informs New Yorkers about how they can get involved. The brochure is available at branch libraries throughout the city and can be obtained in quantity from IBO for use by community organizations or other interested New Yorkers. |
ulfilling its mandate to make the city's budget more understandable to its residents, in 1998 the Independent Budget Office met with hundreds of individuals from throughout the city to answer questions about fiscal issues facing New Yorkers.