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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 080-09
February 17, 2009

MAYOR BLOOMBERG RELEASES PRELIMINARY FY 2009 MAYOR’S MANAGEMENT REPORT AND LAUNCHES NYCSTAT PERFORMANCE REPORTING TOOL

Report Shows Continued Strong Performance in Providing Key Services

NYCStat Offers Better Online Access to Essential City Data

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today released the Preliminary Mayor's Management Report (PMMR) for Fiscal Year 2009.  The PMMR provides a snapshot of how the City has performed four months into the fiscal year and forecasts expected levels of service based on the City's Preliminary Budget.  The critical measures of agency performance included in the PMMR show continued strong performance in the delivery of City services.  Vital services were largely maintained or improved during the reporting period.

"The preliminary results in this report demonstrate the City's ability to maintain and enhance key services," said Mayor Bloomberg. "Our commitment to accountability and performance management - through the Mayor's Management Report, and through the new NYCStat performance reporting tool - helps ensure our ability to navigate through this period of economic pressures while safeguarding the services most crucial to New Yorkers' wellbeing and quality of life."

The City's Accountability Tools: NYCStat, CPR and the MMR

Since February 2008, the MMR/PMMR reports and the Citywide Performance Reporting (CPR) system have served as two complementary information sources on City agency performance. The Charter-mandated MMR, issued twice-yearly on a schedule aligned with the City's budget cycle, presents performance trends and narrative explanations for a wide range of important statistics. The online CPR system, focusing on only the most critical performance measures for each agency, provides dynamic access to performance data in an up-to-date dashboard format; frequent updates, with new data each month for most indicators; and at-a-glance performance evaluations, summarizing trends for each measure, agency, and type of service.

Today the City is taking the next step forward in centralizing online access to information about City service delivery. The NYCStat system is designed to be the City's one-stop-shop for all essential data, reports, and statistics related to City services. From the NYCStat web page users can access a wide array of performance-related information including citywide and agency-specific information, 311-related data, and interactive mapping features for selected performance data and quality-of-life indicators.

"With NYCStat," said Mayor Bloomberg, "we are continuing to meet the challenge and the opportunity that web-based technologies present for helping citizens become directly involved in government. By eliminating the mystery about where and what kinds of performance information are available, the City will increase accountability to its customers in the same way we increased service to customers by creating 311."

In addition to MMR, PMMR and CPR reporting, NYCStat links users to:

  • The NYC SCOUT web page, which maps street conditions such as potholes and catch basin defects, and allows users to track the progress of repairs;

  • My Neighborhood Statistics (MNS), which maps comparative performance data at the neighborhood level for approximately 50 selected performance measures;

  • Scorecard Cleanliness Ratings, updated monthly for streets and sidewalks throughout the five boroughs;

  • Data from the 311 Customer Service Center, including basic operational statistics and community-level reports on the City's response to service requests from 311 callers;

  • Citywide Customer Survey Results, from the 2008 survey of New Yorker's opinions on the delivery of City services;

  • NYCity Map, which lets users find information on transportation, education, public safety, resident services, neighborhood information, and City life; and,

  • Additional performance measures at the websites of 12 key City agencies.

In the coming months, NYCStat will add new performance information on two of the Administration's key initiatives: standardized Customer Service measures for all agencies that interact with the public; and measures related to sustainability and the City's comprehensive PlaNYC 2030 initiative. NYCStat can be accessed at nyc.gov.

311 Customer Service Center Usage

In addition to agency performance statistics, the PMMR shows information generated by the 311 Customer Service Center.  Calls to 311 rose to nearly 5.4 million during the first four months of Fiscal 2009, a 12% increase compared with the same period last year.  While handling this increase, 311 answered 95% of all calls in 30 seconds or less.

The following highlights some of the preliminary results shown in the Fiscal 2009 PMMR.  Unless otherwise noted, the trends described below compare July-October 2008 to July-October 2007.

Public Safety

  • Crime continued to decline: Major felony crime decreased 3%. Five felony crime categories decreased during the reporting period, while homicides and grand larceny auto increased.

  • Homicides increased: Murder and non-negligent manslaughter increased 10.6%, from 170 to 188 in the same period of Fiscal 2009. As of the first six months of the fiscal year the trend had moderated, with homicides increasing 1.5% from 263 to 267.

  • Major felony crime decreased in transit and public housing: There was a 3% reduction in major felony crime within the transit system and a 4% decrease in major felonies in public housing.

  • Response times to all crimes in progress increased slightly: Average response times to all crimes in progress increased 12 seconds to 7 minutes 36 seconds.

  • Complaints concerning police officers decreased slightly: The Civilian Complaint Review Board received 2,505 complaints about alleged police officer misconduct, a 1% decrease from 2,530 complaints during the first four months of Fiscal 2008. 

  • Structural fire response time was faster: Average response time to structural fires citywide fell 20 seconds to 4 minutes 6 seconds, decreasing in all five boroughs.

  • Medical emergency response times improved: Combined average response time to life-threatening medical emergencies by ambulance and fire units decreased 3 seconds, to 5 minutes 39 seconds.

  • Civilian fire fatalities increased: Civilian fire fatalities rose from 30 to 33. There were five fires with multiple fatalities during the first four months of Fiscal 2009, compared to two fires with multiple fatalities during the same period of Fiscal 2008.

  • Traffic deaths fell: Traffic fatalities decreased from 112 to 102.

  • Repair times improved for traffic signs and street lights: The average time for the Department of Transportation (DOT) to fix priority regulatory signs  (Stop, Yield, Do Not Enter and One Way signs) improved by a half-day to 1.6 days.  When combining performance by both DOT and Con Edison, repair times for street lights were faster by two days. 

  • Construction-related fatalities decreased, but injuries and incidents increased: The Department of Buildings reported 3 fatalities, 71 injuries and 176 incidents compared to 5 fatalities, 44 injuries and 148 incidents.

  • Housing Authority elevator-related injuries increased slightly, but elevator maintenance improved: The number of alleged elevator-related injuries increased from 12 to 14 and there was 1 elevator-related fatality. Average time to resolve elevator complaints in public housing declined from 12.2 hours to 11.7 hours. Additionally, the percent of time that elevators were in service increased from 97.1% to 98.0%.

  • Violence in the jails continued to fall and is at its lowest levels since this data was reliably tracked: In adult correctional facilities, stabbing and slashing incidents remained stable during the reporting period at  6 incidents. Assaults on staff increased by 13% from 135 to 152, while fight/assault infractions dropped by 5%, from 2,174 to 2,076.

Quality of Life

  • Street cleanliness ratings reached a new high: As a result of the Department's continued emphasis on cleaning, average street ratings reached a high of 96.1% acceptably clean. In addition, all of the City's 234 sections received average ratings of 80% acceptably clean or better.

  • Recycling diversion rate and tonnage increased: The total recycling diversion rate and total recycled tons per day increased 3 percentage points and 7%, respectively.

  • Calls to 311 increased: The 311 Customer Service Center received 12% more calls, from 4.78 million to 5.37 million. Callers waited 7 seconds on average to speak to a 311 representative and 95% of calls were answered in 30 seconds or less.

  • Park and playground ratings show mixed results: Overall, the percent of parks and playgrounds with acceptable cleanliness levels met the performance target of 90%, but cleanliness ratings for large parks fell to 74% from 79% due to ongoing problems with illegal dumping.  The percent of parks rated acceptable for overall condition decreased to 82% from 85%, driven, in part, by lower play equipment ratings.  Acceptability ratings for safety surfaces remained high at 93%.

  • Tree planting reaches new high: The number of trees planted nearly tripled, to 1,028, due to projects associated with the Million Trees Program. 

  • Response times to sewer backup and leak complaints improved: The number of sewer backup complaints received by the Department of Environmental Protection fell by 44% when heavy rains during July and August 2007 resulted in higher complaint volume. On average, complaints were resolved within 4.8 hours during this reporting period compared to 9.1 hours last year.  Leak complaints decreased to 1,120 compared to 1,260 and were resolved 3.5 days faster.  

  • Noise complaints decreased but took longer to close: The Department of Environmental Protection received 15,275 noise complaints compared to 19,998 last year.  However, due largely to a program to reduce the backlog of complaints and changes in how correspondence was tracked, the time to close a complaint increased by 2.7 days to 16.4 days. 

  • Water and sewer revenue collection improved: The total accounts receivable balance was reduced to $518 million from $636 million. The percent of billed amount collected in 30 days held steady at 51.5%.

  • Housing starts are down but construction completions are up. Overall construction starts under the New Housing Marketplace Plan declined by 50% compared to the same period last year, but completions were twice as high.  While four-month figures can be subject to large fluctuations depending on the size of projects, the decrease in construction starts also reflects downward revisions to the annual plan resulting from the stretch-out of the City's Capital Plan.

  • Response times to housing complaints were quicker despite an increase in complaints: Despite a 6.6% increase in overall complaints, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development closed emergency complaints in an average of 11.5 days compared to 14.7 days, and reduced the backlog of outstanding emergency complaints by 14.8%.  The average time to close nonemergency complaints also improved, decreasing by 1.8 days to 28.8 days.  Due to the administrative closing of nonemergency complaints that were at least a year old, the total volume of outstanding nonemergency complaints dropped by nearly two-thirds.

  • Response times to emergency and heat complaints in public housing increased: In the summer of 2007, the New York City Housing Authority re-categorized some work requests, such as sink and tub stoppages, as emergency requests in order to meet customer requests for service within 24 hours. This change resulted in triple the number of emergency work requests received, and the average time to respond to the increased number of emergency complaints rose by 29% to 10.1 hours.  The average time to respond to heat complaints rose by 3% but remained within the goal of seven hours.

  • Wait times at taxi licensing facility were reduced: The average wait time at the Taxi and Limousine Commission's licensing facility was cut by 13 minutes to 18 minutes due to customer service enhancements and added staff. 

  • Tort payouts increased: Payouts by the City for tort claims increased by increased by 14% due in large part to the trial/settlement of six of the cases stemming from the October 2003 Staten Island Ferry accident.

Education

  • School Progress Report grades improve. Results for School Progress Reports are now available for the 2007-2008 School Year. The percent of schools receiving a grade of A increased from 23% to 38%. The percent of schools graded B rose from 39% to 41%, while the percent of schools receiving grades of C, D, or F declined.

  • School attendance improved at all levels. The percentage of students with a 90% or better attendance rate rose two points from the reporting period of September 2007 through October 2007 to the reporting period of September 2008 through October 2008. The average daily attendance rate increased 0.4 percentage points as compared to the same time period last year.

  • Education capital program continues to expand school capacity: The School Construction Authority expects to create 14,182 new seats in time for the start of the 2009-10 school year. In the following year, SCA expects to create 17,046 new seats.

  • Teachers have more experience. The number of teachers with 5 or more years of experience increased by approximately 3 percentage points, to 64.4%, between the reporting period of July 2007 through October 2007 and the reporting period of July 2008 through October 2008.

  • Average class sizes increased in all but one grade. The average class size figures reported in the PMMR (kindergarten through grade 8) are based on the active registers in schools as of October 31, 2008. Because the register snapshot data includes non-attending students, this preliminary class size data has limited comparative meaning. The figures will be updated to reflect the final audited registers for the 2008-2009 school year in the September 2009 Mayor's Management Report.

  • School safety incidents increased: During the first four months of Fiscal 2009 major felony crime in the City's public schools increased 16% compared to the same period of Fiscal 2008. However, during the first six months of the fiscal year major felony crime in schools decreased 4 percent, from 463 to 444 crimes. During the same period major felony crime in Impact Schools decreased 50 percent, from 24 to 12 crimes.

Human Services

  • More families and single adults entered homeless shelters, but the number of single adults, adult families and families with children placed into permanent housing increased: The Department of Homeless Services saw an across-the-board increase in single adults and families entering the shelter services system, including an increase of 38% for families with children. At the same time, the number of single adults placed into permanent housing increased by 8% during the reporting period, while adult families and families with children placed into permanent housing increased by 14%  and 20% respectively, during the reporting period. These increases can be attributed to Advantage New York, DHS' rental subsidy program, and a series of system-wide reforms that increase provider and client accountability.

  • Response time to child abuse reports is faster: The percentage of abuse and neglect reports responded to within 24 hours increased from 97.0% to 97.2%, continuing the improvement seen in Fiscal 2008.

  • Repeat child abuse reports are down: During the reporting period the percent of children in completed investigations with repeat investigations within a year fell from 20.9% to 20.1%, and the percent of children with substantiated reports followed by a second substantiated report within one year decreased from 14.1% to 12.9%. These trends show the effects of improved case management, largely as the result of ChildStat, the Administration for Children's Services' weekly data and case review process.

  • Reports of child abuse and neglect in foster care and child care increased: The number of abuse/neglect reports for children in foster care increased from 454 to 591. For children in child care, the number of reports increased from 140 to 147. In both cases the proportion of substantiated reports also increased. ACS continues to collaborate with service providers to improve abuse/neglect reporting and enhance the quality of investigations through ongoing staff training. The increase in substantiation rates reflect this enhanced approach to investigations.

  • Child protection caseload ratios continue to decline. The average child protective specialist caseload continues to decline, reaching 8.3 during the first four months of Fiscal 2009, compared to 10.1 during the same period last year.

  • The number of people receiving public assistance declined: The number of persons receiving cash assistance decreased by 4.4%. The public assistance caseload as of October 2008 represents the lowest number of cash assistance recipients since October 1963. This decrease has been due to the Human Resources Administration's continued welfare reform efforts designed to engage recipients in work and work-related activities, in order to enhance their ability to obtain employment and reach their maximum level of self-sufficiency.

  • The number of persons receiving food stamps increased: The number of persons receiving food stamps increased by 18.1%. Among these recipients, the number of non-cash assistance persons receiving food stamps increased 25.8%, reaching an all-time high.

Health

  • Asthma patients needed fewer emergency room visits in public hospitals: The rate of emergency room revisits within seven days of discharges for adult asthma patients decreased from 7.0% to 5.3%, and the revisit rate for pediatric asthma patients fell from 3.8% to 2.9%.  The Health and Hospitals Corporation's Asthma Initiative, combined with facility-specific asthma programs, emphasize close monitoring of asthma patients.

  • Lead poisoning cases continue to decline: The number of new cases among children less than 18 years requiring environmental intervention for lead poisoning decreased by 17%. Other indicators of lead poisoning cases show similar improvement and illustrate the continued success of the Lead Poisoning Prevention Program.

  • Restaurant inspections increased:  The percent of restaurants inspected improved slightly.  Inspection duration times have increased, reflecting efforts to better assess pest infestation concerns and to conduct other risk prevention activities during inspections.

  • The number of syphilis cases increased: The number of syphilis cases rose by 30%, reflecting national trends. In addition to provider training, condom distribution and public  outreach, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will also work closely with providers reporting the greatest number of syphilis cases. The Department's sexually transmitted disease clinics are now offering substance abuse screening, counseling, intervention, and referral for more intensive services to address the role that substance abuse plays in risky sexual behavior.

  • Health Department refocuses exterminations. The number of pest control exterminations declined by 25%. The Department is focusing on exterminations of private properties rather than catch basins. Since private property exterminations are more time intensive, the overall number of sites exterminated declined.






MEDIA CONTACT:


Stu Loeser/Marc La Vorgna   (212) 788-2958




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