|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR-
363-08
September 17, 2008
MAYOR BLOOMBERG RELEASES FY 2008 MAYOR’S MANAGEMENT REPORT
Report Reflects Continued Improvement in Key Services; Additional Indicators Added, Providing Clearer Picture of City Performance
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today released
the Mayor’s Management Report (MMR) for Fiscal Year 2008. The MMR gives an
overview of City agency performance in delivering a wide array of services, and
sets performance goals for Fiscal Year 2009. The report shows that the
efficiency and effectiveness of services provided to New Yorkers have generally
been maintained or improved.
“The MMR provides a detailed look at the
performance of more than 40 City agencies in delivering important services,”
said Mayor Bloomberg. “The statistics contained in this report show that
we are continuing to improve service quality in critical areas. And by
including even more indicators than in the past, we are continuing to increase
the transparency of City government, which is a critical part of our belief in
accountability to the public”
The MMR is now one of two
complementary sources of information on New York City agency performance. The
Citywide Performance Reporting (CPR) system, an online interactive dashboard,
greatly enhances access to data on services, and provides monthly updates for
the majority of the City’s most critical performance indicators. Launched on the
City’s website in February 2008, CPR includes data from the same 45 City
agencies and covered organizations that are represented in the MMR. The CPR
system can be accessed at nyc.gov. In addition, the September 2008 MMR
now includes more than 200 new critical performance measures that were
identified during the development of the CPR system.
In addition to agency performance
statistics, the MMR shows information generated by the 311 Customer Service
Center. Calls to 311 rose to more than 15.2 million, 6.3 percent
greater than the prior fiscal year. Complaints about noise continued to be the
single most frequent topic for 311 customers.
The following highlights some of the
information about agency performance in the Fiscal 2008 MMR. Unless otherwise
noted, the trends described below compare Fiscal 2007 (July 2006 through June
2007) with Fiscal 2008 (July 2007 through June
2008).
Public
Safety
- Crime is down: Major felony crime decreased
for the 17th consecutive fiscal year, dropping by 3% from 123,136 in Fiscal
2007 to 119,052 in Fiscal 2008. Based on preliminary FBI crime statistics for
Calendar Year 2007, New York City remains the safest big city in the country,
with the lowest rate of crime among the twenty-five largest U.S. cities.
- Homicides
decreased: Murder and
non-negligent manslaughter decreased by 7%, from 557 in Fiscal 2007 to 516 in
Fiscal 2008. For the sixth consecutive fiscal year, there were fewer than 600
murders in New York City.
- Major felony crime decreased in transit and
public housing:
Major felony crime in the transit system fell by 8%, from
2,554 in Fiscal 2007 to 2,346 in Fiscal 2008. Major felony crime in public
housing developments decreased by 3%, from 4,808 in Fiscal 2007 to 4,686 in
Fiscal 2008.
- Response times to all crimes in
progress increased: NYPD
average response times to all crimes in progress increased by 24 seconds in
Fiscal 2008, from 6.9 minutes in Fiscal 2007 to 7.3 minutes in Fiscal
2008.
- Complaints concerning police officers
decreased:
The Civilian Complaint
Review Board
received 7,488 complaints about alleged
police officer misconduct in Fiscal 2008, a decrease of 2% from 7,662
complaints in Fiscal 2007.
- Civilian fire fatalities at historic
low levels: The number
of civilians dying in fires decreased by 8%, from 92 in Fiscal 2007 to 85 in
Fiscal 2008. For the fourth consecutive fiscal year the number remains below
100.
- Fire
Department field force inspections increased: FDNY field force inspections increased by 16%, from 48,540 in
Fiscal 2007 to 56,383 in Fiscal 2008. Fire prevention staff inspections
completed decreased by 10%, from 180,508 in Fiscal 2007 to 162,848 in Fiscal
2008. FDNY automated and standardized the Bureau of Fire Prevention inspection
process in Fiscal 2008 so that inspections are not considered complete until
all tests are concluded.
- Structural fire response time was
faster: FDNY responded to
structural fires on average in 4 minutes and 22 seconds citywide in Fiscal
2008, 7 seconds faster than in Fiscal 2007. Structural fire response time
improved in each of the five boroughs.
- Medical
emergency response times were mixed: Fire units responded to life-threatening medical
emergencies on average 4 minutes and 19 seconds in Fiscal 2008, 5 seconds
faster than in Fiscal 2007. Ambulance response time to life-threatening
medical emergencies was on average 6 minutes and 39 seconds in Fiscal 2008, 3
seconds slower than in Fiscal 2007. Ambulances units were slowed due to the cumulative
effects of a large increase in calls in the Bronx, fewer voluntary hospital
tours in Manhattan, and the closure of two Manhattan emergency
rooms.
- Traffic fatalities decreased:
Deaths due to traffic
accidents decreased from 310 in Fiscal 2007 to 300 in Fiscal 2008.
- Repair times for traffic signals, signs
and streetlights were faster: The average time to fix a traffic signal decreased
to 16.9 hours, 70% faster than in Fiscal 2007. On average, repairs to
priority signs were completed in 1.7 days versus 2.9 days last year, and
street lights were repaired in 2 days, compared to 2.4 days in Fiscal
2007.
- Construction-related incidents, injuries and
fatalities increased:
The Department of
Buildings
reported 474 construction-related incidents, 167 injuries and 25
fatalities. Several initiatives launched during the year focus on
improving safety and stricter enforcement.
Quality of
Life
- City streets are the cleanest in 34 years:
For
the fourth year in a row the annual rating of acceptable street cleanliness
exceeded 90%. The citywide rate of acceptably clean streets rose from 94.3% in
Fiscal 2007 to 95.7% in Fiscal 2008.
- Calls to 311
increased: The 311 Customer
Service Center received 6% more calls, from 14.3 million calls in Fiscal 2007
to 15.2 million calls in Fiscal 2008. Callers waited 7 seconds on average to
speak to a 311 representative and 97% of calls were answered in 30 seconds or
less in Fiscal 2008.
- Pothole work order repair time grew
longer: Pothole repairs went up from 205,227 in Fiscal 2007 to 210,032 in
Fiscal 2008. The average time to close a pothole work order where a
repair was completed increased to 2.7 days from 2.1 days.
- Street pavement ratings
declined: The percent of streets rated in good condition fell to
66.4% from 70.3% in Fiscal 2007. Ratings are not expected to improve
until Fiscal 2010, when the impact of the expanded street resurfacing program
will begin to slowly reverse the decrease.
- Inspections of street work
expanded:
Inspections of permitted street work increased by 22% to
532,661. The Department of
Transportation
conducted an additional 220,272 inspections of
street work after construction had been completed to determine if contractors
had properly restored the street.
- More than 70 lane miles added to
bicycle network: The Department of Transportation added 70.6 bicycle
lane miles and accelerated its plans for the installation of bicycle racks by
three years, installing 1,377 bicycle racks in Fiscal 2008.
- Ratings for parks were generally
better: Acceptability ratings for park cleanliness held steady at
91%. While the cleanliness of small parks and playgrounds improved to 93%,
cleanliness ratings of large parks declined to 78%. The Department is taking
steps to prevent illegal dumping in large park properties. Overall condition
ratings rose by two points to 86%. Play equipment rated acceptable
bounced back, increasing to 89% from 84% in Fiscal 2007. Acceptability
ratings for safety surfaces also improved.
- Tree planting and pruning at record
highs: The
number of trees planted jumped to 20,737 from 8,152 in Fiscal 2007. The number
of trees pruned more than doubled, rising to 75,810 from
32,590.
- Recreation center membership jumped by
more than 50%: Membership at the Department
of Parks and Recreation’s
centers grew by 53% to 148,168. Fiscal 2008 membership numbers were
boosted by the opening of two new state of the art facilities, the Flushing
Pool in Queens in March 2008 and the Greenbelt Recreation Center in Staten
Island, which opened in the latter part of Fiscal 2008.
- Public library availability improved
citywide: All branches citywide were open at least six days per
week and more branches were open seven days. Average weekly scheduled
hours increased in all three NYC library systems.
- Noise complaints and violations
continued to climb and response time was slower: The Department of Environmental
Protection
received 49,221 noise complaints, an increase of
17.2 percent, and issued 3,420 violations, an increase of 52.9 percent.
On average the Department closed complaints in 18.7 days compared to 15 days
in Fiscal 2007.
- Street cave-in complaints show
significant increase: The number of street cave-in complaints
rose by almost 60 percent to 19,272. On average the Department of
Environmental Protection responded to street cave-ins and
resolved all safety issues within 8.7 days, two days longer than in Fiscal
2007.
- The percent of estimated water and
sewer bills was the lowest since Fiscal 2001: The percent of bills for water and
sewer charges based on estimated consumption decreased from 17.6% in Fiscal
2007 to 16.3% but remained higher than the target of 15%.
- Water main breaks reached a ten-year
low and, on average, water was restored to customers within 12.1
hours: Water main
breaks decreased from 581 to 429, the lowest since Fiscal 1998. The
Department of Environmental Protection restored water to customers in an
average of 12.1 hours after identifying the location of the break.
- Constructions starts under the New
Housing Marketplace Plan exceeded target: During the Plan’s five years of
implementation, construction has started on 81,416 units, nearly half the
overall goal of 165,000 units. In Fiscal 2008 construction started on 17,008
units and was completed on 12,543 units.
- Housing complaints decreased but
response times grew longer: The number of complaints to the Department of Housing Preservation and
Development
decreased by 6%, with declines in both the
emergency and non-emergency categories. However, because
significantly more heat and hot water complaints required an inspection,
response times grew longer. The average time to close emergency
complaints increased to 16.4 days versus 14.7 days last year, and
non-emergency complaints were closed in 39.9 days compared to 34.7 days in
Fiscal 2007. The total number of violations issued fell 7%, from 521,547
in Fiscal 2007 to 483,578 in Fiscal 2008.
- Housing
Authority elevator repair times are slower: Average time to resolve elevator complaints in public
housing rose from 10.2 hours in Fiscal 2007 to 10.4 hours in Fiscal 2008.
However, the percent of time that elevators were in service increased from
97.5% to 98.2%.
- Taxi complaints are handled more
efficiently: The average
time to close a consumer complaint about for-hire vehicles dropped to less
than 24 days, 50% faster than last year. During Fiscal 2007 the Taxi and Limousine Commission
changed how it handles these complaints and also
improved its tracking methods, resulting in a more streamlined and efficient process.
- Tort payouts increased:
Payouts by the City for tort claims increased by $20 million to approximately
$554 million in Fiscal 2008. The increase is due to seven unusually high payouts.
Education
- English and Math achievement levels improve
strongly: The percent of students in grades 3 to 8 meeting or exceeding
standards in English Language Arts increased by 6.8 percentage points to 57.6
percent in School Year 2007-2008. Students in grades 3 to 8 meeting or
exceeding standards in Math increased by 9.2 percentage points to 74.3
percent.
- Class size continued to decline: For the
2007-08 School Year average class size declined across all grade levels.
- Regents exam scores rise: Data is now
available for Regents examination performance for the 2006-2007 School Year.
The percent of students in the graduating class with a 65 to 100 passing score
on the Regents examination increased in four of five subject areas.
- Graduation rate improves: The four-year
graduation rate for general education high school students rose to 62.0
percent for the 2006-2007 School Year. The rate has risen steadily since 2002.
- Parent coordinators continue to provide
assistance: Parent coordinators assigned to the public schools
responded to more than 1,570,000 phone calls in the 2007-08 School Year, an
increase of 16% compared to the previous year. Parents receiving assistance
from coordinators on a walk-in basis increased slightly, by 0.4 percent, while
parents attending parent coordinator workshops increased by 66 percent and the
number of workshops held for parents increased 80 percent.
- Expansion of school space
continues: A total of 11,471
new student seats were added in Fiscal 2008, 4.5 percent more than planned.
This was more than twice as many as the 5,556 new school seats added the
previous year and the most new school seats provided in four years. The Department of Education
and the School Construction Authority plan to add
13,575 new student seats in the coming year.
- School safety continued to improve:
Major felony crime in schools decreased by 10%, from 1,164
in Fiscal 2007 to 1,042 in Fiscal 2008. Impact Schools experienced a 26% reduction in major
felony crime during the same period.
Human
Services
- Indicators of the street homeless population
declined: The third citywide Homeless Outreach Population Estimate
(HOPE) showed a 12% drop in the estimated number of unsheltered individuals
living in New York City, from 3,755 in Fiscal 2007 to 3,306 in Fiscal 2008.
Average daily census figures in the City’s homeless shelters declined by 8%
and 6% for adult families and single adults respectively, while the census for
families with children increased by 2%.
- The
number of families placed into permanent housing increased: Placements of homeless adult families into permanent
housing rose to 1,153 in Fiscal 2008, 118% more than the prior year. The
number of families with children placed into permanent housing rose to 6,331,
up 12 percent from Fiscal 2007. These increases reflect the Department’s
aggressive work with clients at family facilities to prepare them for
placement into permanent housing, and the implementation of Advantage NY, the
Department’s new rental assistance program, in late Fiscal 2007.
- Response time to child abuse and neglect reports is
the fastest since Fiscal 2000: The percentage of abuse and neglect
reports responded to within 24 hours of receipt by the Administration for Children's
Services
increased from 96% in Fiscal 2007 to 97.3% in Fiscal 2008, the highest
reported in the Mayor’s Management Report since Fiscal 2000.
- Repeat child abuse reports decreased: During
Fiscal 2008 the percent of children in completed investigations with repeat
investigations within a year declined from 22% to 21.4%, and the percent of
children with substantiated reports followed by a second substantiated report
within one year decreased from 14.7% to 14.2%. These trends reflect a more
careful approach to investigations and service delivery, largely as the result
of ChildStat, the Administration for Children’s Services’ weekly data and case
review process.
- Foster care population was stable: The average
number of children in foster care was 16,946 in Fiscal 2008 compared to 17,004
in Fiscal 2007.
- The number of people receiving cash assistance
declined: The number of persons receiving cash assistance decreased by 5.4%,
or nearly 20,000, to approximately 341,300 at the close of in Fiscal 2008.
This population has decreased 26.2% since December 2001 to the lowest number
of cash assistance recipients since October 1963. This reduction reflects
the Human Resources
Administration’s
continued welfare reform efforts
designed to engage recipients in work and work-related activities, enhancing
their ability to obtain employment and maximize their
self-sufficiency.
- The number of persons receiving food stamps
increased: The number of persons receiving food stamps increased by
13.4%. Among these recipients, the number of non-cash assistance persons
receiving food stamps increased 16.5%
- Resources and program participation for domestic
violence victims expanded: Emergency beds made available for victims of
domestic violence by the Human Resources Administration increased from 2,081
in Fiscal 2007 to 2,144 in Fiscal 2008. The monthly average of individuals
participating in HRA’s nonresidential programs rose from 2,957 in Fiscal 2007
to 3,209 in Fiscal 2008 and has doubled since Fiscal 2003.
- More working families are living in public
housing: In Fiscal 2008, 64% of applicants placed in public housing were
working families and more than 45% of public housing residents are working
families, compared to 60% and 44%, respectively, in Fiscal 2007.
- Day care site inspections increased and complaints
decreased: The number of initial site inspections of day care
facilities monitored by the Department of
Health and Mental Hygiene
rose 6%,
from 17,668 in Fiscal 2007 to 18,695 in Fiscal 2008. Day Care site complaints
received by the Department decreased 7% over this period, from 1,663 in fiscal
2007 to 1,554 in Fiscal 2008.
Health
- Asthma patients needed fewer emergency room
visits in public hospitals:
The rate of emergency room revisits within seven days of
discharge for adult asthma patients decreased from 6.8% in Fiscal 2007 to 5.2%
in Fiscal 2008, and the revisit rate for pediatric asthma patients fell from
4.2% to 3.1%. The Health and Hospitals Corporation’s Asthma Initiative,
combined with facility-specific asthma programs, emphasize close monitoring of
asthma patients.
- The infant mortality rate continues to
decline: The rate of infant deaths per thousand live births dropped
from 5.9 in Calendar 2006 to 5.4 in Calendar 2007, the lowest rate ever
recorded in New York City. Department of Health and Mental Hygiene efforts to
reduce infant mortality include numerous programs for new mothers and ongoing
focus on City neighborhoods with high mortality rates.
- Lead poisoning cases continue to decline: For
children under 18 years old, the number of new cases requiring environmental
intervention for lead poisoning decreased by 18%, from 712 in Fiscal 2007 to
584 in Fiscal 2008. For those from 6 months to less than 6 years old, the
number of new lead poisoning cases with blood lead levels greater than or
equal to 10 micrograms per deciliter declined by approximately 15% from Fiscal
2007 to Fiscal 2008.
- Health Department increases exterminations.
The number of pest control exterminations increased by 16% in
Fiscal 2008 compared to Fiscal 2007 to over 60,000. The hiring of additional
exterminators increased the Department’s capacity to conduct exterminations,
and the Department undertook an enhanced rodent control initiative in the
Bronx in Fiscal 2008 that entailed increased
extermination work.
- HIV/AIDS mortality is lower: The number
of New Yorkers who die from HIV/AIDS continued to decline in Calendar 2007, to
1,108. This represents a reduction of 8 percent since the prior year and 33
percent compared with Calendar 2003.
- The
trend in syphilis cases is rising: Syphilis cases increased by 20% in Fiscal 2008, from 805 to 965.
The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene continues efforts to increase
case-finding and heighten community involvement and awareness regarding the
need for screening, symptom recognition.
- Tobacco
use declined: The proportion of adult New Yorkers who smoke was
16.9% in Calendar 2007, a decrease from 17.5% the prior year. The
smoking rate among Staten Island residents
declined from 27.2 percent to 20.4 percent, the first such decline since 2002.
Economy
- Workforce1 job placements held
steady: The number of Workforce1 Career
Center
job placements remained essentially the same - 17,149 in
Fiscal 2008 compared to 17,218 last year - despite operating with two fewer
centers.
- Certifications of Minority and Women-Owned Enterprise Businesses
continue to rise: Newly certified
businesses participating in the Department of Small
Business
Services’
Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Program grew to 550 in
Fiscal 2008 from 452 in Fiscal 2007, and by the end of Fiscal 2008 there were
a total of 1,604 participating businesses. The number of City contracts
awarded to M/WBEs increased by 25% to 5,762 from 4,600 in Fiscal
2007.
- More consumer
complaints were resolved and processing times were
faster: The Department of Consumer
Affairs
closed 7,612 complaints in Fiscal 2008 compared to 7,294 in the prior
year. The median time to process a complaint was 35 days, down from 90 days in
Fiscal 2007.
- Unemployment rate
inched up: The City’s unemployment rate rose by 0.2 percentage
points, to 5.0%.
- Funding agreements
leveraged third-party investment of more than $4 billion:
The value of
City funding agreements between the New York City Economic Development
Corporation
and non-City entities increased to $315.3 million in Fiscal 2008
from $147.5 million in Fiscal 2007. Third-party investment leveraged as a
result of these agreements jumped to more than $4 billion from approximately
$2 billion, with the Atlantic Railyards project accounting for $3.9 billion of
the total.
- Response times to
Department of Finance correspondence reduced:
The Department of Finance
reduced response times for both electronic and regular mail by
two-thirds, answering e-mails in 6.5 days and regular mail in 8 days.
- Construction permits continued upward
trend:
The number of
permits issued by the Department of Buildings rose to 121,571 in Fiscal 2008
from 118,870 in Fiscal 2007, with increases in both initial and renewal
permits. Constructions inspections remained essentially unchanged at
229,157.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Stu Loeser/Marc La Vorgna
(212) 788-2958
|
|
|
Read the 2008 Mayor's Management Report
|
|