NYC Charter Commission Proposes Increasing Finances for Oversight Bodies
In August 2025, the New York City Council Charter Commission unveiled budget-related recommendations aimed at improving independent oversight agencies in the city. The key proposal is to grant independent budgeting authority to agencies such as the Department of Investigation (DOI) and the Conflict of Interest Board (COIB).
This change is urged by watchdog organizations, who argue that these agencies have faced declining staffing and funding due to the city’s repeated failure to increase their budgets to keep pace with inflation. The independent budgeting model is already in place for the Campaign Finance Board and the Independent Budget Office, allowing these bodies to operate with less political interference.
Advocates propose that the NYC Council Charter Commission include a recommendation on independent budgets for DOI and COIB as part of the 2025 City Charter revision process. The commission's goal is to improve government operations and strengthen democracy by reviewing the city's governing document.
The commission's executive director, Danielle Castaldi-Micca, stated that amending the charter is not a small task and that the goal is to codify norms to prevent them from being ignored. The measures are unlikely to go before voters until next year instead of during the upcoming November general election.
One recommendation is to establish a minimum budget for the Conflicts of Interest Board and the Department of Investigation based on a percentage of the city's overall expense budget. For the Conflicts of Interest Board, this could mean a minimum budget of 0.003% of the city's overall expense budget. The Civilian Complaint Review Board's budget could be modified to a model based on the New York City Police Department’s personnel costs.
The report also includes proposed tweaks to bolster transparency throughout the budgeting process. The final ballot proposals will be released after completing a third round of public hearings. The commission is currently working on its own set of ballot proposals, which would take precedence over any put forward by the City Council's panel due to a procedural quirk.
If the change in the law is not made, the measures would be likely considered in 2026. Other recommendations propose that the Board of Correction and the Equal Employment Practices Commission should be "funded at a level adequate to fulfill its Charter responsibilities," with specifics yet to be determined. The Department of Investigation's budget would also increase under the current proposals.
These recommendations build significantly on ideas detailed in the commission's April preliminary report. Had these changes been in place during last year's budget negotiations, the Conflicts of Interest Board's budget for the current fiscal year would have been a minimum of $3.2 million, up from the current $2.5 million.
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- In light of the current budget-related issues faced by independent oversight agencies like the Department of Investigation (DOI) and the Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB), the NYC Council Charter Commission's proposal to provide these agencies with independent budgeting authority becomes crucial, as it aims to reduce political interference in housing policies and legislations under the purview of local government.
- Advocates are urging the NYC Council Charter Commission to include a policy recommendation in the 2025 City Charter revision process, suggesting a minimum budget for the DOI and COIB based on a percentage of the city's overall expense budget, with the objective of strengthening democracy and improving government operations, particularly in areas related to general news and politics.
