The Commission on Government Efficiency (COGE), the 2026 New York City Charter Revision Commission convened by Mayor Mamdani, today released its preliminary staff report outlining potential reforms to help City government deliver faster and more effectively for New Yorkers. Charged with reviewing the entire City Charter, COGE welcomed more than 780 New Yorkers during its first 7 public hearings, heard 18 hours of testimony from 178 speakers, reviewed 345 written submissions from members of the public and received recommendations from 92 City agencies.
The preliminary report identifies four areas where reforms could help government better meet the needs of working New Yorkers: Accelerate Access to Public Space and Infrastructure Improvements, Accelerate Permitting & Contracting, Modernize Outdated Systems and Requirements to Bolster Innovation, and Ensure the City's Fiscal Stability.
Areas identified for further exploration include, but are not limited to:
- Outdoor Dining: Save restaurants time and money by streamlining process to open outdoor dining.
- Permitting: Create a centralized, one-stop permitting system to speed up housing construction, infrastructure projects, and renovations.
- Contracting: Modernize procurement to cut time, save money and reduce unnecessary paperwork that slows down small businesses seeking to do business with the city and delays construction of infrastructure -- from water tunnels to plazas to sewers.
- Bus and Street Infrastructure: Shorten timelines for street redesigns and bus and bike lane projects that improve safety and mobility.
- Rainy Day Fund: Strengthen the City's long-term fiscal health by establishing clearer rules for contributing to and using reserve funds.
"We listened to New Yorkers across the city and worked to treat every idea-and the New Yorker behind it, whether City worker or professional association or individual who saw a sign for a public hearing and walked in-with genuine curiosity and respect," said Ann Cheng, Executive Director of the Commission on Government Efficiency. "This preliminary report compiles that feedback and suggests concrete paths as the Commission continues to hear from New Yorkers and considers commonsense reforms to the Charter."
"This Commission is immensely grateful to the more than 780 New Yorkers who came out to testify or submit written comments, and we want even more of them in the room as we head into our next round of hearings," said Patrick Gaspard, Chair of the Commission on Government Efficiency. "Our next steps will be deeply informed by their passionate testimonies, each of them experts either on their block or their industry, on how city government can worker faster and more efficiently. As this Commission considers reforms to put forth on the ballot in November, it will be guided by the shared goal of unlocking this City's potential to deliver a more affordable, safe, and dignified life for all who call it home."
Throughout its first round of public hearings, the Commission identified four broad areas where reforms to the City Charter could help government deliver more effectively for working families.
Accelerate Access to Public Space and Infrastructure Improvements
Making it easier to use our streets, sidewalks, and public space is an opportunity to create safer neighborhoods, stronger local businesses and more vibrant public spaces. Today, restaurant owners seeking sidewalk dining permits, communities advocating for safer bus and bike lanes and City agencies working to activate surplus properties all run into the same maze of redundant reviews, costly requirements, and years-long approval timelines.
The Commission repeatedly heard that these barriers leave public land underused, delay street safety improvements, and prevent the City from putting valuable public assets to work. New York City owns more than 6,000 miles of streets and 15,000 parcels of land. With smarter systems, those public assets can better serve New Yorkers.
Accelerate Permitting & Contracting
Whether opening a small business, building affordable housing, or delivering critical infrastructure, New Yorkers consistently describe procurement and construction permitting systems that move too slowly.
The Department of Buildings processes roughly 275,000 applications each year through a borough-based structure that has changed little in more than a century. Property owners must navigate multiple agencies to secure approvals for a single project. Procurement presents similar challenges. In Fiscal Year 2025, nearly 40% of the City's budget supported contracted goods and services, yet outdated rules continue to make it hard for small businesses and nonprofits to work with the city, a problem past commissions have flagged since 1989. Modernizing how the City permits and contracts is essential to delivering the housing, infrastructure, and services New Yorkers are waiting on while reducing unnecessary administrative burdens.
Modernize Outdated Systems & Requirements to Bolster Innovation
As governments serves millions of people every day, technology has become increasingly essential to delivering services efficiently and effectively.
The Commission heard that outdated information technology systems, antiquated legal requirements, and duplicative administrative processes slow City government without improving public outcomes. Nearly 1,500 new reporting requirements have been enacted since 2011, while outdated surety bond rules and fragmented waterfront permitting create unnecessary delays.
Modernizing these systems means eliminating rules that no longer serve the public so City workers can spend more time solving problems and delivering results.
Stabilize City Finances
With a budget larger than that of most states, New York City must manage public dollars responsibly while preparing for future economic uncertainty. The Commission heard strong support for strengthening the City's fiscal guardrails through clearer standards governing reserve deposits and withdrawals. Building stronger reserves during good times will help protect essential services during future downturns.
Fiscal responsibility and government efficiency go hand in hand. Every dollar saved by reducing waste and improving how government operates is a dollar that can be invested in the services New Yorkers rely on.
Additional Public Hearings
COGE will continue to hold public hearings across the five boroughs in the coming weeks as it develops proposals for the November ballot. More info about COGE can be found on nyc.gov/COGE .
Additional hearings include:
- Staten Island - Monday, July 6, at 5 p.m.
- Manhattan - Wednesday, July 8, 5 p.m.
- Queens - Monday, July 13, at 5 p.m.
