March 10, 2010 · www.gothamgazette.com

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City Council Stated Meeting Reports Archive

Every two weeks the New York City Council meets for what is called the Stated Meeting to introduce and pass legislation. A report on the meeting is posted the next morning.

February 4, 2010
Council Creates Path to Citizenship

The City Council is considering a proposal aimed at helping some immigrant children in foster care remain in the country.

January 22, 2010
The Council's New Order

Kicking off a new term, the City Council finalized its new committees yesterday -- but not without drama. See who is in and who is out.

January 7, 2010
2010 City Council's First Day

The new City Council, flush with 13 new members, re-elected Council Speaker Christine Quinn. But the vote was not without emotion and drama.

December 22, 2009
Broadway Triangle Approved by Council

The City Council approved a controversial rezoning, which community members cast as a political deal despite its promise of affordable housing.

December 15, 2009
Kingsbridge Armory Defeated by the Council

In a rare move against a major project, the City Council rejected a proposal to redevelop the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx, putting the debate over paying living wages under a citywide spotlight.

December 10, 2009
Green Building Bills Approved by the Council

The City Council passed legislation requiring energy audits for large buildings -- a move that some critics say weakens a key part of the mayor's sustainability plan.

December 1, 2009
Clearing the Way for Open Grills

The City Council yesterday banned those opaque sheets of metal used as security gates on businesses around the city, but the measure will not go completely into effect until 2026. Council also approved its final legislative response to the deadly fire at Deutsche Bank in 2007.

November 17, 2009
Easing Parking Rules and Opposing Gas Drilling

In its first meeting since the election, City Council took aim at the administration's policies on issuing traffic tickets, passing four bills, including one the mayor has vowed to veto. The council also approved a new police academy and went on record against drilling for natural gas in the city's watershed.

October 29, 2009
Hines Midtown Tower Approved

The City Council approves a 1,000 foot tower in Midtown, which will include additional space for MoMA, a hotel and luxury residences. The council also took aim at mortgage foreclosure consultants.

October 15, 2009
Council Bans Flavored Tobacco

Just weeks after the federal government banned flavored cigarettes, the City Council goes a step further.

October 1, 2009
Graffiti Cleanup and Rezoning Sunset Park

The City Council attempts to make graffiti cleanup faster and rezones a large swath of Sunset Park.

September 18, 2009
Sitting in Smog on the Way to School

The City Council approved a bill yesterday making a student's ride to school a little cleaner. Check out that and more in this week’s Searchlight on City Hall.

August 21, 2009
City Council Requires Pharmacies to Translate

Handing out its own prescription for language access, the City Council approved legislation Thursday requiring large pharmacy chains to provide translation services in the city's most popular languages.

July 30, 2009
Coney Island Gets a Facelift

In an attempt to revitalize an area long known as "America's playground," the City Council approved a 27-acre redevelopment plan to turn Coney Island into a year-round destination, full of retail, hotels and entertainment.
Call it Las Vegas a la Brooklyn.

June 11, 2009
Dumbo's Dock Street Project Approved

In a rare move, the City Council approved a development project despite the vocal opposition of the local council member. Councilmember David Yassky opposes the project, known as Dock Street Dumbo because, he says, it will permanently taint the view of the Brooklyn Bridge.

May 21, 2009
Keeping Eyes on the Tenant Watch List

Patrick and Tari Kelly had no idea they were blacklisted.
They were Midtown subletters for two years, until their temporary landlord decided to renovate the building. They moved to Queens and six years later tried to relocate again to Washington Heights.

May 7, 2009
Scratching Out Etching Acid

Carving out another obstacle for graffiti "vandals," the City Council approved legislation Wednesday requiring that merchants selling etching acid keep purchasers' personal information for a year.

April 3, 2009
Council Moves to Protect Access to Clinics

In an attempt to clear a path for patients at reproductive clinics, the City Council approved legislation strengthening the city's clinic access law, allowing police to arrest protesters that harass those seeking medical care.

February 27, 2009
Clerk Battle and Food Allergies

In a borough against borough battle over a well-paid political patronage position at City Hall Thursday, Queens won when the City Council approved the appointment of a Woodside resident to the post of city clerk.

February 12, 2009
Residency Redux and Inspecting Water Tanks

In a rare disagreement with the Bloomberg administration, the City Council Wednesday overrode a mayoral veto of a bill that would allow certain municipal employees to live outside of the city after working for two years.

January 29, 2009
Shutting Engines At Schools

If you're idling you car engine near a school, City Council wants you to shut it off. That's the message the council sent Wednesday when it passed two bills bolstering the city's ability to issue tickets for engine idling citywide and reducing the time a driver can idle near school grounds. The council also passed legislation that enables the city to track construction contractors' safety records and requires safety managers at sites with problem contractors.

January 8, 2009
Council Approves Firearm Reporting

If police officers pull their triggers the City Council will now be put on notice under legislation passed unanimously by the council on Wednesday.

December 9, 2008
Tax Bills on the Floor

The City Council has its own solution to New York's fiscal crisis: Don't tax New Yorkers. Tax tourists.

November 19, 2008
Trendy, Endangered Neighborhood Rezoned

New York City's most "endangered neighborhood" was rezoned by the City Council today in an attempt to stave off gentrification and boost affordable housing.

October 14, 2008
Waterfronts and East Harlem

All of the city's attention may be turned to term limits, but at its stated meeting on Tuesday -- in addition to introducing legislation that would extend the limit from two to three terms -- City Council unanimously approved a bill to develop a master plan for the city's waterfronts.

September 29, 2008
Tax Breaks for Industry

Looking to save millions –albeit years from now – the City Council approved legislation on Wednesday that revises the city’s industrial and commercial development incentive program to further limit what type of projects can receive a tax break.

September 8, 2008
Crane Safety Beefed Up

After a fatal accident the same day, the City Council passed several bills to increase safety at construction sites that operate cranes.

August 18, 2008
Cooling City Streets

The burst of cool air aimed at luring impulse buyers off of city streets will now come with a cost.

July 28, 2008
Construction Legislation Moves Forward

The City Council approved three additional construction safety items last week in an effort to improve conditions at works sites across the city.

June 16, 2008
First Steps for Building Revisions

Moving on the first pieces of legislation since a package of proposals was introduced last week, the City Council unanimously approved a bill requiring the city publish construction fatalities on its web site and notify the state of disciplinary action against industry professionals.

June 2, 2008
A New Fire Code and Surplus

After a three-year review, the City Council unanimously approved a revised fire code on Wednesday. The code was last revised in 1913. In response to changing times, the update requires more informative evacuation plans and includes construction sites into fire safety management.

May 19, 2008
The Next Round on E-Waste

With the City Council in the thick of budget hearings, there were not many bills to vote on at the May 15 stated meeting. The measures the council did pass, though, dealt with three persistent city problems: solid waste, traffic and construction safety.

May 5, 2008
Harlem Rezoning Approved

Harlem's low-story buildings and epic institutions will now get a so-called facelift -- at least in the view of city officials and some developers -- as the City Council approved a rezoning plan for the neighborhood's busiest boulevard last week.

March 31, 2008
An End to E-Waste

In a rare sign of confrontation with the Bloomberg administration, the City Council at its Stated Meeting Wednesday overrode a mayoral veto prohibiting income discrimination in housing and approved electronic waste legislation the mayor is known to oppose.

March 17, 2008
Budget Cuts and E-Waste

Following the Bloomberg administration's lead, the City Council approved a 4.3 percent cut in its operating budget for fiscal year 2009 in response to a looming budget deficit and trying fiscal times.

March 4, 2008
Green Carts Come to Town

Though it scaled back a bill to create green carts, the City Council approved legislation Wednesday creating this new class of street vendor.

February 19, 2008
Wasting Electronics

After two years and tons of computers strewn to the curb, the City Council overwhelmingly approved legislation that requires manufacturers to recycle certain types of electronic waste.

February 4, 2008
Housing Discrimination

A simple search on Craigslist reveals that many apartments across the five boroughs will not accept applicants if they pay their rent with government assistance. "No programs," reads a listing for a one-bedroom apartment in an elevator building near Prospect Park.

December 26, 2007
Columbia Gets Approval

In what some called a rush to approval, the City Council lifted the final obstacle for Columbia University to expand its campus into Manhattanville in West Harlem at its stated meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 19.

December 13, 2007
Savoring the Brooklyn Sugar Plant

The sign is iconic, rising above the East River reminding passersby that 3 million pounds of sugar were once produced there on a single day.

December 3, 2007
Capping Carbon

Watch out exhaust-spilling sports utility vehicles. Move over inefficient light bulbs. The New York City Council wants to replace you with more energy efficient technology.

November 19, 2007
Restricting Council Ads

Members of the City Council can say goodbye to their "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hanukkah" holiday greetings in local media. Under new rules approved by the City Council at its stated meeting on Thursday, members will no longer be able to give well wishes in the local media at the taxpayer's expense, which some groups contend only boosts a member's visibility and serves no public purpose.

October 30, 2007
Preserving Neighborhoods

Residents of two very different neighborhoods can look to the City Council this week with either appreciation or dismay after it approved a landmark designation for the private courts and row houses of Sunnyside Gardens and a rezoning for the brownstones of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

October 29, 2007
Stated Meeting with a State Agenda

Council Speaker Christine Quinn called an unannounced City Council meeting Tuesday morning, rushing council members into the chamber to give the state Legislature the go-ahead to approve a tax credit for small business owners.

October 23, 2007
Con Edison Rates and Reporting on Pesticides

In its latest evidence of displeasure with Con Edison, the City Council approved a resolution endorsing Council Speaker Christine Quinn's efforts to become an active party in the debate over the utility's proposed rate hike. At its stated meeting on October 17, the council also approved stricter reporting standards on the city's use of pesticides, closed a tax exemption loophole for a housing program and approved several modifications to the budget.

October 1, 2007
Replacing Street Signs to Taking Recyclables

At its stated meeting on September 25, the City Council cracked down on the lax replacement of missing and damaged street signs as well as the unauthorized removal of curbside recycling.

September 11, 2007
Rezoning Jamaica

With the exception of three Queens council members, the City Council overwhelmingly approved a rezoning plan for Jamaica, Queens on Monday. Councilmember Thomas White, who represents part of Jamaica, did not attend the meeting. A staffer said White is out of town, and their office was unaware the vote was coming up.

August 27, 2007
Making Room in Litter Baskets

New Yorkers will have to keep their residential trash out of public litter baskets or face a fine of up to $400 under legislation unanimously approved by the City Council.

July 30, 2007
Cell Phones, Yes, Markers, No

In muted gesture of defiance of the Bloomberg administration, the City Council last week approved legislation guaranteeing a student's right to take a cell phone to and from school, despite a Department of Education ban on the devices inside school property.

June 4, 2007
Stated Meeting – Street Names Sparks Heated Debate

Despite a demonstration on the steps of City Hall and apparent racial division among its members, the City Council excluded the revered and rebuked Sonny Carson from a street-naming bill at its stated meeting on May 30, turning a normally routine procedure into a controversy. The council also – and much less contentiously – adopted a bill to strengthen the repair process for the city's most dilapidated buildings and a measure requiring building owners to submit up-to-date floor numbering lists to the fire department.

May 14, 2007
Protecting Fire Fighters

At the city council’s stated meeting on May 9, the council members unanimously approved a bill requiring that the fire department be notified of any substantial changes in existing buildings. During the meeting, which also featured the long-delayed swearing in of new City Councilmember Mathieu Eugene and continued debate over whether to rename a street for black activist Sonny Carson, the council passed a resolution in favor of a federal program that would provide money to help those who responded to and worked or lived near the World Trade Center collapse on September 11, 2001. A number of new bills were announced as well.

May 7, 2007
Stated Meeting City Council April 23, new bills

At each of the City Council's stated meetings, council members introduce bills, most of which will never become laws (for the process by which bills become laws, click here). As a regular feature, Gotham Gazette discusses some of the legislation proposed at each meeting.

April 30, 2007
Stated Meeting - Bicycle Taxis, Baseball Bats, and Budget Boom

On April 23, the New York City Council overrode two mayoral vetoes and so instituted new restrictions on pedicabs and banned metal baseball bats from high school sports leagues. In addition to these somewhat contentious votes, the council had the pleasure of doing what some say it does best: spend money. The members voted unanimously to approve an additional $1.8 billion in spending in this year’s budget. They also passed resolutions on the 9/11 cleanup, school funding and the Virginia Tech massacre.

April 16, 2007
Stated Meeting -- Protecting

The City Council last week passed a bill that would protect "educational whistleblowers", setting up another conflict with Mayor Michael Bloomberg just two weeks after he rejected its plan to regulate pedicabs.

April 2, 2007
Stated Meeting -- Maintaining Mitchell- Lama

The City Council passed bills intended to keep affordable housing available, and to protect the safety of construction workers at its most recent stated meeting on March 28, 2007. It also approved its budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

New Council Bills - 05/31/06

Hybrid Taxis - 05/24/06

Taxi Bills 05/10/06

Emerging Business Enterprise Bill 05/10/06

Gas Station Regulations 04/26/06

Stadium Financing 04/26/06

Street Electrocutions 04/05/06

Yankee Stadium 04/05/06

Lobbying Reform 03/22/06

The Council's Budget 03/22/06

Quinn's First Veto Override 03/01/06

Land Use and New Bills 02/15/06

Rules of the Council 02/01/06

Appointments of New York City Council Standing Committees 01/18/06

Quinn Elected as Speaker 1/04/05

Three Veto Overrides 12/08/05

Rejecting Landmark Warehouse in Brooklyn 11/30/05

Donations from Labor Unions 11/16/05

Financing for West Side of Manhattan 10/27/05

Health Insurance for Grocery Workers 10/11/05

Day Labor and Hindu Holiday 9/28/05

Green Buildings and Human Rights Law 9/15/05

Grocery Store Health Care 8/17/05

Free Sunday Parking 7/27/05

2006 Budget 6/30/05

Garbage Plan Revisited 6/23/05

Garbage Plan 6/08/05

Bathroom Parity 5/25/05

West Side Stadium Financing 5/11/05

Pollution; Allan Jennings Censure 4/20/05

AIDS Housing 4/12/05

School Construction 3/23/05

Child Safety 3/09/05

Defibrillators 2/16/05

West Side Rezoning 1/19/05

Gun Control 1/05/05

Film Tax Credits 12/15/04

School Nurses 12/07/04

Endangered Species 11/23/04

School Crime 11/14/04

Campaign Finance 10/27/04

IKEA Store 10/13/04

Filtration Plant 9/28/04

Church Parking Zoning 9/09/04

Overdevelopment Measure 8/12/04

Car Alarm Ban 07/21/04

Brooklyn Rezoning 06/28/04

Building Codes 06/07/04

Contract Reform 05/19/04

Equal Benefits Bill 05/05/04

Airport Lease 04/21/04

Budget Modification 03/24/04

Council's Costs 03/10/04

Lead Paint Veto 02/04/04

Lead Paint Law Passed 12/15/03

Rezoning Staten Island 12/03/03

Tish James Sworn In 11/19/03

Absentee Landlord Tax 11/06/03

Landmarking Cathedral 10/24/03

Newsstand Bill 10/15/03

Sports Fan Bill 09/30/03

Accessible Taxi Cabs 11/17/03

Adopt-A-Park 08/19/03

City Hall Shooting 07/23/03

Illegal Awnings 06/25/03

Water Filtration Plant 06/12/03

Budget Negotiations 06/05/03

Sales Tax Increase 05/28/03

Emergency Center 05/14/03

Tax Increases 05/05/03

Park Slope Rezoning 04/30/03

Welfare Education Bill 04/09/03

Environmental Bills 03/26/03

Anti-War Resolution 03/12/03

Contraception Bill 2/26/03

Cell Phone Bill 02/12/03

Good Government Bills 01/29/03