Reporting on New York City: NYC Government
How to New York
The How to New York articles from news site THE CITY are helpful guides to how New York City works, including navigating city and state laws and bureaucracies. Topics include Who to Yell At: A New Yorker’s Guide on Who to Call to Get Local Problems Fixed and How to Join a Community Board, and What to Know Before You Apply.
Overview
The New York City government is mayor-council system:
- The executive branch is led by the Mayor, the city's chief executive officer, who is elected every four years
- The 51-member New York City Council is the city's legislative body, with each member elected to represent a council district for four-year terms
- Other key elected officials and representatives include:
- Comptroller, the independently elected chief financial officer who advises on fiscal policies and audits the city's finances
- Public Advocate, an independently elected official who serves as the city's ombudsman and watchdog
- Borough Presidents, the elected executive officials of each of the city's five boroughs
- The 59 Community Boards, local representative bodies each representing a Community District (neighborhood), composed of appointed, unpaid members who advise on local issues but have no authority to make or enforce laws
The Laws of the City of New York are comprised of:
- The New York City Charter, the legal basis for the operation of the city, defining the authority of each official or body and the relationships among them
- The Administrative Laws of the City of New York, the codified laws enacted by the Mayor and City Council
- The Rules of the City of New York, the rules and regulations of the city's government agencies
Administration & Organization
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NYC Boundaries MapAn interactive map created by Beta NYC to easily view all of the administrative boundaries within the city. Use it to quickly find the districts for elected offices, police, sanitation, schools, and more.
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NYC Civil ListThe annual list of individuals who were employed by the City of New York at any given time during the indicated year, with names, agencies, and salaries. Alternately, the Municipal Library posts the same list in PDF format.
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NYC Community BoardsPart of the city's governance, these 59 local bodies represent each community district. The unsalaried members of each CB advise on local land use and social welfare issues. Tip: Find each board's annual Community Needs Statements linked on NYC Community District Profiles.
New York City's official Organizational Chart (click to enlarge).
City Council
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citymeetings.nycSummaries and tagged transcripts of every City Council meeting, created same-day using AI and human oversight. A free tool that makes lengthy public hearings digestible is so valuable that Hell Gate titled their interview with the creator, "Why Vikram Oberoi Is Every NYC Journalist's Favorite New Yorker."
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New York City Council CalendarCalendar of past and upcoming stated, committee, and subcommittee meetings, from 1999-present. Includes agendas, meeting minutes, and video of the proceedings when available.
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New York City Council CommitteesThe Council has 35 standing committees that practice oversight of New York City functions and are where most of the legislative work happens.
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New York City Council LegislationSearch proposed and adopted City Council legislation, from 1994-present.
Budgets, Operations & City Priorities
Before diving into budget documents, review the NYC Independent Budget Office's NYC Budget Guides for very helpful overviews of how the budget is made and where the money goes!
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The City Record OnlineThe City Record is the city's official journal. This database, updated daily, of public notices includes public hearings and meetings, public auctions solicitations and awards, and official rules proposed and adopted by city agencies. Tip: Sign up for notifications by email.
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Agency Performance ReportingA collection of critical performance measures from more than 40 City agencies, summarizing how well government is performing in different areas. See the "Mapping" tab to show indicators by community district, police precinct or school district.
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Mayor's Management Report (MMR)The city's annual performance report, the MMR is mandated by the City Charter and shows how each City agency and related projects are doing.
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NYC Lobbyist SearchProvides detailed information about lobbyists registered in the City of New York and their clients. Maintained by the Office of the City Clerk.
Government Publications
There is no single digital repository of city government publications. Below are common sources for publications, both current and historic:
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Agency websitesGoing directly to government websites is the best bet for current and recent publications and reports. Tip: For publications starting around 2000, search for the agency's URL in the Wayback Machine to find archived versions of links and reports.
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Government Publications Portal (GPP)Searchable online repository, maintained by the Department of Records and Information Services, of official New York City government publications since 2006. Includes reports, documents, studies, and publications that are required by local law, executive order, or mayoral directive.
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NYC Government Social Media ArchiveA searchable archive of social media content created by City agencies, beginning in 2011. Social media posts are considered government records retained by the Municipal Library.
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NYC Municipal LibraryThe city's Municipal Library on Chambers Street, part of the Department of Records and Information Services, preserves and provides public access to New York City government publications and reports. Search the catalog for their print publications, and contact the Municipal Library with quesitons.
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NYS/NYC Government Documents at ColumbiaThe Columbia University Libraries are a selective repository for state and city government publications, both print and digital, searchable in CLIO.
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Policy commons. This link opens in a new windowThe world's largest database for public policy, with reports, working papers, and more from IGOs, NGOs, think tanks, and local governments. Includes tens of thousands reports and other documents from the City of New York.
Data
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NYC Open DataFree public data (311, housing violations, film permits, taxis, and much more!) published by New York City agencies and other partners. Tip: Always check the creation date, update frequency, agency responsible, and data dictionary to understand each dataset.
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Open NYFree public data from New York State agencies, including many datasets about or including New York City.