The 5 proposals on New Yorkers' ballots this November

The Nov. 3 General Election is fast approaching. Besides a slate of candidates to choose from, there are five proposed charter amendments to vote “yes” or “no” on. A charter amendment is a change to the New York City Charter, which lays out city government policies.

Here are the five proposals to be aware of. More information is available to voters at nycvotes.org and vote.nyc.

Proposal 1: Remove steps for business owners to use public space

Property or business owners have to get “revocable consent” — permission — from the city to put things like benches, outdoor cafes or accessibility ramps on public sidewalks and streets.

The process currently takes eight months, and involves applications to city agencies, a public hearing and publishing ads in local newspapers. The owner also has to notify the borough president, council members and community boards. Council members can reject the proposal.

A “yes” vote would reduce the time frame to two months, and cut the need for public hearings and newspaper ads, reducing costs for owners. Elected officials and community boards would still be notified and could submit comments to city agencies who review the applications. Notices would be in the city record, and council members wouldn’t be able to reject the proposals.

But, the change could mean more sidewalk space being taken up and a reduction in parking spaces, according to the League of Women Voters. Council members’ power on the matter would be reduced and the public would not be informed by public hearings or newspaper ads on the proposals as they are now.

Proposal 2: Less paperwork for city contractors, more meetings by Procurement Policy Board

The city’s contracting process involves a detailed questionnaire, and this proposal would let the Procurement Policy Board — which authorizes city rules governing the procurement of goods, services and construction — simplify the questionnaire. The board would have more meetings and authority, and the mayor would be able to delegate certain contract approvals, according to NYC Votes.

Small vendors and nonprofits that work with the city might have an easier time getting their contracts approved, but eliminating criteria has raised concerns about agencies with a history of poor performance be approved, according to the League of Women Voters.

Proposal 3: Speed up street safety project review and sale of some city-owned land

This proposal changes three different city approval processes in one, according to NYC Votes. The first is speeding up the review process for transportation projects such as bike lanes and road designs. Such projects currently have to go through the city’s department of transportation, elected officials, community boards and other city agencies. The proposal would let the city’s department of transportation start work without notification if the project regards an immediate public safety concern.

The second focuses on expediting the land review process for city-owned properties. The third cuts out steps when the city wants to lease office space for employees, which involves approval from city council and the City Planning Commission.

The League of Women Voters has argued changing the processes would increase efficiency, but could also reduce transparency and community input, and lessen oversight for city property transactions.

Proposal 4: Simplify building permitting, move waterfront permitting to department of buildings

According to NYC Votes, this proposal would let more agency officials approve construction projects, and create a centralized system for submitting permit applications. Responsibility for waterfront structures would shift from the city’s department of small businesses to the city’s department of buildings.

The proposal could increase transparency with a centralized permitting hub and improve efficiency for the city’s department of transportation, advocates say.

Proposal 5: Set aside funds for rainy day funds

Under this proposal, the mayor would develop a plan to set aside a target amount of money in the case of unexpected financial hardships. New York approved the Rainy Day Fund in 2019, but there is nothing in place that requires an amount to be saved, according to NYC Votes. The target amount is up to 12% of the city’s annual total tax revenue.