In July 2026, the NYC Commission on Government Efficiency and the NYC Charter Revision Commission released five ballot proposals to appear on the general election ballot in New York City on November 3, 2026. The proposals are all focused around improving the speed and efficiency of city government.
Background In May 2026, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani established the NYC Commission on Government Efficiency (COGE), which was charged with reviewing the entire City Charter to identify ways to improve efficiency, modernize city government, and ensure government keeps pace with New Yorkers’ needs. In June and July 2026, COGE hosted several public hearings throughout the city, with core themes revolving around unlocking public space, acceleration, modernization, and fiscal stability. In late July 2026, COGE released their final report, and voted unanimously to approve each ballot measure for the election.https://www.nyc.gov/assets/charter/downloads/pdf/meetings-hearings/COGE_digital_073026.pdf
Proposal 1 Proposal 1: Speed Up Process for Granting a Revocable Consent to Use Public Space would remove mandatory public hearings and City Council review for certain uses of public space, such as ramps, planters, and cafes. If passed, this proposal would combine the sidewalk café and roadway dining revocable consent process into a single application and modernizing public notice requirements. This would cut the outdoor dining application process from 8 months to 2 months, and is estimated to save small businesses thousands.
Proposal 2 Proposal 2: Procurement Policy Board Authority would reform the contracting process to improve procurements, including for small businesses and nonprofits by simplifying contractor paperwork and requiring quarterly meetings of the Procurement Policy Board. If passed, the proposition would save up to 30 days on procurements and would reduce nonprofit procurement time from 13 months to 6 months by moving from procurements to grants.
Proposal 3 Proposal 3: Changes to Street Project Approval, City Property Disposition, and Office Leasing would fast-track street safety infrastructures, the acquisition of office space for city workers, and the activation of city land via disposition of unused property, including air rights. The proposal would simplify the review of street safety projects, such as bike lanes, to reduce construction timelines and to allow the DOT Commissioner to fast-track critical street infrastructure improvements. If passed, it will speed up street safety projects by at least 33%, would reduce the time of sale of city-owned land from 7 months to 90 days, and is estimated to unlock more than $200 million in revenue for the city from the sale of surplus lots.
Proposal 4 Proposal 4: Changes to Building Permitting would simplify building permitting as well as move waterfront permitting from the Department of Small Business Services to the Department of Buildings. The proposal would centralize construction permits through a hub where applicants can access and manage construction-related permits and approvals across various agencies. It would also expand construction approval to more officials within the Department of Buildings. If passed, it would bring 40 approvals from 18 separate offices and agencies into one place and centralize waterfront permitting within the Department of Buildings.
Proposal 5 Proposal 5: Contribution Targets for Rainy Day Fund would set contribution goals for the rainy day fund to ensure sufficient budgetary reserves and require the Mayor's Office of Management and Budget to establish a deposit formula that would govern mandatory contributions to the rainy day fund. The proposal establishes a reserve target of 12%. Additionally, it would also review standard hires and promotions within 14 days and capital project initiation applications within 40 days.
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