City Council Speaker Christine Quinn yesterday unveiled what she described as the toughest rules of “any legislative body in the country” for dispensing nearly $200 million worth of discretionary grants.
The new rules require that any community group seeking $25,000 or more undergo “preclearance” from the Mayor’s Office of Contracts to ascertain that it’s legitimate, can do the work being contracted, and is registered with the state attorney general as a charity.
The data on all contracts will be made available online, listing the council sponsor, the tax ID number of the nonprofit, the amount and public purpose of the funding, any conflicts involving the sponsor, and the city agency handling the account.
“I don’t think anyone in any legislature has gone that far,” said Councilman Lew Fidler (D-Brooklyn). He had earlier criticized Quinn for suggesting that $20 million of member items under her control be allocated through a process that would have given the administration final say in making the selections.
Officials from three good-government groups – Common Cause, Citizens Union and the New York Public Research Group – applauded the changes.
“There’s no choice. The public demands a higher level of legitimacy than has been the case in the past,” said NYPIRG’s Gene Russianoff.