Question 2 - Cleaning Public Property

Summary

The Department of Sanitation (DSNY) is responsible for the cleanliness of New York’s streets and the disposal of waste. The current Charter grants the DSNY Commissioner the power to adopt regulations relating to the use of sidewalks for disposal of refuse and to issue violations for failure to comply with such regulations punishable by fine, imprisonment, or civil penalty. The Charter currently does not expressly set forth any requirement to containerize refuse—even though DSNY has issued several rules that limit the amount of time that non-containerized refuse spends on City streets. The current Charter also does not provide DSNY with jurisdiction over certain property, such as parks and highway medians. Additionally, while the Office of Street Vendor Enforcement is housed within DSNY, the Office does not have the authority to enforce vending on certain City properties, such as in parks. The proposed amendments would clarify that DSNY has jurisdiction to clean all City property at the Mayor’s direction. The proposed changes would also clarify that DSNY has the authority to ensure that street vendors comply with sanitation requirements not just on the streets but on other City-owned properties. Lastly, this proposal would expressly recognize DSNY’s authority to regulate the proper placement of bags of refuse on the sidewalk, including by requiring that waste be placed in containers.

Voting “Yes” will expand and clarify the Department of Sanitation’s power to clean streets and other City property and require disposal of waste in containers.

Voting “No” leaves laws unchanged.

Measure Details