Question 6 - Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs), Film Permits, and Archive Review

Summary

This amendment would revise several provisions in the Charter. First, to support minority and women-owned business enterprises (MWBEs), this amendment would establish the Chief Business Diversity Officer (CBDO) in the Charter. It would also provide that the CBDO will serve as the point of contact for MWBEs, evaluate the efficacy of the City’s policies to address disparities in procurement, and propose needed changes to city policy. Second, this amendment would empower the Mayor to give the office that processes film permits—the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME)—the power to issue those permits. At present, the City Charter only gives the power to issue permits for film and television to the Department of Small Business Services. As a result, to discharge its film permitting duties and perform its mission to strengthen New York City’s creative economy, the Commissioner of MOME is an employee of the Department of Small Business Services. Other MOME employees do not have the ability to grant film and television permits if the Commissioner is unable to fulfill their duties or if the position is temporarily vacant. The proposed amendment would empower the Mayor to designate another City agency to grant these permits, allowing the Mayor to designate MOME and ensure other MOME employees can exercise this authority when appropriate. Third, this amendment would combine two Charter-created boards that focus on review of municipal archives. Under the current Charter, the City must maintain both the Archival Review Board and the Archives, Reference and Research Advisory Board. These boards have similar missions and annual reporting mandates. This proposed amendment would combine the Archival Review Board and the Archives, Reference and Research Board into one body, the Municipal Archives and Library Advisory Board, in an effort to promote efficiency and save City resources. This proposed amendment would take effect immediately.

Voting “Yes” would establish the CBDO to support MWBEs, authorize the Mayor to designate the office that issues film permits, and combine two boards.

Voting “No” leaves laws unchanged.

Measure Details