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Beyond carriages and COPA: everything else the Council did on October 22

A special education study, gender-based violence data, three rezonings, a Head Start resolution, 48 new items, and two resolutions withdrawn the day they were filed.

By NYC Politics staffUpdated

Thursday's stated meeting made headlines for the horse carriage ban and COPA. But the agenda had 28 items for a final vote and 48 new introductions. This is the rest of it, from the Council's press release and the meeting record on our meeting page.

Bills sent to the mayor

  • Special education access study, Int. 853-A. Council Member Susan Zhuang sponsored it. It requires the Department of Education to analyze how geography, home language and household income affect access to special education services, and to recommend fixes. The Education and Technology committees heard it on June 24, and it was approved Thursday morning. It has 20 sponsors.
  • Gender-based violence data, Int. 296-A. Council Member Farah Louis sponsored it. It requires the city's gender-based violence office and the Health Department to review data and recommend improvements. It also requires a public dashboard and a screening outreach program for health care providers. It was introduced January 29 and heard February 27. The Women and Gender Equity Committee approved it Wednesday, 265 days after it was filed. It was the oldest item on the agenda.
  • Edgemere Avenue, Int. 927. Council Member Selvena Brooks-Powers sponsored it. It renames Shore Front Parkway in the Rockaways, between Beach 32nd Street and Beach 56th Place, as Edgemere Avenue.
  • Jail voting and rent freeze bills. These are covered in our stories on voting from city jails and the SCRIE and DRIE expansion.

Land use and finance

  • Three projects approved 10-0 in committee on Wednesday and adopted Thursday:

- The 48-50 Convent Avenue cluster in Majority Leader Shaun Abreu's district: 77 affordable homeownership units in four city-owned buildings (Res. 709, Res. 710) - A rezoning at 1455 Coney Island Avenue for a nine-story, 300-bed long-term care facility in Council Member Simcha Felder's district (Res. 711) - The 135-27 Sapphire Street rezoning in Council Member Joann Ariola's district: about 268 apartments, with 67 to 80 affordable (Res. 713)

  • Property tax exemptions for affordable buildings in the Bronx, Manhattan and Queens, sponsored by Finance Chair Linda Lee.
  • Res. 666 sets a hearing on raising annual spending for eight business improvement districts, including 34th Street, 82nd Street and Bay Ridge 5th Avenue.

Resolutions

  • Res. 650, from Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez, opposes a proposed federal rule called "Reducing Federal Burden for Head Start Programs."
  • Res. 625 declares October Reggaeton Heritage Month.
  • Res. 715 approves Marricka Scott-McFadden as the Bronx Democratic commissioner of the Board of Elections.

Two resolutions were withdrawn the day they were filed. Res. 699, from Council Member Frank Morano, called on the mayor to reconsider not reappointing retired Appellate Division Justice John Leventhal to his Advisory Committee on the Judiciary. It also asked the mayor to appoint at least one Jewish legal professional to that panel. The panel's makeup has drawn criticism since July. Mamdani has said the absence of Jewish members was not deliberate, Jewish Insider reported. Council Member Carl Wilson's Res. 703, on state legislation for multidisciplinary service teams, was also withdrawn. The record does not give a reason for either.

New items introduced

Among the 48 new items, all referred to committee:

What's next

The Council's next stated meetings are November 12 and November 19. Committee hearings continue next week, including Finance and Housing on October 28. All are on our meetings calendar.