Commissioner on OTPS restoration needs and integrity monitorship program

To reduce reliance on forfeiture funds, DOI has requested approximately $4.5 million in OTPS funding restoration in the adopted budget,

to pay for core critical needs, such as computer software maintenance and subscriptions and maintenance of DOI's cybersecurity and data storage networks, which are technology items that should not be deferred.

DOI's integrity monitorship program is a cornerstone of the agency's anti-corruption work.

Integrity monitorships allow the city to have real-time oversight of vendors with integrity issues and of large-scale, high-dollar city projects.

The oversight is provided by outside integrity monitors that report to and are managed by DOI.

Rehabilitative monitorships permit the city to enter into or to continue contracts with companies that might otherwise be precluded from doing business with the city

due to identified integrity issues, but that city agencies have determined are necessary for continuity or provision of city services.

In these cases, vendors pay for the monitorships.

Programmatic monitorships proactively help the city to oversee large-scale city projects, such as the Asylum Seeker Initiative and the borough-based jail construction, with the goal of ensuring compliance with city regulations and realizing cost savings.

In these cases, the city pays for the integrity monitors.

The funds for these monitors are included as part of DOI's budget, but all of the money goes directly to the integrity monitors.

None of it supports DOI staffing or resources.

Significantly, this funding artificially inflates DOI's budget, lending the false impression that it supports DOI's operations and staffing.