New York, NY (May 21, 2026) – Today, Citizens Union, Reinvent Albany, Common Cause New York, League of Women Voters of NYC and New York Public Interest Research Group, sent a letter to the New York City Council urging lawmakers to significantly increase funding for two vital watchdog agencies — the Department of Investigation (DOI) and the Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) — in the FY2027 budget.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Executive Budget failed to restore the capacity of the city’s anti-corruption watchdog agencies in the proposed executive budget after years of staffing cuts, attrition, and hiring freezes under the Adams administration. The groups argue that strengthening the agencies is essential to ensuring transparency, accountability, and public trust in city government.

“The Adams administration weakened both anti-corruption watchdogs through budget cuts, attrition, and hiring freezes,” the letter states. “Rather than reversing course on the prior administration’s record of weakened oversight, Mayor Mamdani’s Executive Budget deepens that damage.”

According to the letter, the Executive Budget would reduce DOI staffing to 282 full-time positions in FY2027 — down from 363 positions before the Adams administration took office — while lowering DOI’s budget to $53.7 million. The organizations warn that the cuts threaten the agency’s ability to investigate corruption, conduct background checks, and oversee city programs.

The letter also points to worsening performance metrics at DOI. Average investigation completion time has increased from 201 days in FY2023 to 251 days in FY2025, with FY2026 currently on track to average 325 days.

“These constraints are already harming performance,” the letter states. “Reducing DOI’s headcount further will only accelerate this deterioration.”
The letter urges the Council to fund DOI’s request for 17 additional positions and restore operational funding needed to support investigations, audits, and mandated oversight responsibilities.

The groups also called for restoring COIB staffing to at least 26 full-time positions, noting that the Executive Budget’s proposal of 24 positions still leaves the agency below prior staffing levels despite the growth of city government and increasing demand for ethics oversight.

“The widening gap between the size of the city government workforce and the small agency responsible for enforcing ethics laws poses a risk to the city’s ability to maintain a clean and honest government,” the letter states.
The organizations highlighted that the City Council’s own Charter Revision Commission recommended significantly higher baseline funding levels for both agencies as part of its independent budgeting proposals. Under those recommendations, DOI would receive approximately $76.2 million and COIB approximately $4.4 million under the mayor’s proposed budget.

The letter also argues that investing in oversight agencies ultimately saves taxpayer money by preventing fraud, waste, and abuse. DOI investigations generated more than $6 million in financial recoveries last year, while COIB provides ethics training and guidance to tens of thousands of city employees annually.

“We urge the City Council to fund DOI and COIB at the levels they have requested,” the letter concludes.

The full letter is available here.