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LA 242 - Victimology: Letter-Writing Resources: Using the City Council Website

A Research Guide for Professor Keith Singer's Victimology Class

Find Your City Council Member

The first step in communicating with the city government is to know your City Council Member.

The search page for New York City Council Member is: http://council.nyc.gov/html/members/members.shtml

City Council Member Search Page Screenshot

List of City Council Committees

Most City Council work is done in committees. These committees discuss proposed laws, receive updates from agency representatives, and hear feedback from New Yorkers.

The Council has thirty-five standing committees that practice oversight of New York City functions, including human services, infrastructure, and government affairs.

Each committee meets at least once a month and is headed by a Council Member (the Chair). Each Council Member also serves on at least three of our standing committees or subcommittees. Council Members are assigned to committees through a process that the entire Council votes on.


A list of City Council Committees is below:

Committee on Aging

Committee on Civil and Human Rights

Committee on Civil Service and Labor

Committee on Consumer Affairs and Business Licensing

Committee on Contracts

Committee on Criminal Justice

Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Intergroup Relations

Committee on Economic Development

Committee on Education

Committee on Environmental Protection

Committee on Finance

Committee on Fire and Emergency Management

Committee on For-Hire Vehicles

Committee on General Welfare

Committee on Governmental Operations

Committee on Health

Committee on Higher Education

Committee on Hospitals

Committee on Housing and Buildings

Committee on Immigration

Committee on Juvenile Justice

Committee on Land Use

Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addiction

Committee on Oversight and Investigation

Committee on Parks and Recreation

Committee on Public Housing

Committee on Public Safety

Committee on Rules, Privileges, and Elections

Committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management

Committee on Small Business

Committee on Standards and Ethics

Committee on State and Federal Legislation

Committee on Technology

Committee on the Justice System

Committee on Transportation

Committee on Veterans

Committee on Women

City Council "How We Work" Page

This page is a general introduction to the New York City Council, its committees, and how its meetings are conducted.

How the City Council Works

 You may also watch the informational video, below.

THE CITY: NYC Government Accountability News Service

 

 
This news site is a great source of ideas for issues to address in your letters to council members, or for research papers on issues faced by NYC residents. 

From the Website:

THE CITY launched in April 2019 as a nonprofit, nonpartisan, digital news platform dedicated to hard-hitting reporting that serves the people of New York, producing consistent, high-quality and high-impact accountability reporting.  Our work is free to all and does not require a subscription. Instead of charging for access, we rely on the support of members, donors and sponsors.

THE CITY’s team:

City Council Meetings Calendar with Minutes, Agendas, and Videos

 Information for upcoming and past Committee meetings is available on the Calendar page here

Links to upcoming meetings show Committe Name, Time and Location of Meeting and Details as they are available.Upcoming City Council Meetings Screenshot 

Note that past Committee meetings also show completed agenda, minutes and video of the event.

Use the NYC OpenData Search

The NYC OpenData Portal can be used to search for information, complaints and reports on city agencies and issues of your choice.

As of July 2016, there are over 1,500 data sets currently available on the NYC open data portal, more than any other U.S. City. Data for New York City is published on the NYC OpenData Portal.  Curious what's out there? Explore the information below, or check out the catalog yourself!

The screenshot below is a result for a search using the term "youth services."