Section 3858. Control period  


Latest version.
  • 1.  A control period shall begin as of the
      effective date of this title and may be  reimposed  during  an  advisory
      period  if  the authority determines at any time that a fiscal crisis is
      imminent or that any of the following events has occurred or that  there
      is  a  substantial  likelihood and imminence of such occurrence: (a) the
      city shall have failed to adopt a balanced  budget,  financial  plan  or
      budget   modification  as  required  by  sections  thirty-eight  hundred
      fifty-six and thirty-eight hundred fifty-seven of this  title,  (b)  the
      city shall have failed to pay the principal of or interest on any of its
      bonds  or  notes when due, (c) the city shall have incurred an operating
      deficit of one percent or more in the aggregate results of operations of
      any major fund of the city or a covered organization during  its  fiscal
      year  assuming  all revenues and expenditures are reported in accordance
      with generally accepted accounting principles, subject to the provisions
      of this title, (d) the chief fiscal officer's certification at any time,
      at the request of  the  authority  or  on  the  chief  fiscal  officer's
      initiative,  which  certification  shall  be  made  from time to time as
      promptly as circumstances warrant and reported to the authority, that on
      the basis of facts existing at such time such officer could not make the
      certification described  in  subdivision  one  of  section  thirty-eight
      hundred fifty-one of this title, or (e) the city shall have violated any
      provision  of  this  title.  A  control  period shall terminate when the
      authority has determined that the city qualifies for  the  onset  of  an
      advisory   period   as   provided   under  subdivision  one  of  section
      thirty-eight hundred fifty-one of this title. After onset of an advisory
      period, the authority shall annually consider paragraphs (a) through (e)
      of this subdivision and determine whether, in its judgment, any  of  the
      events  described  in  such  paragraphs  have occurred and the authority
      shall publish each such determination. Any  certification  made  by  the
      chief  fiscal officer hereunder shall be based on such officer's written
      determination which shall take into account a report and opinion  of  an
      independent  expert in the marketing of municipal securities selected by
      the authority, and the opinion of such expert and any other  information
      taken into account shall be made public when delivered to the authority.
      Notwithstanding  any  part of the foregoing to the contrary, in no event
      shall any control period continue beyond June  thirtieth,  two  thousand
      thirty-seven.
        2.  In  carrying  out  the  purposes  of this title during any control
      period, the authority:
        (a) shall approve or disapprove the financial plan and  the  financial
      plan  modifications  of  the  city, as provided in sections thirty-eight
      hundred fifty-six and thirty-eight hundred fifty-seven  of  this  title,
      and  shall  formulate  and  adopt its own modifications to the financial
      plan, as necessary; such modifications shall become effective upon their
      adoption by the authority;
        (b) may set a maximum level of spending for any proposed budget of any
      covered organization;
        (c) may impose a wage and/or  hiring  freeze:  (i)  During  a  control
      period, upon a finding by the authority that a wage and/or hiring freeze
      is  essential  to  the  adoption  or  maintenance  of a city budget or a
      financial plan that is in compliance  with  this  title,  the  authority
      shall  be  empowered  to  order that all increases in salary or wages of
      employees of the city and employees of covered organizations which  will
      take  effect  after  the  date  of  the  order  pursuant  to  collective
      bargaining agreements, other analogous contracts or interest arbitration
      awards, now in existence  or  hereafter  entered  into,  requiring  such
      salary  or  wage increases as of any date thereafter are suspended. Such
      order may also provide that  all  increased  payments  for  holiday  and
    
      vacation   differentials,   shift   differentials,   salary  adjustments
      according to plan and step-ups or increments for employees of  the  city
      and  employees of covered organizations which will take effect after the
      date  of  the  order pursuant to collective bargaining agreements, other
      analogous  contracts  or  interest  arbitration  awards  requiring  such
      increased  payments  as  of any date thereafter are, in the same manner,
      suspended.  For the purposes of computing the pension base of retirement
      allowances, any  suspended  salary  or  wage  increases  and  any  other
      suspended  payments  shall  not be considered as part of compensation or
      final compensation or of annual salary earned or earnable.
        (ii) Notwithstanding  the  provisions  of  subparagraph  (i)  of  this
      paragraph,  this subdivision shall not be applicable to employees of the
      city or employees of a covered  organization  subject  to  a  collective
      bargaining   agreement   or  an  employee  of  the  city  or  a  covered
      organization not subject to a collective bargaining agreement where  the
      collective  bargaining representative or such unrepresented employee has
      agreed to a deferment of salary or wage increase, by  an  instrument  in
      writing which has been certified by the authority as being an acceptable
      and appropriate contribution toward alleviating the fiscal crisis of the
      city.  Any  such  agreement to a deferral of salary or wage increase may
      provide  that  for  the  purposes  of  computing  the  pension  base  of
      retirement  allowances,  any  deferred  salary  or  wage increase may be
      considered as part of compensation or final compensation  or  of  annual
      salary earned or earnable;
        (iii)  Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of
      this paragraph, no retroactive pay adjustments of any kind shall  accrue
      or  be  deemed  to  accrue during the period of wage freeze, and no such
      additional amounts shall be paid at the time a wage freeze is lifted, or
      at any time thereafter.
        (d) shall periodically evaluate  the  suspension  of  salary  or  wage
      increases  or  suspensions  of other increased payments or benefits, and
      may, if it finds that the fiscal crisis, in the  sole  judgment  of  the
      authority has abated, terminate such suspensions;
        (e)  shall  review and approve or disapprove any collective bargaining
      agreement to be entered into by the city or any covered organization, or
      purporting to bind, the city  or  any  covered  organization.  Prior  to
      entering  into  any  collective  bargaining  agreement,  the city or any
      covered organization shall submit a copy of such  collective  bargaining
      agreement  to the authority, accompanied by an analysis of the projected
      costs of such agreement  and  a  certification  that  execution  of  the
      agreement will be in accordance with the financial plan. Such submission
      shall  be  in  such  form and include such additional information as the
      authority may prescribe. The authority shall promptly review  the  terms
      of  such  collective bargaining agreement and the supporting information
      in order to determine compliance with  the  financial  plan,  and  shall
      disapprove  any  collective bargaining agreement which, in its judgment,
      would be inconsistent with the financial plan. No collective  bargaining
      agreement  binding,  or  purporting  to  bind,  the  city or any covered
      organization after the effective date of this title shall be  valid  and
      binding  upon the city or any covered organization unless first approved
      by resolution of the authority.
        (f) shall act jointly with  the  city  in  selecting  members  of  any
      interest arbitration panel. Notwithstanding any other evidence presented
      by  the  city,  the  covered  organization  or  any  recognized employee
      organization, the arbitration panel must, prior  to  issuing  any  final
      decision, provide the authority with the opportunity to present evidence
      regarding the fiscal condition of the city;
    
        (g)  shall  take  any  action  necessary  in  order  to  implement the
      financial plan should the city or any covered organization  have  failed
      to  comply  with  any  material  action  necessary  to fulfill the plan,
      provided, however, the authority shall provide seven (7) days notice  of
      its  determination  that  the  city  or any covered organization has not
      complied prior to taking any such action.
        (h)  may  review  and  approve  or  disapprove  contracts   or   other
      obligations  binding  or  purporting  to  bind  the  city or any covered
      organization;
        (i) shall, with respect to any proposed borrowing by or on  behalf  of
      the  city  or  any  covered  organization  on  or  after July first, two
      thousand three, review the terms of  and  comment,  within  thirty  days
      after  notification  by  the  city or covered organization of a proposed
      borrowing, on the prudence of each proposed issuance of bonds  or  notes
      to  be  issued by the city or covered organization and no such borrowing
      shall be made unless first reviewed, commented upon and approved by  the
      authority.   The  authority  shall  comment  within  thirty  days  after
      notification by the city or covered organization of a proposed borrowing
      to the mayor, the comptroller, the council, the director of  the  budget
      and  the  state  comptroller and indicate approval or disapproval of the
      proposed borrowing. Notwithstanding the foregoing, neither the city  nor
      any covered organization shall be prohibited from issuing bonds or notes
      to  pay  outstanding  bonds  or  notes; and, provided further, the first
      issuance of debt pursuant to chapter six hundred five of the laws of two
      thousand, as amended, shall be excluded from this requirement;
        (j) may review the operation, management, efficiency and  productivity
      of  the  city  and  any  covered  organizations  as  the  authority  may
      determine, and make reports thereon; examine the  potential  to  enhance
      the  revenue  of  the city or any covered organization; audit compliance
      with the financial plan in such areas as the  authority  may  determine;
      recommend  to  the  city  and  the  covered  organizations such measures
      relating to their operations, management, efficiency and productivity as
      the authority deems appropriate to reduce costs,  enhance  revenue,  and
      improve services so as to advance the purposes of this title;
        (k)  may  require  the  city  to  undertake certain actions to advance
      serious and in-depth exploration  of  a  merger  of  services  with  the
      county, including identification and analysis of options; development of
      a detailed fiscal and programmatic plan; identification of city, county,
      and state impediments; and fostering of informed public debate;
        (l)  may  review  and  approve or disapprove the terms of any proposed
      settlement of claims against the city or  any  covered  organization  in
      excess of fifty thousand dollars;
        (m)  may obtain from the city, the covered organizations, comptroller,
      and the state comptroller,  as  appropriate,  all  information  required
      pursuant  to  this  section,  and  such  other  financial statements and
      projections, budgetary data and information, and management reports  and
      materials  as  the  authority deems necessary or desirable to accomplish
      the purposes of this title; and inspect, copy and audit such  books  and
      records of the city and the covered organizations as the authority deems
      necessary or desirable to accomplish the purposes of this title;
        (n)  may  perform  such  audits and reviews of the city and any agency
      thereof and any covered organizations as it deems necessary; and
        (o) may issue, from time to time and to the extent it deems  necessary
      or  desirable  in order to accomplish the purposes of this title, to the
      appropriate official of the city and  each  covered  organization,  such
      orders  necessary  to  accomplish the purposes of this title, including,
      but not  limited  to,  timely  and  satisfactory  implementation  of  an
      approved  financial  plan. Any order so issued shall be binding upon the
    
      official to whom it was issued and failure to  comply  with  such  order
      shall  subject  the  official  to the penalties described in subdivision
      three of this section.
        3.  (a)  During  any  control period (i) no officer or employee of the
      city or of any of the covered organizations shall make or  authorize  an
      obligation or other liability in excess of the amount available therefor
      under  the financial plan as then in effect; (ii) no officer or employee
      of the city or of any of the covered  organizations  shall  involve  the
      city  or  any  of  the  covered  organizations  in any contract or other
      obligation or liability  for  the  payment  of  money  for  any  purpose
      required  to  be approved by the authority unless such contract has been
      so approved and unless such contract or obligation or  liability  is  in
      compliance with the approved financial plan as then in effect.
        (b)  No  officer  or  employee  of  the  city  or  any  of the covered
      organizations shall take any action in violation of any valid  order  of
      the authority or shall fail or refuse to take any action required by any
      such  order  or  shall  prepare,  present  or  certify  any  information
      (including any projections or estimates) or report to the  authority  or
      any  of  its  agents that is false or misleading, or, upon learning that
      any such information is false or  misleading,  shall  fail  promptly  to
      advise the authority or its agents thereof.
        (c)  In  addition to any penalty or liability under any other law, any
      officer or employee of the city or any of the covered organizations  who
      shall  violate paragraph (a) or (b) of this subdivision shall be subject
      to appropriate administrative discipline, including, when  circumstances
      warrant,  suspension  from  duty  without  pay or removal from office by
      order of either the governor or the mayor; and any officer or  employees
      of  the city or any of the covered organizations who shall knowingly and
      willfully violate paragraph (a) or (b) of this subdivision  shall,  upon
      conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor.
        (d)  In  the  case  of  a  violation  of  paragraph (a) or (b) of this
      subdivision by an officer or employee  of  the  city  or  of  a  covered
      organization,  the  mayor or the chief executive officer of such covered
      organization shall immediately report to  the  authority  all  pertinent
      facts together with a statement of the action taken thereon.