Testimony to the NYC Council for 2026 Preliminary Budget Hearing – Technology

Key Takeaways

• OTI staffing gaps hinder open data and automation.
• Proposes moving tech offices under Deputy Mayor for oversight.
• Calls for 11 new OTI staff, including developers.
• Recommends open source program and shared data APIs.
• Emphasizes broadband adoption and digital literacy investments.

Summary

BetaNYC testified before the NYC Council urging budget reforms for the Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI), citing severe staffing shortages that undermine open data and automation efforts. The testimony proposes moving OTI’s specialized units under the Deputy Mayor for Operations, modernizing procurement, and reallocating funds toward digital service design. It requests funding for eleven full‑time staff, including software developers, to restore the Open Data Team and clear a backlog of 353 datasets. Additional recommendations focus on open‑source adoption, shared data APIs, broadband equity, and digital‑literacy programs.

Pulse Analysis

New York City pioneered the world’s first open data law, yet the Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) now faces a chronic staffing shortage that threatens the momentum of its data‑driven initiatives. BetaNYC’s testimony highlights that the Open Data Team has shrunk to four analysts and two fellows, far below the pre‑COVID complement that supported 978 automatable datasets. The resulting backlog—353 datasets awaiting automation—illustrates how limited personnel directly curtail efficiency, transparency, and the city’s ability to meet statutory data‑sharing mandates.

The testimony urges a shift from the centralized ‘Tech Czar’ model to agency‑level empowerment by placing OTI’s Open Data, Data Analytics and 311 units under the Deputy Mayor for Operations. This restructuring aims to embed service‑design expertise within line agencies, streamline procurement for agile vendors, and reallocate funds from speculative projects to front‑door digital experiences such as a unified 311 platform. By establishing an Open Source Program Office and standardizing data schemas and APIs, the city could reduce proprietary lock‑in, lower development costs, and accelerate cross‑agency interoperability.

Equity considerations round out the budget request: advancing the Internet Master Plan 2.0, expanding digital‑literacy partnerships, and creating apprenticeships for CUNY students are positioned as essential for closing the digital divide. Funding eleven full‑time OTI staff—including three software developers—would restore the Open Data Team to its pre‑COVID capacity and clear the automation backlog. If adopted, these measures would not only improve citizen access to city services but also reinforce New York’s reputation as a national benchmark for municipal technology governance.