File #: Int 0725-2015    Version: Name: Incorporating feedback from businesses into agency inspector customer service training.
Type: Introduction Status: Enacted
Committee: Committee on Governmental Operations
On agenda: 3/31/2015
Enactment date: 6/29/2015 Law number: 2015/067
Title: A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to incorporating feedback from businesses into agency inspector customer service training
Sponsors: Robert E. Cornegy, Jr., Melissa Mark-Viverito, Maria Del Carmen Arroyo, Margaret S. Chin, Costa G. Constantinides, Mathieu Eugene, Corey D. Johnson, Rosie Mendez, Deborah L. Rose, Andrew Cohen, Daniel Dromm , Helen K. Rosenthal, Ben Kallos, Stephen T. Levin, Eric A. Ulrich
Council Member Sponsors: 15
Summary: This bill would update existing requirements for customer service training given to inspectors at agencies that interact regularly with small businesses. Specifically, it would require that this customer service training be reviewed annually, and updated as necessary, based on customer service survey feedback received through the City’s website. This survey is currently operational, and its continued operation would be required by this bill. Inspected businesses are directed to this customer service survey when they are handed a “Business Owners Bill of Rights,” which is required to be distributed during inspections. The bill would further require that, if fewer than 500 survey responses are received during designated two-year periods, the Office of Operations would be required to conduct outreach until that number is met for up to three months.
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 725-A, 2. Summary of Int. No. 725, 3. Int. No. 725 - 3/31/15, 4. March 31, 2015 - Stated Meeting Agenda with Links to Files, 5. Committee Report 4/14/15, 6. Hearing Testimony 4/14/15, 7. Committee Report 6/9/15, 8. Hearing Transcript 6/9/15, 9. June 10, 2015 - Stated Meeting Agenda with Links to Files, 10. Fiscal Impact Statement, 11. Mayor's Letter, 12. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 6-10-15, 13. Minutes of the Stated Meeting - June 10, 2015, 14. Local Law 67
Date Ver.Prime SponsorAction ByActionResultAction DetailsMeeting DetailsMultimedia
6/29/2015ARobert E. Cornegy, Jr. City Council Recved from Mayor by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available
6/29/2015ARobert E. Cornegy, Jr. Mayor Signed Into Law by Mayor  Action details Meeting details Not available
6/23/2015ARobert E. Cornegy, Jr. Mayor Hearing Held by Mayor  Action details Meeting details Not available
6/10/2015ARobert E. Cornegy, Jr. City Council Sent to Mayor by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available
6/10/2015ARobert E. Cornegy, Jr. City Council Approved by CouncilPass Action details Meeting details Not available
6/9/2015*Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. Committee on Governmental Operations Hearing Held by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
6/9/2015*Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. Committee on Governmental Operations Amendment Proposed by Comm  Action details Meeting details Not available
6/9/2015*Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. Committee on Governmental Operations Amended by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
6/9/2015ARobert E. Cornegy, Jr. Committee on Governmental Operations Approved by CommitteePass Action details Meeting details Not available
4/14/2015*Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. Committee on Consumer Affairs Laid Over by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
4/14/2015*Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. Committee on Consumer Affairs Hearing Held by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
4/14/2015*Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. Committee on Small Business Laid Over by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
4/14/2015*Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. Committee on Small Business Hearing Held by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
4/14/2015*Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. Committee on Governmental Operations Laid Over by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
4/14/2015*Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. Committee on Governmental Operations Hearing Held by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
3/31/2015*Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. City Council Referred to Comm by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available
3/31/2015*Robert E. Cornegy, Jr. City Council Introduced by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available
Int. No. 725-A
By Council Members Cornegy, The Speaker (Council Member Mark-Viverito), Arroyo, Chin, Constantinides, Eugene, Johnson, Mendez, Rose, Cohen, Dromm, Rosenthal, Kallos, Levin and Ulrich
 
 
A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to incorporating feedback from businesses into agency inspector customer service training
 
 
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
      Section 1. Paragraph 1 of subdivision f of section 15 of the New York city charter, as amended by local law number 132 for the year 2013, is amended to read as follows:
1. The office of operations shall develop a business owner's bill of rights. The bill of rights shall be in the form of a written document, drafted in plain language, that advises business owners of their rights as they relate to agency inspections. The bill of rights shall include, but not be limited to, notice of every business owner's right to: i) consistent enforcement of agency rules; ii) compliment or complain about an inspector or inspectors online, anonymously, if desired, through a customer service survey, and information sufficient to allow a business owner to do so, including but not limited to the url of such survey; iii) contest a notice of violation before the relevant local tribunal, if any; iv) an inspector who behaves in a professional and courteous manner; v) an inspector who can answer reasonable questions relating to the inspection, or promptly makes an appropriate referral; vi) an inspector with a sound knowledge of the applicable laws, rules and regulations; vii) access information in languages other than English; and viii) request language interpretation services for agency inspections of the business.
§ 2. Paragraph 1 of subdivision g of section 15 of the New York city charter, as added by local law number 33 for the year 2013, is amended to read as follows:
1. The office of operations shall develop a standardized customer service training curriculum to be used, to the extent practicable, by relevant agencies for training agency inspectors. Such training shall be reviewed annually and updated as needed, taking into account feedback received through the customer service survey created and maintained by the office on the city's website pursuant to subdivision h of this section. Such training shall include instruction on communicating effectively with non-English speakers during inspections. For purposes of this subdivision, relevant agencies shall include the department of buildings, the department of consumer affairs, the department of health and mental hygiene, the department of environmental protection, the department of sanitation, and the bureau of fire prevention of the fire department.
§ 3. Subdivision g of section 15 of the New York city charter is amended by adding a new paragraph 4 to read as follows:
4. If, on September 1, 2017, September 1, 2019, or September 1, 2021 the office of operations has received fewer than 500 responses with respect to relevant agencies through the customer service survey created and maintained by the office on the city's website pursuant to subdivision h of this section in the previous twenty-four-month period, the office of operations shall perform outreach to businesses that were inspected by relevant agencies during such period to solicit feedback and to encourage the owners of such businesses to complete such customer service survey. Such outreach shall continue until the office of operations has received a total of at least 500 such responses, including both responses received during such twenty-four-month period and responses received after such twenty-four-month period during the period the office of operations is required to perform outreach, provided that the office of operations shall not be required to perform outreach for more than three months following such twenty-four-month period.
§ 4. Section 15 of the New York city charter is amended by adding a new subdivision h to read as follows:
h. The office of operations shall create and maintain a customer service survey on the city's website that allows business owners to provide feedback on their experiences interacting with, at a minimum, inspectors from relevant agencies, as such term is defined in subdivision g of this section. Such business owners shall have the option of providing such feedback anonymously.
§ 5. This local law takes effect 30 days after it becomes law. Paragraph 4 of subdivision g of section 15 of the New York city charter, as added by section three of this local law, expires and is deemed repealed on December 31, 2021.
dss
LS 1139/2014
6/2/14