New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer has formed a unit to oversee the handling of funds related to Hurricane Sandy rebuilding.
Stringer will hold town-hall-type meetings in the Rockaways, Breezy Point, Coney Island, Staten Island and elsewhere over the coming months to discuss program ideas and audit recommendations.
"It is critical to have an accounting of how government has responded to this event, and what we can do to better prepare for the future," Stringer said in an April 17 statement.
The oversight unit, which Stringer advocated during last year's campaign for comptroller, will identify areas to improve performance and service delivery to protect taxpayers from fraud, waste and abuse; monitor the budget, milestones and status of Sandy-related projects; and propose policy recommendations to help the city enhance its emergency preparedness capacity.
According to Stringer, audit staff will examine the 'Build it Back' program to determine whether the housing recovery office has set goals and timetables for the delivery of services and established procedures to reduce the backlog of applications.
Later on April 17, Mayor Bill de Blasio was to announce major changes to the Build it Back program as well as follow-up proposals to former Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to fortify the city from future storms.
