Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.
On Friday, October 16, 2026, the New York City Council Committee on Civil Service and Labor, chaired by Councilmember Shirley Aldebol, held an oversight hearing examining municipal retention strategies. The hearing featured testimony from the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), the Office of Labor Relations (OLR), and public witnesses. Key topics included the city's 85% retention rate, a 3.8% vacancy rate, the departure of over 32,000 employees in FY2025, and initiatives to improve career development, benefits communication, and workplace culture.
Good morning and welcome to the New York City Council Committee hearing for the civil and civil service on labor. This time, please put all devices on silent going forward and the one who's to approach the day. If you wish to testify or have any questions, please see one of the sergeant at arms at the back of the room or the reception desk. Chair, you may begin. Good morning and welcome to today's hearing of the New York City Council's Committee on Civil Service and Labor. I'm Councilmember Shirley Al Debol, Chair of this committee. Today we will be holding the second in a series of hearings about the New York City Municipal Workforce. Last month we held an oversight hearing on municipal recruitment and pathways into the civil service. And today we will be focusing on civil service retention strategies. New York City's municipal workforce is the backbone of the city, and municipal workers provide vital services that keep New Yorkers safe and healthy and keep daily operations running smoothly. Yet, in the 2025 fiscal year, over 32,000 individuals departed the city's workforce, begging the question of what factors are driving attrition at such a pace. Studies and reports from the municipal research and service services center and the National League of Cities have found that key retention strategies for municipal workforces are not so different from those in private sector. Employees seek work-life balance, stability, career development, and advancement pathways, and competitive compensation and benefits. Responses to DCAS's exit survey indicate that resignations are continuing to significantly outpace retirement. And over a quarter of resigning employees cite a lack of career advancement opportunities as this main driver for leaving. Moreover, when employees were asked to make recommendations for how to improve the employee experience, the most common requests were for increased pay, improved communication and transparency from management to staff, and to address staffing vacancies to better distribute workload. It is also notable that 54% of respondents of the city's employee viewpoint survey indicated that they would consider taking a job elsewhere if it offered greater flexibility for remote work options. Given that city employees have shared the specific factors that not only lead them to depart, but that could lead them to remain in civil service. This committee is interested to see what actions the administration plans to take to reduce attrition and retain dedicated civil servants. The Mamdani administration has launched several initiatives that make working for the city more attractive and more sustainable, including Little Apple Free Child Care Center for City Employees and an expansion of the mayor's scholarship program for municipal workers. We were also glad to hear last week that Mayor Mamdani has formed a task force in partnership with organized labor to make recommendations to the state on how to modernize the civil service and speed up the hiring process. As we heard last month, lengthy timelines at every step of the civil service hiring process paired with procedures that haven't been updated in decades, frustrate civil service hiring and cost the city highly qualified potential employees who simply cannot wait around for a job. We are heartened by these endeavors and the seriousness with which this administration is taking civil service reform. And today we look forward to learning more about how we can work with this administration to ensure that the municipal workforce remains an attractive career path. Before we begin, I'd like to thank committee staff, senior legislative council, Rie Ogasawara, and senior policy analyst Nina Rosenberg for their hard work in preparing for this hearing. I'd also like to thank my chief of staff, Sophia Brown, and my whole district 13 team for the work that you do to serve our bronx constituents. At this point, I would like to recognize that we have been joined by Council members Narcis and Councilmember Hudson. Oh, I didn't see you were hiding. Councilmember Morano. So now we will hear testimony from representatives of DCAS and OLR. I now turn to committee council to administer the oath for this panel. Good morning. We will now hear testimony from the administration. Before we begin, I will administer the affirmation. Panelists, please raise your right hand. I will read the affirmation once, then call on each of you individually to respond. Do you affirm to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth before this committee and to respond honestly to council member questions? Yes. Thank you. Good morning, Chair Aldeball and members of the city's council's committee on civil service and labor. My name is Katrina Porter, and I proudly serve as Deputy Commissioner and Chief Human Capital Officer at the Department of Administrative Services, more commonly known as DCAS. I'm joined today by my colleague Katie Ann Otar, Assistant Commissioner for Workforce Operations at DCAS, and Dan Pollock, first deputy commissioner for the Office of Labor Relations. We thank you all for inviting us to appear today and to speak on our efforts to bolster retention and support our city's workforce.