NYC Ballot Proposal 2 Could Make Online Contract Comments Permanent

New York City voters are scheduled to decide Ballot Proposal 2 on November 3, 2026. The measure would make online public comments on city contracts permanent in the City Charter and allow the contract threshold at which the process applies to be raised. The proposal concerns public participation in procurement rather than a specific solicitation or award: the available source provides no new contract opportunities, award amounts, or revised threshold. Its effects therefore depend first on the election result and, if approved, on subsequent implementation decisions.

The proposal builds on A8864A, legislation authored and helped passed by New York State Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar in 2024. That law amended Section 326 of the New York City Charter and replaced mandatory in-person hearings for contracts valued at $100,000 or more with an online public-comment process. The change was intended to reduce delays and make it easier for residents to comment without attending hearings in person. Proposal 2 would preserve that online approach in the charter and permit the threshold to be raised, although the source does not specify a new amount or explain how a revised threshold would be set.

For companies pursuing or performing New York City work, the immediate procurement implication is a need to track both the vote and any later rules or procedures. If voters approve the proposal, making online comments permanent could give agencies a stable process for public input, while a higher threshold could change which contracts are subject to the process. Contractors should review existing workflows for public-comment periods, bid and proposal planning, stakeholder engagement, and schedule assumptions. No source detail establishes that review periods will shorten for every procurement or that a particular contract will be affected.

Rajkumar’s office projects that the measure could accelerate more than 120 additional projects annually by reducing procurement delays. That figure is a projection attributed to the Assemblywoman’s office, not a reported count of awarded contracts or a guaranteed outcome. Rajkumar said: “This reform was always about New Yorkers. A working parent shouldn’t have to take a day off to weigh in on how their City spends money, and a needed project shouldn’t sit stalled in red tape. Proposal 2 makes online public comment permanent and moves more than 120 projects a year forward faster. That’s a City that gets projects moving in a New York minute and gives New Yorkers a voice 24/7 in the City that never sleeps.” The statement names Citizens Union, Reinvent Albany, Common Cause New York, DC 37, the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, and New York City Lawyers for the Public Interest as supporters. The measure remains pending before voters at the time of the source report.

• Vote date: New York City voters are scheduled to decide Proposal 2 on November 3, 2026; the proposal has not yet been approved.
• Proposed change: Make online public comments on city contracts permanent in the City Charter.
• Threshold authority: Proposal 2 would allow the contract threshold for the comment process to be raised; no revised threshold is specified.
• Current framework: The 2024 law, A8864A, amended Section 326 of the New York City Charter and replaced mandatory in-person hearings for contracts of $100,000 or more with online comments.
• Projected effect: Rajkumar’s office says the change could move more than 120 additional projects annually forward faster by reducing procurement delays.
• Contractor action: Monitor the election result and any implementation guidance, then reassess comment-period assumptions and procurement schedules for city work.
• Scope caution: The source identifies no specific solicitations, contract awards, dollar values beyond the existing threshold, or guaranteed timeline reductions.
• Named supporters: Citizens Union, Reinvent Albany, Common Cause New York, DC 37, the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, and New York City Lawyers for the Public Interest.