Program areas at CNYC
In 2022, some level of recovery from covid was clear, but Cnyc elected to continue to conduct its meetings and eventually its annual conference via zoom again.efforts focused on bringing back lapsed memberships and on advocacy for improvement in property tax law, energy and carbon reduction regulations, etc, to protect the interests and needs of housing Cooperatives and condominiums. Regular communication with members took the form of frequent e-blasts, with notices subsequently posted on the Cnyc website.
On sunday, november 13th, Cnyc held its 42nd annual housing conference as an all-virtual event. Cnyc offered 42 classes in three time frames plus a plenary session in the middle of the day. 68 knowledgeable volunteer speakers shared their expertise with 359 conference registrants, and in the plenary session, deputy commissioner for sustainability laura popa addressed the group as did howard rothschild, president of the realty advisory board on labor relations, Inc., which had in april negotiated a successful 4-year contract with building service workers and our perennial supporter gale brewer, who had returned to the city council after two terms as manhattan borough president.
Despite Cnyc's efforts membership remained stagnant, with only 966 Cooperatives and condominiums paying dues by the end of the year. This includes 15 New members. 63 professionals renewed their affiliation with the council and 2 New professionals joined in 2022. They all received Cnyc notices and publications, including the comparative study of 2020 operating cost, and were able to avail themselves of the benefits of the organization at no cost or at special member and affiliate rates. Since 2017, membership in the national association of housing Cooperatives (nahc) became mandatory for Cnyc members. The New program gives all Cnyc members full membership rights at nahc, whose advocacy function with the federal government is very important to Cnyc.
E. consistent with the council's goals of enhancing member Cooperatives and condominiums' ability to function efficiently, affordably and safely, and in compliance with all applicable laws, the council conducted 17 evening classes in the course of the year which, in the aggregate, were attended by more than 500 people.f. The council compiled and published its annual comparative study of building operating costs which included data gleaned from the annual financial statements of over 1200 Cooperatives and condominiums, reported in eight categories, east side Cooperatives in manhattan), west side Cooperatives (in manhattan) , manhattan condominiums, condominiums outside of manhattan, large Cooperatives outside of manhattan, small manhattan Cooperatives, small brooklyn Cooperatives, and loft Cooperatives and condominiums. The comparative study helps members determine if their own buildings are operating efficiently and enables them to target areas where they may be able to reduce current costs. For a sixth year, consultants at decision fish prepared for the council's website an online tool to facilitate comparisons in the study. In addition to its use by Cnyc members and professional affiliates, the annual comparative study is used by brokers, appraisers, journalists and economists in studying New York city's Cooperatives and condominiums. G. the council's award winning website, www.cnyc.coop completed its 27th year in october. Links to hundreds of websites of related interest and scores of "pages" of information about Cooperatives and condominiums make this a popular information center. It continued to grow and flourish, providing information about the organization to surfers of the internet and answering their questions via e-mail the internet suffix dot coop continues to be effective in calling attention to Cooperatives and in further 'branding' Cnyc services. The council's director of membership and communications continued to provide information about Cnyc on social media including facebook and twitter.h. Cnyc continues to urge that the city's strong efforts at carbon reduction beimplemented with more equitable procedures, citing for guidance the bluepoint for efficiency, prepared by the urban green council summarizing the activities of the energy task force that it had convened in 2017. This document advocates careful attention to building's density, use, etc, in the determination of progressive percentages of reduction in reliance on fossil fuels. The council expressed the hope that the climate advisory board formed would make revisions to the current law following these guidelines. Cnyc's executive director served throughout the year on two of the volunteer working groups helping the advisory commission for the implementation of local law 97 to formulate equitable rules and procedures for the implementation of the law, the multi-family working group and the communications working group. The first in a series of rules with which the department of buildings will implement local law 97 reflected consideration for suggestions made by the working groups.i. Through its action committee for reasonable real estate taxes, cnyccontinues to work with the nyc department of finance to facilitate compliance with modifications to the property tax abatement program that has been in place since 1996, sorting out confusion relating to the primary residency requirement instituted for the city's fiscal year 2013. In 2017 New online reporting forms were introduced, which require both Cooperatives and condominiums to confirm annually that their buildings wish to continue to participate in the abatement program. Legislation enacted in 2021 and signed into law on labor day by governor kathyhochul further amended the abatement program to require that many Cooperatives and condominiums with higher assessed value submit an affidavit confirming that all building services workers are paid prevailing wages in order for qualifying shareholders and unit owners to continue to receive the abatement. This is required of buildings meeting the financial requirements, even if they don't have any building services employees. Needless to say this created enormous confusion in the first year of its implementation. Cnyc worked closely with the department of finance, which repeatedly extended the deadline for these filings, in the hope of enabling all buildings to comply. J. In april, the council's executive director was a member of the negotiating team formed by the realty advisory board on labor relations, Inc. (the rab) to negotiate a contract with the building service employees of local 32bj of the service employees international union. Elements of this contract acknowledged and rewarded the extraordinary work of these residential building service employees during the covid pandemic, when they came to work every day, keeping residential buildings clean and safe. K. the council continued to work with other organizations in the real estate industry in New York city to mitigate the cost of various filings and building modifications required by law, and to expand opportunities for grants, abatements and other incentives to defray the costs of compliance for those who struggle with these costs. L. the council continues to help members cope with city laws that requires allbuildings of 25,000 square feet or more to 'benchmark' their water and energy costs and to prominently display their letter grades on this benchmarking. M. the council's executive director participated in a working group formed by thenew York state department of financial services to implement the legislation passed in 2021 permitting reverse apartment unit loans for seniors in housing Cooperatives in the state of New York. By the end of the year, reverse mortgage counselors had been trained in issues particular to housing Cooperatives and were certified to provide requisite counseling and a number of non-deposit lenders (those that are supervised by the department of financial services) had qualified to make these loans. N. Cnyc continues to consult with leaders of diverse organizations forhousing Cooperatives to combat legislative attempts at state and city levels to control the admissions process that is so important to housing Cooperatives, where ownership is shared and all shareholders are expected to contribute to the community. O. The council's executive director continues to serve on the board of the realty advisory board on labor relations Inc. (the rab) which represents property owners in their dealings with service employees. Throughout the pandemic, the rab has played an important role in securing cooperation between union and management on adjustments in schedules and in building protocols to meet the New needs imposed by the pandemic. (see above letter l. for the 32bj contract negotiated in april).p. The council's executive director also serves on the advisory board of 32bj's thomas shortman training fund's school for union members. During the pandemic, this school quickly developed state-of-the-art training programs in cleaning and disinfecting procedures, which it shared with other unions. In 2022 it expanded its class offerings, both online and in person. It currently offers training to union members up and down the east coast. Q. The council's executive director is a member of the resident managementcouncil of the real estate board of New yorkr. The council continued to provide courses that qualify for continuing education credit for cpas in New York state and continuing legal education accreditation for qualifying classes. S. the council's director of membership and communication runs a discussiongroup for small buildings at six or seven week intervals throughout the year. Many 'regulars' now attend all these meetings and each meeting also draws New participants. The counci also ran its two-session class entitled introduction to co-op board responsibilities: an intensive seminar for New directors, a session on Cnyc's model proprietary lease, plus two sessions of its free wheeling workshop for building treasurers, where questions brought by participants set the discussion agenda. T. the council continued to be represented on the legislative action committee of the New York state chapter of the community associations institute, joining forces with other Cooperatives, condominiums and homeowner associations statewide to work together on legislative priorities.
U.. The council's treasurer continued to serve as chairman of the board of the national association of housing Cooperatives, where the council's executive director chairs the government relations committee, and the council's assistant treasurer volunteers his services. Nahc continues to push for passage of congressional legislation introduced to enable fema to make grants to housing Cooperatives, condominiums and home owner associations when disasters destroy building-wide systems or devastate common property and legislation to enable veterans to use their low interest loan benefits to purchase homes in housing Cooperatives. V. the council's executive director serves on the board of the urban homestead-ing assistance board (uhab), Inc. Which provides funding and training for the establishment, refurbishing and maintaining of cooperative housing for low income families. Uhab leaders presented three classes at Cnyc's virtaul 42nd annual housing conference. Uhab also arranged for 56 of its members to log on to classes at that conference.