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The city has been under scrutiny for its over haul of the 911 emergency dispatch system which has been plagued with cost over runs. The head of the department in charge of the system faced tough questioning during a budget hearing on Tuesday.

The Upper West Side of Manhattan won’t get bike share until June 2013. That’s according to New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, in testimony before the New York City Council Tuesday.

The City Council voted Tuesday to override Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s veto of the so-called prevailing wage bill on Tuesday — meaning some building employees working at developments that benefit from city funds will soon earn more money.

The City Council is looking to attach some strings to banks that receive city deposits. It’s poised to pass legislation Tuesday that would give the city authority to evaluate a bank’s lending practices in low and moderate income neighborhoods when deciding which banks may be certified to receive city deposits.

A debate over early outdoor seating is brewing after several Brooklyn eateries received summonses in the past few weeks. The reason? Operating sidewalk cafes before noon on a Sunday.

City Council members received up to $578 million in Fiscal Year 2012 to fund construction projects and a variety of non-profits in their districts, according to a new report from the good government group, Citizens Union. Who got what was mostly decided by Council Speaker Christine Quinn — and the distribution, the group contends, was based more on politics than need.

After months of citywide debate, amended bills and two lengthy legislative hearings, city council members officially passed the so-called living wage bill by a 45 to 5 vote. But not before one final bit of drama.

The City Council waded into the issue of how much street vendors should be fined for infractions large and small. There was a committee hearing on several bills, including one that would decrease the maximum fine levied on vendors from $1,000 to $250, and another that would revise the escalating fine structure.

The Civilian Complaint Review Board unanimously ratified an agreement with the City Council, mayor and police department on Monday to allow it to prosecute all cases of police misconduct that its investigators substantiate. 

The upside to this year’s mild winter in New York City is that fewer potholes need to be fixed. But the downside is that it’s still taking too long to fix other problems, according to some City Council members.  

A ritual City Council hearing on next year's NYPD budget turned into a heated two hour back and forth between NYPD Commissioner Ray  Kelly and his council critics on everything from the department's stop-and-frisk strategy to its covert surveillance of Muslim-Americans. Kelly was quick to dismiss calls from members of the council for an Inspector General to provide independent oversight of the NYPD.

A City Council survey released Wednesday showed 85 percent of restaurant owners say the letter grading system is "Poor" or "Fair." Less than 5 percent say it's "Very Good" or "Excellent."

The familiar smell of ammonia could soon be dissipating from the hallways of many city-government buildings.

A court ruled Tuesday that they city cannot move forward with its requirement for homeless single adults to prove they have no other place to go before being found eligible for shelter.

City Council members approved a bill Wednesday that requires banks to notify the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) within 15 days of the start of foreclosure proceedings. Banks who fail comply face a fine of up to $1,000 each week until they complete the notification process.

By her own admission, Alejandrina Cabrera does not speak English very well. Yet this didn't prevent her from running for city council in San Luis, Arizona, a town where 90 percent of its resident speak Spanish. Former Mayor Guillermina Fuentes — a former friend of Cabrera's but now a political enemy — asked a court to remove her name from the ballet because of "inadequate" language skills. Cabrera subsequently failed a court-ordered English language proficiency test.

In Manhattan Supreme Court Friday, attorneys for Legal Aid and the City Council argued against a policy that would allow city shelters to impose stricter eligibility rules.

Letitia James, City Council Member from District 35 in Brooklyn, discusses the living wage bill, paid sick leave and other City Council issues. 

Manhattan Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez asked to donate his most recent $5,000 leadership stipend to the Occupy Wall Street movement, according to his letter to the Council Speaker.

The Manhattan District Attorney spoke out against a proposal that would require New York to adopt conceal and carry laws — invoking the name of Officer Peter Figoski who died at the hands of an illegal gun this week.