New York City Voters Pass All Five Ballot Proposals to Overhaul Government Operations New York City voters approved five charter amendments on Election Day 2026, streamlining outdoor dining, city contracts, street safety projects, construction permits, and emergency savings. The proposals were developed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani's Commission on Government Efficiency. New York City voters approved all five ballot proposals on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, to rewrite City Hall's rulebook and speed up government approvals for street safety projects, outdoor dining sheds, city contracts, building permits, and emergency savings. The proposals were developed by the 15-member Commission on Government Efficiency, or COGE, appointed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani after he dissolved the charter commission left by former Mayor Eric Adams. Mayor Mamdani said he voted yes on all five measures. In a press release, he said: Tonight, New Yorkers voted for a government that moves as fast as they do.Outdoor Dining Permit ChangesFrom opening outdoor dining faster to speeding up street safety projects to accelerating housing production, we are cutting red tape that will directly address the affordability crisis and help New Yorkers stay in the city they love. Now comes the work of turning these votes into results. Proposal one, which passed with 63.2% of the vote, makes public hearings optional for permits covering sidewalk cafes, accessibility ramps, planters and other private uses of public space.It removes the City Council's ability to veto individual sidewalk cafe applications and combines application processes for sidewalk and roadway dining. Local officials would have 15 days to comment. The commission estimated the changes, combined with a Department of Transportation initiative to clear a backlog, could reduce outdoor dining approval times from as long as eight months to about two months. The changes take effect March 1, 2027, and do not apply to previously submitted applications.City Contract PaperworkCitizens Union, the Citizens Budget Commission and Reinvent Albany supported the measure. Common Cause New York opposed it, warning that faster approvals should not come at the expense of public participation and legislative oversight. Proposal two, which passed with 61.6% of the vote, reduces paperwork for businesses and nonprofits seeking city contracts. It allows the Procurement Policy Board to simplify contractor questionnaires based on contract size, industry and whether a vendor is a small business.The board must meet at least quarterly, and certain contract approvals can be delegated to agency officials. It eliminates a public hearing on agencies' social service contracting plans. Starting in 2030, the board could raise or lower the $100,000 cutoff that determines which contracts require public comment. The commission projected the changes could shave about 30 days off some procurement processes.Citizens Union and Common Cause supported the proposal, though Citizens Union cautioned that relaxing disclosure requirements could weaken safeguards against corruption unless new rules are carefully developed. Proposal three, which passed with 65.5% of the vote, combines street safety project reforms with changes to city-owned property and office space. For transportation projects, it streamlines consultation requirements that can delay bike lanes, bus lanes and other roadway improvements.Street Safety ProjectsIt gives the transportation commissioner greater flexibility to accelerate projects addressing immediate safety concerns, allowing projects to start before presenting them to local community boards if the agency's boss decides there is risk of significant injury. It removes the requirement for the Department of Transportation to consult with local firehouses and says a street project cannot be thrown out simply because DOT failed to consult another city agency.The measure also allows certain city-owned properties of 10,000 square feet or less, along with transfers of unused development rights from city-owned landmarks, to undergo shorter approval processes. The City Planning Commission, rather than the City Council, would have final approval over those transactions. The Municipal Art Society of New York opposed the measure. Bronx Councilman Eric Dinowitz, a Democrat, said: Communities deserve a voice in changes to their neighborhoods.Proposal 3 weakens existing requirements for community input and oversight, and no current or future mayor should be given even more authority to disregard the voices of the people most directly impacted by these projects. Citizens Union and the Citizens Budget Commission supported the overall proposal, though Citizens Union criticized bundling unrelated changes into one question. Reinvent Albany backed faster street improvements but objected to combining them with real estate changes.Construction Permitting HubProposal four, which passed with 67.5% of the vote, simplifies construction permitting by establishing a centralized online system for applicants to navigate approvals from multiple city agencies. It directs the Department of Buildings to develop a permitting hub bringing together 40 permits and approvals currently handled by 18 agencies and offices.It transfers waterfront construction permitting responsibilities from the Department of Small Business Services to the Buildings Department and expands the number of senior department officials, including deputy and borough commissioners, authorized to issue certain approvals. The system has a target launch date of Dec. 1, 2029, though implementation depends on funding and the deadline could be extended. Citizens Union, the Citizens Budget Commission and Common Cause supported the measure.City Emergency ReservesBrooklyn for All of Us and United Neighbors of Prospect and Crown Heights opposed it. Proposal five, which passed with 72.3% of the vote, addresses how much money New York City should set aside for future financial emergencies. It establishes a target for city reserves equal to at least 12% of the previous fiscal year's tax revenue.It requires the Mayor's Office of Management and Budget, in consultation with the comptroller, to develop a methodology for calculating contributions to the city's rainy day fund. However, the amendment does not require automatic annual deposits, even when reserves fall below the target. It also allows other qualifying reserve accounts to count toward the 12% goal. Deposits would follow a new city written formula and budget approval process, but savings are not guaranteed.Citizens Union and Common Cause supported the proposal, arguing it would establish clearer guidelines for maintaining reserves. The Citizens Budget Commission opposed it, contending the requirements were too weak to ensure the city saves enough during strong economic periods. It recommended stronger deposit rules and a reserve target equal to 16% of annual tax revenue. Reinvent Albany also opposed it, saying it leaves too much room for City Hall to avoid putting money away.Three controversial housing-related charter amendments were also on the ballot, streamlining approvals for certain developments and shifting some authority away from the City Council. Those measures, proposed by a commission convened under former Mayor Eric Adams, passed despite opposition from Council leaders who warned the changes would diminish community input and legislative oversight. Some neighborhood groups opposed all five proposals.United Neighbors of Prospect and Crown Heights issued a statement saying it cannot support changes to the City Charter that further restrict or block public participation. Another local advocacy group, Brooklyn for All of Us, said: Our elected officials should not be willing to trade in so called efficiency for democracy when it silences their constituents.