The City Council Health Committee on Sept. 2, 2026 pressed the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and union witnesses about understaffing and low pay for water ecologists and inspectors, asking what the administration will do now — on salaries, hiring timelines, and Office of Management (OM) approvals — to immediately boost inspection capacity during the Upper East/West Side Legionnaires clusters.
# What’s happening
– Council held an oversight hearing on Legionnaires staffing and enforcement on Sept. 2, 2026.
– DOHMH says it budgeted 56 water‑ecologist positions, most now filled; six remain open.
– Union witnesses demanded higher salaries and faster OM hiring approvals.
# Why it matters
– Residents near implicated cooling towers face delayed inspections and slower remediation.
– More inspectors and faster hiring change how quickly towers get tested, disinfected, or fined.
# Key details
– Oversight hearing date: Sept. 2, 2026.
– DOHMH budgeted 56 water‑ecologist positions, including 23 added in November 2025.
– Union reported a level‑one water‑ecologist starting salary advertised at $52,000 (as of July 15, 2026).
– Fiscal 2027 executive plan shows $2.5 million in FY2026 “savings” tied to slower roll‑out of Legionella prevention hires.
– Union and some inspectors say OM hiring approvals can take more than a year.
– Union said water ecologist level‑two and below were excluded from the 2023 flexible‑work pilot.
The City Council’s Health Committee convened an oversight hearing on Sept. 2 to question staffing and enforcement capacity during the Legionnaires clusters. Source: https://youtu.be/yUv8NnlcIkc&t=735
**New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH)**
– Role or jurisdiction: City agency responsible for disease surveillance, environmental health, and cooling‑tower inspection and remediation citywide.
– Action taken or responsibility: Told the council it budgeted and added water‑ecology headcount and is actively recruiting remaining hires.
– Relevant numbers or dates: 56 budgeted water‑ecologist positions; 23 positions funded November 2025; DOHMH said a majority of those positions are filled and it was recruiting for six open roles. Source: https://youtu.be/yUv8NnlcIkc&t=4586
DOHMH witnesses told the committee that the water‑ecologist unit now shows 56 budgeted positions, that 23 of those were funded in November 2025, and that the department was actively recruiting to fill the remaining open posts. Source: https://youtu.be/yUv8NnlcIkc&t=4586
**DC37 Local 3005 / Megan Peterson**
– Role or jurisdiction: Union representing scientists and water ecologists at DOHMH.
– Action taken or responsibility: Testified about recruitment and retention problems tied to pay, OM delays, and workplace rules.
– Relevant numbers or dates: Said a July 15 job posting listed a level‑one starting salary of $52,000; reported OM approval delays and cited a $2.5 million FY26 savings line tied to slower hiring. Source: https://youtu.be/JiPk_3u-0m4&t=3616
Megan Peterson, president of DC37 Local 3005, testified that salaries for entry‑level water ecologists are not competitive — pointing to a July 15 posting showing a $52,000 starting salary — and that even a recent equity adjustment was unlikely to stop turnover. She also told the committee that the Office of Management (OM) often delays approvals for hires — sometimes more than a year — which stalled onboarding during the outbreak response. Source: https://youtu.be/JiPk_3u-0m4&t=3616
Union witnesses told the committee that DOHMH staff excluded water ecologist levels two and below from the flexible‑work pilot negotiated with DC37 in 2023; they argued including those titles in flexible scheduling could raise weekly inspection totals (for example, from roughly 10 to 12 inspections per inspector). Source: https://youtu.be/JiPk_3u-0m4&t=3783
Committee members and witnesses raised a budgetary example: the fiscal 2027 executive plan shows $2.5 million of FY2026 “savings” attributed to a slower than anticipated ramp‑up of Legionella prevention hires funded in November 2025; witnesses said that delayed hiring reduced on‑the‑ground capacity. Source: https://youtu.be/JiPk_3u-0m4&t=3696
DOHMH described hiring constraints it says are practical and regulatory: candidates must meet civil‑service credentials and the agency called the roles “highly specialized,” which lengthens recruitment and onboarding timelines. DOHMH also asked council members to help connect the department with qualified candidates in their districts. Source: https://youtu.be/yUv8NnlcIkc&t=5890
The record at the hearing shows representatives pressed for immediate, concrete steps — specifically salary increases, clear hiring timelines, and OM process reforms — but DOHMH’s public testimony focused on headcount added, ongoing recruitment, and the time needed to onboard civil‑service hires rather than announcing immediate salary changes or a formal OM approval reform. Source (union testimony and DOHMH response): https://youtu.be/JiPk_3u-0m4&t=3696 https://youtu.be/yUv8NnlcIkc&t=4586
Union testimony told the committee OM delays sometimes force agencies to hire private contractors to meet surge needs; witnesses argued that using drawn‑out hiring timelines as a budget management tactic can undermine city capacity and public health. Source: https://youtu.be/JiPk_3u-0m4&t=3696
What the administration said it has done immediately: it budgeted and funded additional water‑ecologist headcount (56 budgeted, 23 added in Nov. 2025) and reported most positions filled with active recruitment for remaining roles. What it did not announce at the hearing: immediate, across‑the‑board salary increases for water ecologists, a specific accelerated hiring timeline with OM, or an administrative reform to OM approval procedures. Source: https://youtu.be/yUv8NnlcIkc&t=4586 https://youtu.be/JiPk_3u-0m4&t=3616
Council members signaled follow‑up oversight and legislative options to address the gaps raised in testimony. In earlier council events and briefings, members discussed a September oversight hearing and a legislative package that includes a seasonal hotline, testing clinics, and stronger cooling‑tower rules; committee members said they will use budget and oversight processes to press the administration for recruitment, pay, and approval changes. (This reference is to earlier council events and pre‑hearing planning.) Source (earlier council events and planning): https://youtu.be/VJCxLfZ_6hk
What is clear from the hearing record: union and field staff pressed for salary competitiveness, faster OM approvals, inclusion in flexible‑work pilots, and immediate hiring timelines; DOHMH described added budgeted positions and ongoing recruitment but did not announce immediate salary or OM‑process changes during the Sept. 2 testimony. Source: https://youtu.be/JiPk_3u-0m4&t=3616 https://youtu.be/yUv8NnlcIkc&t=4586
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