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Campaign Finance Board seeks technology and staff expansions as council presses for faster audits and stronger enforcement
Summary
At the same May 1 hearing the Campaign Finance Board outlined a FY26 executive budget of $109.46 million that includes staffing and technology increases and a reduced FY26 matching funds line because most matching payments were made in FY25. Council members pressed the agency on an audit backlog from prior cycles, intermediary reporting
Paul Seamus Ryan, executive director of the New York City Campaign Finance Board, told council committees on May 1 that the board’s FY26 executive budget totals about $109.46 million and includes a headcount increase of 45 positions to support strategic planning, technology modernization and voter engagement.
Ryan told the committee the FY26 budget reflects lower matching‑funds payouts in the fiscal year because the June 2025 primary was budgeted in FY25 and the November general election public‑matching payments fall in FY26; the FY26 matching‑funds projection is $22.2 million versus $82.6 million in FY25.
Why it matters: The CFB administers New York City’s public matching funds, enforces campaign finance rules and produces voter‑education materials. Council members repeatedly pressed the agency to speed audits and enforcement so potential misuse of public funds can be identified before or during an election, not only after investigations conclude years later.
Budget and operations highlights
- Overall request and headcount: The CFB’s FY26 request includes $27.4 million for personal services (budgeted headcount 258) and $59.9 million for other‑than‑personal‑services. Executive Director Ryan said the requested headcount will grow to support a new strategy, product and innovation division and expanded public‑affairs, technology, operations and people‑operations teams.
- Matching funds projection: $22.2 million is budgeted for public matching funds in FY26; Ryan explained the large year‑to‑year swing reflects timing of primary vs. general election payouts.
- Audits and enforcement: Ryan said the agency has a backlog of audits from prior cycles and has set targets to complete 50% of post‑election audits within one year for the 2025 cycle and a longer‑term goal of 90% completion within one year by 2029. He reported the agency has sent 27 final audit reports in the prior 30 days and has distributed draft audit reports for the majority of outstanding matters. For 2021 audits the CFB reported completion of 186 of 431 campaigns (about 43%) as of testimony; for the 2023 set the agency reported that it had issued 56 draft reports and completed 20 audits.
- Intermediaries and matching‑funds checks: The CFB described a new practice of flagging suspected intermediaries; since the policy change the board reported 587 invalid matching claims codes tied to suspected intermediary issues (about 3% of invalid matching claims in the 2025 cycle), and the agency has withheld matching payments when campaigns have not responded to requested documentation.
- Recent enforcement steps: Ryan confirmed the board acted this cycle to withhold funds from campaigns where suspicious activity implicated third‑party expenditures; he did not discuss ongoing investigations in detail, citing investigative restrictions and ongoing processes.
Council concerns and follow‑ups
Council members repeatedly pressed the CFB on two central themes: the audit backlog and whether existing rules and capacity are sufficient to stop improper use of public funds in or before an election. Several members asked whether the CFB has needed investigative access (for example to vendor or platform records) and whether statutory changes could improve disclosure and intermediary reporting.
The CFB said it will continue to expand staff and build a product roadmap (working with a consultant, BloomWorks) to modernize its systems and speed audits. The board also described investments in language access, ranked‑choice voting education (about $3.2 million in the executive plan), and outreach: thousands of voter‑education events in 2024 and mailers and digital campaigns planned for 2025.
Direct quotes (from hearing):
"FY26 will continue to be shaped by our 7‑year strategic plan... we have an agency North Star goal of completing 90% of audits within 1 year of the 2029 election," Paul Ryan, executive director, on audit goals.
"We have to speed these things up...we are splitting resources between the 2025 election and working through the backlog," Ryan on audit capacity and constraints.
Ending: Council members said they supported resourcing the CFB to run voter education and to meet legal mandates, but they also demanded faster audits and clearer intermediary reporting to protect public matching funds during elections. The CFB committed to continued hiring, technology upgrades and programmatic changes to meet those requests.
