Five Questions on New York City's November Ballot

When New Yorkers head to the polls this Election Day, they will encounter five ballot questions alongside the usual candidate races. The measures span a range of city operations: one would cut down the approval process for outdoor dining, another aims to speed up city contracting, a third would fast-track the construction of bus and bike lanes, and a fourth would establish a formal process for putting money into the city's rainy-day reserve fund.

Ann Cheng, executive director of the Commission on Government Efficiency — known as COGE — appeared on NY1's "Inside City Hall" with anchor Bobby Cuza on Thursday to walk viewers through what voters can expect. COGE is the body associated with the five ballot proposals.

The questions broadly reflect an effort to reduce bureaucratic hurdles across several areas of city government. Voters will be asked to weigh in on each measure separately when they cast their ballots in November.