Why NYC’s 911 Overhaul Isn't Complete After Years of Work, Billions of Dollars

New York City's decade-long, multi-billion dollar effort to overhaul its 911 system is $700 million over budget and years behind schedule due to a series of mistakes made by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration, according to a Department of Investigation report.

The probe — which was ordered by Bloomberg's successor, Bill de Blasio, and released on Friday — found "persistent mismanagement" between 2004 and 2013 led to the cost overruns, delays and a project that remains unfinished.

"For years there was no central decision maker that would insist that all the agencies involved be on the same page and operate together," said Department of Investigation Commissioner Mark Peters, in an interview about the report's findings.

"The people in charge of running the project failed to properly manage on a real close level the contractors and consultants they hired," Peters said. "And there was a real lack of transparency — we didn't have accurate reports on how the project was going and how much it was costing."

Former members of the Bloomberg administration disputed the findings.