(Washington Insider Magazine) The city’s preliminary budget proposal for fiscal year 2024 has a ceiling of $102.7 billion dollars.
Under what he views as a moderate spending plan, Mayor Eric Adams recently released the City’s preliminary budget for fiscal year 2024 with a ceiling of $102.7 billion.
“As our city continues its recovery, our administration continues to invest in our top priorities, including public safety, affordable housing and clean streets, while exercising sound fiscal management,” said Mayor Adams, whose proposal only reflects an increase in the 2% compared to the previous budget, he added: “By requiring agencies to self-fund new needs with pre-existing resources, the FY 2024 Preliminary Budget continues our strong record of prudent use of taxpayer dollars as we continue to ‘Doing things’ for New Yorkers”, he insisted.
The mayor’s gamble keeps the city’s budget reserves at a record $8.3 billion.
It also highlights the additional investment of 20 million dollars for the affordable housing plan, as well as $153 million for the recovery of the Willets Point sector in Queens. For the Vision Zero plan (traffic and street repairs) the city plans to spend $228 million.
However, reactions from both the City Council leadership level and other local elected officials hinted that they disagree with cuts in areas they consider critical.
Devastating Cuts
Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said in a statement: “The budget vision laid out by the Administration to cut funding for CUNY, libraries, social services, early childhood education and other essential services for New Yorkers is something this Council cannot support”.
It added that “more than $17 million in funding for nonprofit organizations is at stake, including funds that expand services for community safety and crime victims, increase direct access to abortion care for those who cannot pay for it and provide mental health care, job opportunities and student assistance.”
The deputy director of the Working Families Party, Sharon Cromwell, spoke in the same vein. “Mayor Adams’ proposed budget will take our city in the wrong direction. With New Yorkers facing so many competing challenges, from under-resourced schools to unaffordable housing, the Mayor continues to push through devastating cuts.”
Councilwoman Tiffany Cabán was blunt: “Since the beginning of his term, the mayor’s budget priorities have been clear: make devastating cuts to vital social services that are the backbone of community safety and public health.” She brought up the fact that last year he made $469 million in cuts to schools.
On her side, the Ombudsman, Jumaane Williams, made the following reflection: “Financial constraints and economic concerns are real, and it is in these difficult times that a progressive budget is both most challenging and critical. In that spirit, (the proposal) sends the wrong message that some areas, like housing and mental health, suffer while others, like law enforcement, are isolated. Ultimately, that is not a sustainable path to produce public safety or preserve public services.”
However, Williams agreed with the Mayor when he mentioned that state and federal support is needed to finance services for the 40,000 recently arrived migrants. “New York City should not, and cannot, be solely financially responsible for the political machinations of conservative governors.”
Also joining the discussion was City Comptroller Brad Lander: “To address both the economic uncertainty and inequality facing our city, New York City needs a budget that provides a solid cushion to weather future shocks and prepares us for a long-term growth.”
Lander committed to reviewing the preliminary budget proposal in its entirety and sharing a detailed analysis with the Administration, City Council and the public in the coming weeks.
Everything indicates that the mayor will have a hard crusade to be able to carry out a balanced budget.
This article is written by El Diario.
