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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline JANUARY 26, 2024 | The Indian Eye 18

NYC Mayor Adams Releases Preliminary

Budget of $ 109 Billion For Fiscal Year 2025

In Addition to NYPD, FDNY, and DSNY, Mayor Adams Hold Libraries Harmless in

Preliminary Budget, While DOE, DYCD, and Aging Are Partially Exempted

OUR BUREAU
NEW YORK, NY

ew York City Mayor Eric Ad-
ams has released New York
NCity’s balanced $109.4 billion
Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year
(FY) 2025. With near-record reserves
despite significant fiscal challeng-
es, the budget builds on the Adams’
administration proven track record
of responsible fiscal management,
while prioritizing the needs of work-
ing-class New Yorkers by restoring
critical investments in public safety,
public spaces, and young people.
Facing a historically high $7.1
billion budget gap due to the grow-
ing asylum seeker crisis, drying up
federal COVID-19 stimulus funding,
expenses from labor contracts this
administration inherited that went
unresolved for years, and slowing
tax revenue growth, the Adams ad-
ministration took action early in the for asylum seekers and balance the The city has also connected school- in April 2024. This class of recruits
budget cycle with a citywide hiring budget — without unduly burden- aged children to public schools will graduate in October and will join
freeze and Program to Eliminate the ing New Yorkers with a penny in tax through Project Open Arms and the three additional police classes
Gap (PEG) savings program. These hikes or massive service reductions, provided case management, shelter, already scheduled to graduate this
actions helped balance the budget and without laying off a single city food, child care, and more services. year. Funding will also be restored to
and stabilize the city’s financial po- worker. We are not out of the woods In addition to reducing costs, return a fifth firefighter at 20 FDNY
sition without layoffs, tax hikes, or — while we have put New York City the Adams administration is fighting engine companies and maintain
major disruption to city services — on the right track, to keep moving back against Texas Governor Greg 190 firefighters on payroll who are
and their success, along with bet- forward, we still need help from the Abbott and the transportation com- not expected to be able to return to
ter-than-expected revenue, ultimate- federal and state governments. But panies he uses to transport migrants full-duty status. The funding resto-
ly allowed for the restorations of this carefully planned and disciplined to New York City in bad faith to hurt rations build on successful efforts by
funding for public safety, quality of budget allows us to keep helping NYC and overwhelm our social ser- the Adams administration to drive
life, and young people. working families, keep providing op- vices system. Last month, Mayor Ad- down overall crime, with murders
“Our administration came into portunity for all New Yorkers, and ams issued Executive Order 538 to down 12 percent and shootings down
office focused on making New York keep our city a beacon of hope, while protect the safety and well-being of 25 percent in 2023.
City safer, more prosperous, and we deliver a safer, cleaner, and fairer asylum seekers and city employees by The Preliminary Budget in-
more livable. With two years of hard New York.” making it against the law to use char- cludes restored funding to maintain
work, we are heading in the right di- New York City has continued to ter buses to bring migrants to New 23,000 DSNY litter baskets and al-
rection: Jobs are up, crime is down, effectively manage the asylum seeker York City without coordinating with low DSNY to continue installing its
tourists are back, our children’s test humanitarian crisis largely on its own city government. The city then sued Litter Basket of the Future — one of
scores are better, and we are deliv- without substantial federal or state 17 bus companies for transporting TIME Magazine’s Best Inventions of
ering for working-class New York- aid — including getting on track to and abandoning more than 33,000 2023.
ers every day,” said Mayor Adams. reduce city-funded spending on the asylum seekers in New York City In the Preliminary Budget, $10
“The growing asylum seeker crisis, crisis by 20 percent over FY24 and without paying for the ongoing costs million is restored to 170 DOE com-
COVID-19 stimulus funding drying FY25, primarily by helping put mi- of care for those people. The lawsuit munity schools, which partner with
up, tax revenue growth slowing, and grants on a path to self-sufficiency seeks to recover approximately $708 community-based organizations to
unsettled labor contracts that we in- and reducing the per-diem costs of million. provide holistic support to students
herited widened the FY25 budget providing care. To date, New York Funding is restored in the Pre- and their families, including provid-
gap to a record level. But, with re- City has provided care for more than liminary Budget for the NYPD to ing health care, additional learning
sponsible and effective management, 170,700 asylum seekers, with over add another police academy class of opportunities, and social and emo-
we have been able to provide care 68,000 currently still in the city’s care. 600 new recruits set to join the ranks tional counseling.

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