Page 14 - The Indian EYE 020224

COMMUNITY OP-ED FEBRUARY 02, 2024 | The Indian Eye 14

Balancing Our City’s Budget While

Delivering for Working-Class New Yorkers

Experts expect the economy and job markets to slow this year,

and asylum seekers will continue to arrive, so we must be vigilant and remain focused on making
government more efficient and spending taxpayer dollars carefully

against rats. And we will continue
to fund our Parks Opportunity Pro-
gram, which keeps our public spaces
clean and green while helping our
neighbors find job opportunities.
And to support one of our young
people, our administration restored
funding for 170 community schools
so that students and families can
continue to get the support they
need, both in and out of the class-
room. In addition, for the first time
ever, our city will invest new funds
into and entirely pay for Summer
Rising, a program that impacts
ERIC ADAMS 110,000 children, and had originally
been funded with temporary federal
ur administration came into stimulus dollars.
office with a clear mission: to Finally, libraries across all five
Oprotect public safety, revital- boroughs will maintain their current
ize our economy, and make all five level of funding so they do not have
boroughs more livable for the 8.3 to further reduce the library pro-
million people who call New York grams and services that New Yorkers
City their home. For the last two of all ages love.
years, we have worked every day to All of these wins are possible
make our vision a reality. And the re- because of our fiscal planning and
cently released Fiscal Year 2025 Pre- discipline that keep our city safe and
liminary Budget keeps us on track. For the first time ever, the city will invest new funds into and entirely pay for Summer Rising, clean and open the doors of oppor-
I am proud to report that jobs a program that impacts 110,000 children, which had originally been funded with temporary tunity for everyone.
are up, crime is down, tourists are federal stimulus dollars (File photo) But we must continue to be cau-
back, our streets are cleaner, and tious.
our children’s test scores are better. Experts expect the economy
We have accomplished all this and result of careful fiscal planning and tected status. We also helped more and job markets to slow this year,
management.
than 60 percent of migrants take the
delivered a balanced budget for New and asylum seekers will continue to
Yorkers. next steps in their journeys. arrive, so we must be vigilant and
Our strong fiscal management
It is important for New York- We made tough but necessary remain focused on making govern-
ers to understand how we achieved decisions like implementing a also helped to make restorations ment more efficient and spending
that put dollars back towards pub-
this balanced budget that invests lic safety, public space, and young taxpayer dollars carefully. That is
in working-class families, despite a hiring freeze and a Program people. why we are proud that our prelimi-
perfect storm of COVID-19 stimu- to Eliminate the Gap (PEG) nary budget includes a near-record
We restored funding for the
lus funding drying up, tax revenue April Police Academy Class, which Rainy-Day Fund of $8.2 billion.
growth slowing, labor contracts that savings program. These steps, means 600 additional officers out on Running a city of any size is
went years overdue, and an ongoing along with an unexpectedly our streets this fall. Additionally, we never easy. And balancing the many
national humanitarian crisis that has restored the fifth firefighter at 20 of competing needs of a city like New
brought more than 170,000 asylum strong economy, and lowering the city’s engine companies because York requires us to think ahead and
seekers to our city in less than two asylum seeker costs helped make the best decisions we can for
years. more firefighters on the job always today and tomorrow. Everything we
helps.
Despite a record $7.1 billion gap, balance the budget. do is about making this city safer
We will maintain 23,000 litter
we were able to balance and stabi- baskets across the five boroughs, and and making it work better for work-
lize our budget without laying off a And to properly manage the asy- continue to install the award-win- ing-class New Yorkers. That is what
single city worker, raising taxes, and lum seeker crisis, we helped file over this budget delivers.
with minimal disruption to services 27,000 applications for asylum, work ning “Litter Basket of the Future,” Eric Adams is the Mayor of
so we can keep can winning the war
that New Yorkers rely on. This is the authorization, and temporary pro- New York City, NY

www.TheIndianEYE.com