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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, November 23, 2023 Page 6
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Mayor cuts budget for migrant funds Deep cuts for NYPD, DOE, libraries, sanitation pending court ruling by Michael Gannon
City Council. The $7.1 billion gap also must be closed with new cuts, new funding or both Mayor Adams on Thursday presented city when new budget projections are released in residents and taxpayers with the bill for the January 2024 Several of the affected agencies spoke out continued influx of immigrants and asylum on Thursday. Police Benevolent Association seekers. No city department or service looks to be President Patrick Hendry, in a press release on immune from the steep cuts that were the union’s website, said the city cannot allow announced in order to shift money to pay for NYPD numbers to fall below the projected 29,000 officers in coming years. immigrant housing, food and other services. “This is truly a disaster for every New The New York Post and Daily News reported Tuesday morning that police, fire and sani- Yorker who cares about safe streets,” Hendry tation services will be spared an additional said. “Cops are already stretched to our round of cuts to be announced in January, breaking point, and these cuts will return us which will be needed to eliminate a projected to staffing levels we haven’t seen since the $7.1 billion deficit in the 2024-25 budget, crime epidemic of the ’80s and ’90s. We cannot go back there.” which begins on July 1, 2024. In a joint statement, the Queens, Brooklyn Cuts include nearly $550 million from eduction, the Queens Public Library, trash and New York Public libraries said they will basket pickups and staffing at the NYPD, be facing, among other things, the elimination including cancelation of classes at the Police of Sunday hours at most if not all of their Academy. Adams warned that Thursday’s branches. The Central Library in Jamaica and cuts could easily grow larger in the future, the Flushing Library will have their last Sunpossibly before the end of the present budget day hours on Nov. 26. “[We] regret to announce that as a result of year in June, absent a massive assist from the mid-year budget cuts, we must eliminate sevfederal government. The two driving factors, according to the en-day service across the city, including ending Sunday service at the vast majority of administration are: • the legal requirement to have a balanced branches that currently offer it,” the libraries said. “We also will be reducing spending on budget with zero red ink; and • the outcome of a court case in which the library materials, programming, and building city is seeking more clarity on its present-day maintenance and repairs. Without sufficient obligations under Callahan v. Carey, the 1979 funding, we cannot sustain our current levels lawsuit and subsequent consent order that are of service, and any further cuts to the Librarthe basis for the city’s “right to shelter” ies’ budgets will, unfortunately, result in deeper service impacts.” policies. Sources say cuts for this year amount to “For months, we have warned New Yorkers about the challenging fiscal situation our city $23.6 million, with more possible in the Janufaces,” Adams said in a statement from his ary adjustments. They also are anticipating office. “To balance the budget as the law $60 million in reductions in FY 2024-25. The Uniformed Firefighters Association requires, every city agency dug into their own budget to find savings, with minimal disrup- seemed to be anticipating the news on X, fortion to services. And while we pulled it off this merly known as Twitter, following a fire that time, make no mistake: Migrant costs are killed three people in Brooklyn on Nov. 13. “[W]hen it comes to [saving] life and propgoing up, tax revenue growth is slowing, and Covid stimulus funding is drying up. No city erty ... Historically, staffing will always make should be left to handle a national humanitari- a difference when the fire season is at its peak,” the union said. an crisis largely on its “It is our goal to preown, and without the vent any fatality at significant and timely any fire we respond support we need from to. We know mainWa s h i n g t o n , D C , taining proper stafftoday’s budget will be ing levels will go a only the beginning.” long way in this fight. Adams did say that We call upon ou r the announced cuts elected officials to still keep the city on track for a balanced President Biden and Mayor Adams have vast keep the FDNY fully $110.5 billion budget differences over federal funding for migrant funded!!!” care and programs. In a joint statement this year. COURTESY PHOTO, LEFT, AND YOUTUBE SCREENSHOT FILE on Thursday, Council He said the city has Spea ker Ad r ien ne budgeted nearly $11 billion for immigrant services for this year and Adams (D-Jamaica) and Councilman Justin fiscal year 2025 combined, after having spent Brannan (D-Brooklyn), chairman of the Finance Committee, acknowledged that the $1.45 billion last year. The new figures also project out-year defi- budget gaps are as serious as the mayor stated. But they said the solution should also focus cits for the next three years of $19.8 billion, including $7.1 billion for fiscal year 2025, on increasing the city’s revenue rather than the which begins July 1, 2024. The latter figure is requested cuts. A hearing will take place after $2 billion higher than projected back in June Thanksgiving. A previous story reported that when the present budget was approved by the the council was expected to vote this week. Senior News Editor
State funding is helping to pay for immigrant services at the Creedmoor Hospital campus, but PHOTO BY MICHAEL SHAIN / FILE Mayor Adams says city departments face cuts absent federal help. “This moment requires effectively managing with precision to protect vital services for New Yorkers,” they said, stating that the administration’s approach of broad budget cuts and hiring freezes “is too blunt, and not the prudent or sole choice.” They suggested that the city could save money on some migrant services by switching from engaging costly private contractors under emergency provisions to nonprofit groups in the city that have the necessary expertise. The press release also said new revenue “in some cases will require authorization from Albany for the city to reduce ineffective tax breaks and have revenue options to preserve our fiscal health.” Most city tax change require state approval. Much in line with the mayor, the speaker and Brannan also said additional aid from all levels of government will be necessary. The council leadership said it is not yet taking positions on specific revenue proposals; just outlining what it believes should and should not be under consideration. The council did not address a question from the Chronicle about whether the city should realistically expect more federal funding that thus far has been denied by the Biden administration. While more help from the state could be coming, the Chronicle on Nov. 2 quoted Gov. Hochul as saying even Albany has its limits. Hochul said the state this year already has made a $358 million in-year increase to its initial $1.5 billion commitment to the migrant crisis. She said, “New York State can only shoulder this financial commitment for a limited duration without putting other areas of the State budget at risk …” At-risk areas named specif ically in Hochul’s memo included aid to public schools, support for the state’s health delivery infrastructure and the readiness of the New York National Guard. The Council’s Common Sense Caucus, which has Queens members Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park), Bob Holden (D-Maspeth) and Vickie Paladino (R-Whitestone) among its members, also opposes the mayor’s cuts, but for far different reasons than the speaker.
A press release from the caucus on Thursday said the answer is to end “right to shelter” provisions for noncitizens. And they do not believe the mayor needs to wait for a court decision to act. “No one who has been paying attention to the tens of thousands of migrants flooding into our city’s shelter system will be surprised by the severity of the cuts proposed by Mayor Adams today,” the statement began. “However, unlike many of the financial crises our city has faced in the past, the current disaster is almost entirely self-created, the result of decades of terrible policies and irresponsible decisions,” it went on. “And this time round there will be no state bailout, no federal funding, no silver bullet to save us.” They assert there is no constitutional requirement for right to shelter, and that Adams must end it, giving every migrant 30 days notice to vacate a city-run shelter. They accused a “negligent federal government” of foisting the problem on the city, and agreed that tough decisions are necessary. “But our responsibility, first and foremost, is to protect and provide for the residents of New York City,” the concluded. “It is indefensible to cut essential services they rely on because their tax money is being used to provide those same services for foreign nationals.” Members of the council’s Progressive Caucus were somewhat more in line with Speaker Adams. Its representatives from Queens include Members Tiffany Cabán (D-Astoria), Shekar Krishnan (D-Jackson Heights), Julie Won (D-Long Island City), Nantahsa Williams (D-St. Albans) and Jennifer Gutiér rez (D-Brooklyn, Queens). “As a city, we cannot cut our way to prosperity,” Krishnan said on X. “Mayor Adams is shrinking our public services and public spaces at the exact moment that New Yorkers need them the most,” he continued. “With growing public school enrollment and thousands of new immigrant families, he is cutting school budgets, pre-K seats, and library hours. In the wake of summer lifeguard shortages and drowning deaths he is cutting free swim classes ... We deserve much better than this bleak vision for our great city.” Q
