Council proposes a budget plan that would restore Sunday library service

The City Council unveiled Monday a $113 billion budget proposal that would revive Sunday public library service and reverse other cuts implemented by Mayor Adams.

The left-leaning Council’s plan comes in response to Adams’ $109 billion blueprint, introduced in January. His plan backed off from some feared budgetary cuts — and came with a larger price tag than the $107 billion budget the city adopted last June — but would keep libraries shuttered on Sundays and maintain other cost-saving measures.

Council leaders have held that the city can spend more aggressively. In implementing controversial cuts, the mayor has highlighted financial stresses posed by the migrant crisis and the loss of COVID-era stimulus money.

But City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, a Queens Democrat, said Monday that the Council’s economists project more revenue than the mayor’s office does. She said budget cuts made by the mayor have been “far too broad” and have hurt New Yorkers.

The Council said it identified an additional $6 billion in revenues over two years.

The city faces a June 30 deadline to authorize a budget for the next fiscal year. The mayor and the Council engage annually in a push-and-pull over spending as part of the budget process, which now enters a new phase. The mayor’s office has several weeks to analyze the Council’s request before issuing its next proposal, the Executive Budget.

The restoration of funds for library services has been among the Council’s top priorities.

After the mayor introduced his proposal in January, Councilman Justin Brannan (D-Brooklyn), the powerful chairman of the Finance Committee, said reversing cuts to libraries was “first and foremost” among his goals. The Council released a blueprint Monday that would allocate an additional $58 million to libraries.

“The Council has made it clear that our priority is to protect essential services that New Yorkers rely on,” Speaker Adams said at a news conference at City Hall.

A mayoral spokeswoman, Amaris Cockfield, said in a Monday statement that the administration has “balanced the budget without major service disruptions, layoffs or tax hikes” despite fiscal challenges. “We look forward to working with the City Council to negotiate a budget that reflects our shared priorities,” said the statement.

In a 62-page response to the mayor, the Council also proposed lifting spending on the city’s crumbling Housing Authority complexes by $584 million, and putting an additional $60 million toward the city’s parks.

The lawmakers’ plan would inject an additional $225 million into mental health services. And it would lift early childhood education program funding by $170 million in a bid to ensure universal access to preschool for 3-year-olds.

One Council proposal would broaden the share of New Yorkers who are eligible for the Fair Fares discount for subway and bus rides. Another would expand a program that allows undocumented New Yorkers to receive city-issued ID cards.

Additionally, the lawmakers’ blueprint would provide for so-called Community Justice Centers, neighborhood-level community courts, in the Bronx and on Staten Island. The two boroughs are the only ones in the city without Community Justice Centers, according to the Council.

Much of the focus going into the budget announcement had been fixed on youth services.

The mayor’s administration has yet to publicly share plans to save most education programs funded by stimulus dollars. In January, the mayor announced new city funding for an abridged summer program that proved popular during the pandemic.

About $1 billion in federal stimulus is still propping up public schools this year, including for some preschool programs and shelter-based education staff.

The Council proposed replacing expiring federal funding for preschool special education with long-term city funding. Even at current funding levels, 600 young children with disabilities are currently languishing without appropriate programs and could require more costly services later on.

In total, schools have received more than $7 billion in temporary funding since the pandemic began. As local education officials ask the state for help plugging the gap, Gov. Hochul has proposed changes to the state aid formula that would shortchange city schools by $130 million in expected funding, according to officials.

The Council’s plan to restore preschool programs comes after Mayor Adams cut the programs’ budgets in November and January.

Under the Council’s proposal, the city would invest in outreach teams and extended hours to help fill 23,000 vacant preschool seats and to align with working families’ schedules. The lawmakers’ plan also called for an expansion of child-care vouchers for undocumented children.

Speaker Adams said the Council plan is not a “wish list — but rather a vision for the city’s budget that fulfills our city’s obligation to New Yorkers.”

“It is a road map to strengthen our city government,” she said, “while preparing for the challenges ahead.”