Blas & council in $85B budget deal

Mayor de Blasio and the City Council reached a tentative agreement Friday on an $85.2 billion budget for fiscal 2018 — a 3.7 percent increase over the previous year’s adopted budget.

The deal — touted as having been struck at the earliest point of the budget cycle since 1992 — included more than $300 million in new spending since the executive budget was released in May.

The items included $30 million to boost support for nonprofit service providers — an allotment that will grow to $104 million by fiscal 2022.

An additional $10.4 million was added to the budget to expand the free-lunch program in schools — which had been a priority for council members and Public Advocate Letitia James.

“This budget is aimed at addressing the economic realities of everyday New Yorkers,” said de Blasio.

“Life in this city is too hard for too many, but with this budget it is our goal to alleviate some of those pressures,” he said.

Also included in the agreement was $25 million in property-tax exemptions for war veterans — described as personal tax savings of $443 per person per year.

“This legislation will provide those New Yorkers who served and sacrificed for our country with some financial relief they unquestionably deserve, and undoubtedly need in a city that is becoming less and less affordable,” said City Council minority leader Steven Matteo (R-SI), who advocated for the exemption.

The budget also gives $6.4 million to continue development of a “Fly Cars” rapid-response system in The Bronx, which places emergency vehicles in high-need locations.

Some $20 million was set to provide 6,500 jobs through the city’s Work, Learn and Grow initiative.

On the capital side, officials added $105.5 million for the construction of school gymnasiums and $110 million for the building and repair of public libraries.

The 2017 budget contained roughly $82.1 billion in spending.

“We’re doing this all while maintaining the fiscal responsibility [that] raters and monitors have come to expect and adding to our rainy-day reserves,” the mayor said.