$107B budget is a done deal

$1.4B immig squeeze looms

New York City officials touted a $107 billion budget agreement even as it faced a $1.4 billion hole for sheltering tens of thousands of migrants.

The spending plan, announced Thursday, restores $36.2 million to the city’s library systems, boosts educational social-services programs and gives a shot in the arm to the Sanitation Department amid a new effort to clean up the boroughs.

“The agreement we reach today comes in the midst of budget cycles dominated by great challenges and unexpected crises,” Mayor Adams said at an afternoon City Hall press conference alongside Speaker Adrienne Adams.

“Unlike the Yankees, it’s not a perfect game. But we got the win for working-class new jobs,” the mayor said.

The fiscal year 2024 deal came a day ahead of a Friday midnight deadline as the city’s coffers were buoyed by a nearrecord $8.8 billion in reserves.

Spending initiatives include:

$36M for public library systems.

$40M for the Cultural Institutions Group and Cultural Development Fund.

$36.6M for the public defenders and “Right to Counsel” program.

$22M for more frequent litter basket pickups. $20M for CUNY programs. $4M for the Department of Education’s Immigrant Family Engagement program to help non-English-speaking families with language services.

$2.4M for “trauma recovery centers” to help crime victims.

$4.7 billion extra

Hizzoner said the city had an extra $4.7 billion over the past two fiscal years “without cutting services, laying off employees or raising taxes” due to higher-than-expected revenues but warned it could be in financial trouble in future years.

“I’m sure there are many things we could’ve poured out money into if we had that $1.4 billion [for the migrant crisis] and the money we are going to lose in the out-years,” Adams complained.

“This comes out of New Yorker’s [pockets] and we are not getting the help we deserve and this is really wrong for asylum seekers,” he added.

Speaker Adams was introduced to a standing ovation from her caucus, and her reservations about the deal with the mayor — to whom she is not related — was apparent from the start of the press conference, when she greeted him with an icy handshake.

“These negotiations were not easy and in fact they were uniquely challenging because of how much we focused on restoring cuts to so many important programs,” the Democratic lawmaker said.

“As the first women-majority council in our city’s history, we take very seriously our responsibility to shift the deeply ingrained dynamics of our city and society; those that have traditionally left women behind, women and communities of color has an afterthought.”