The New York City Council adopted a massive $112.4 billion spending plan in a vote of 46 to 3, with three progressive Democrats voting against it, only hours before the deadline of midnight on June 30.
The operational budget for the fiscal year 2025 was approved two days after Speaker Adrienne Adams and Mayor Eric Adams found a compromise at City Hall on Friday afternoon, where a top line amount was reached that was about $1 billion more than the mayor’s April executive budget proposal.
The City Council successfully fought to restore over $58 million in library funding, allowing the majority of branches to stay open on Sundays. Additionally, the council pushed to restore $53 million to cultural institutions, some funding for parks, composting, early childhood education, older adult centers, and other city services.
The final budget also calls for the construction of a new trauma center in the Rockaways, the replacement of expiring federal stimulus funding that has supported numerous education programs, the addition of $2 billion in capital for the creation and preservation of affordable housing, $5 million in baseline funding for the housing voucher program CityFHEPS, $100 million to “reset” the city’s early childhood education system, and expanded eligibility for the Fair Fares program.
Arguments about the projected budget dominated much of this year’s negotiations. The public Council criticized Mayor Adams for his “too conservative” budget figures, claiming the cutbacks weren’t required, even though the mayor implemented many rounds of citywide cuts in response to massive budget deficits and public expenditure on immigration.
“Our administration’s mission is clear: Protect public safety, rebuild our economy, and make this city more livable — and this budget is a direct testament to that mission,” Mayor Adams stated. “We still passed a collaborative budget that addresses the three things that cost New Yorkers the most: housing, childcare, and health care,” Hizzoner added.
Tiffany Caban, Shahana Hanif, and Alexa Avile – the three progressive dissenters – expressed their dissatisfaction about the excessive amount of money allocated to law enforcement at the expense of social services and education.
“I cannot sign off on a budget that, despite the Council’s best efforts, continues us down Mayor Adams’s path of austerity,” Hanif said.
The new budget for fiscal year 2025 is set to begin on July 1, 2024, and end on June 30, 2025.
