By New York Post (U.S.) | Created at 2025-04-02 23:39:44 | Updated at 2025-04-03 20:02:12
20 hours ago
City Council leaders claimed the Big Apple’s coffers are flush with billions more in cash than the mayor’s office projected – and they want to use the extra dough to spend millions on education, mental health and housing services.
City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams unveiled the council’s $116.8 billion proposed budget for next fiscal year that would commit hundreds of millions of expenses due to a more optimistic outlook on city finances than the mayor’s proposed spending plan.
“The Council’s preliminary budget response lays outs a balanced, responsible and forward thinking path for our city and New Yorkers to achieve stability,” Adams said during a Wednesday press conference.
“It’s a vision for the city budget that delivers on what our communities need more than what is presented in the mayor’s preliminary budget.”
Mayor Eric Adams — who is not related to the speaker — had pitched a record-breaking $114.5 billion budget that he boasted also had an array of investments in mental health, parks and quality-of-life programs – though council members said at the time certain funding wasn’t big enough.
But City Council staff identified $6.3 billion more funds available officials said would be aimed at restoring and adding to certain services while preparing for whatever the Trump administration might throw at New York.
Part of the council plan calls for an additional $795 million in education funding, including about $197 million to restore funds to 3-K and pre-K and another $378.9 million toward health and public safety programs.
The council would also devote $114.5 million to housing and another $280.3 million funneled toward various city institutions, including to libraries that would expand seven-day service to 10 more branches.
The Parks Department would also get more than $60 million under the council proposal.
“When we meaningfully invest in our communities and prepare the city for the chaos coming from Washington we can create a future where we all thrive and no one is left behind,” Speaker Adams said.
Councilman Justin Brannan, who is the council finance chair, accused the mayor’s office of cutting “vital services.”
Of the additional $6.3 billion in additional funds, about half comes from $3 billion in tax revenue while another $2.2 billion is traced to possible underspending in the current budget, Brannan said.
“The resources are here,” he said, noting about $2 billion would be withheld from spending – for now – as the state budget has yet to be approved and federal funding may plummet under the Trump administration.
President Trump has yanked $80 million from FEMA funds tied to migrant assistance and last month pulled $100 million from unspent COVID-19 relief funds.
Both Speaker Adams, who is running for mayor, and Brannan, a candidate for comptroller, called on Mayor Adams to speak out against Trump.
“We just have to be ready, but it would be helpful in this moment to put New York City first and have a partner across the hall that’s going to stand in that breach with us and maybe that changes today, but so far we’ve seen the opposite of that,” Brannan said in reference to Mayor Adams’ federal case being dismissed with prejudice Wednesday morning.
Adams has been accused of being beholden to Trump in hopes of getting his corruption charges tossed after they were first brought under then-President Joe Biden.
Adams has denied he is under Trump’s thumb.
“We hope that the mayor will put this budget first, the concerns of New Yorkers first,” Speaker Adams said.
A spokesperson for the mayor said the administration has balanced three consecutive budgets.
“As the City Council’s own report highlights, Mayor Adams’ Preliminary Budget is balanced and supports critical programs that New Yorkers need to continue making New York City the best place to raise a family,” the spokesperson said. “We look forward to working with the City Council as we move through the budget process and to, once again, deliver a budget that uplifts working-class families.”
