Mayor Eric Adams released his executive budget for 2024 on Wednesday with an emphasis on investments in public health, safety, jobs and education.
One of the bigger points of the budget was the cost of the asylum seeker crisis. He said the city projects it'll be caring for 70,000 asylum seekers by June 2024 and expects to spend $4.3 billion on the crisis through next summer.
"We did not take savings that could threaten these critical services - we did not cut budgets for the sake of cutting,” Adams said. “Our goal is always to streamline operations so that agencies can continue to deliver the same or higher level of services efficiently. The savings accomplished in this budget did not impact services or result in layoffs, and we did not take a dime from our classrooms."
The budget also provided that the FDNY and Department of Sanitation were given adjusted targets as to not impact public safety or health. Libraries and the Department of Cultural Affairs were made exempt from the cuts to avoid service disruptions. Adams also pointed out there will be no service reductions, layoffs, or cuts to school budgets and classrooms.
The City Council says it will analyze the budget before negotiating a final adopted budget.
"The executive budget still leaves our libraries facing significant service cuts, agencies that deliver essential services harmed, and programs that deliver solutions to the city's most pressing challenges without the investments needed,” Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Finance Chair Justin Brannan said in a combined statement.
The adopted budget agreement must be reached before July 1.