This week, we asked readers their opinion on the impact on City agencies of the latest budget cuts announced by Mayor Eric Adams in mid-November to address the gap in the City budget which he said is caused by increased spending on services for migrants and asylum seekers.

 

“The impact it will have on the minority groups, the impact that it will have on senior citizens….and it’s just going to get worse, so I hope they will consider these populations before making certain cuts because they’re the neediest. Minorities need a lot of assistance but senior citizens – they really, really need help.”

Luis Galvan,

University Heights

“I’m concerned about all the budget cuts, but I also understand from listening to the mayor, he doesn’t have control over a lot of stuff. People think he’s spending this money on the immigrants. He doesn’t have control over that. He couldn’t stop them. We’re at a standstill. We need more cops. We don’t need school cuts. We’ll do the best we can with what we have. Like, he said we’re looking for $12 billion. [U.S. President Joe] Biden needs to help us.”

Yvette Williams,

Baychester

“I feel like it’s only 5%, but it still makes me worry about people’s safety in the community because they’re taking away the incomes of important people like police officers. Like, I don’t have a job right now. The world must evolve. You have to make change, right? People need the help of other people.”

Lashonda Soto,

Parkchester

 

“I feel there shouldn’t be cuts because you’ve got children that really need a place to go to after school to brush up on their reading. I’m most concerned about children’s education and places for homeless people to live. Why should they do that? People have their own concerns and rights like coming to the public library on Sunday. Everybody has the right to a library.”

Derrick Rumley,

Yonkers, NY, visiting Kingsbridge

 

“I just came out of homelessness so it might affect me and people like me in certain ways, and I don’t think it’s fair. I hope they can get some money from the federal government. I don’t think they should cut anything else; it’s not helping anybody in any way. Can they change the law on housing immigrants? If they can, I think they should.”

Ashley Corrao,

Kingsbridge

Photo courtesy of Ashley Corrao

 

Editor’s Note:

On Nov. 16, the mayor said that in August 2023, he laid out new projections estimating the cost of the asylum seeker crisis to grow to at least $12 billion over three fiscal years — between FY23 and FY25 — if circumstances do not change.

 

With sunsetting COVID-19 stimulus funding, slowing FY24 tax revenue growth, expenses from labor contracts he said his administration inherited, and a lack of what he said was significant state or federal government action on the asylum seeker crisis, he said he took action the following month, announcing a 5 percent PEG [program to eliminate the gap] / budget cuts on city-funded spending for all city agencies with plans for additional rounds of PEGs in the preliminary and executive budgets.

 

He said new city-funded spending was limited to those protecting life and safety, fulfilling legal mandates, maintaining necessary operations, or generating revenue.

 

There is no indication from City officials that the salaries of existing City employees will be cut, but it is expected that fewer new police officers, for example, will be hired as a result of the latest cuts. Other service impacts include, but are not limited to, the closure of public libraries on Sundays, and fewer garbage cans in the outer boroughs, though the frequency of collection times will remain unchanged, according to NYC Department of Sanitation.

 

In the meantime, progressive Democrats have proposed increasing taxes on the rich to make up the budget shortfall.

 

Read our recent story on the mayor’s recent town hall in Edenwald where he discussed the recent budget cuts here.