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De Blasio's $77.7 Billion Budget: "Tale Of Two Economies"
By
Lauren Evans
Published Feb 10, 2015
Modified Feb 10, 2015
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Mayor's Office
By
Lauren Evans
Published Feb 10, 2015
Modified Feb 10, 2015
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Mayor Bill de Blasio yesterday released details of his $77.7 billion preliminary budget, which he says adheres to his "naturally progressive ideals" while remaining "fiscally conscious," and keeping a close eye on the gaping wealth disparities increasingly defining the city.
De Blasio put on few airs in discussing the current state of the city's economy, trumpeting the past successes of his administration while expressing the importance of "being straightforward about real costs."
"Previous administrations didn't acknowledge the realities of labor costs," he said, adding that these realities would be "much more vividly displayed" in this budget.
Speaking through what sounded like a vicious head cold, the mayor explained that viewed on a federal level, New York City's economic production places us between Florida and Illinois, but said it's important to remain "cognizant of how quickly things can go the other way."
Mayor de Blasio giving his budget presentation (NYC Mayor's Office)
Oxfam recently released a study signaling that the wealthiest one percent will soon own 50 percent of the world's wealth, he said, adding that in the U.S., the top 10 percent are now proportionally even wealthier than they were in 1928, at the apex of Roaring Twenties decadence. NYC is not immune to the stark divide plaguing the rest of the nation, and even the positive figures come with caveats—for example, de Blasio said, though the city has seen significant job growth over the past four years, the bulk has occurred in low-wage sectors. "We're glad jobs are being created, but in so many cases, it's not enough to make ends meet," he said.
"We have here a bit of a 'tale of two economies,'" he said, adding that while the top one percent of income tax filers are taking up ever more of the city's total income, the number of people on food stamps has doubled since 2002.
Here's a breakdown of major expenditures. The full budget is here:
- $11.3 million a year to add 45 new ambulance tours and $6.7 million a year to add 149 new EMS dispatchers, to improve emergency response times.
- $7.3 million this year, and $4.2 million in 2016 to replace all NYPD bullet-resistant vests over five years old.
- $10 million to expand the Police Cadet Program to nearly 600 cadets.
- $3.2 million to combat frivolous lawsuits against the city, in an effort to dissuade people from filing them with the expectation that the city will settle.
- $35.5 million to reduce use-of-force incidents and violence and $3.6 million to improve applicant vetting and recruitment at the Department of Correction, following this galling DOI report.
- $340 million for high-quality, full-day universal pre-K for all four-year-olds, building on this year’s success.
- $190 million to expand after-school programs to over 100,000 middle school students.
- $29 million to expand academic intervention and support for STEM at community colleges.
- $28.4 million for rental assistance and support to move homeless New Yorkers out of shelter, plus $8.6 million for prevention programs and support services to keep New Yorkers stably housed.
- $11 million next year—and over $26 million total over the next three years—for Administration for Children’s Services child welfare reforms, including training and prevention.
- $16.5 million over the next three years to expand community health centers in underserved neighborhoods.
- $11 million next year—and over $26 million total over the next three years—for Administration for Children’s Services child welfare reforms, including training and prevention.
- $16.5 million over the next three years to expand community health centers in underserved neighborhoods.
The preliminary budget would put overall spending at $58.8 billion, an increase of $2.1 billion from last year.
The proposed budget is set to take effect July 1, but must first be approved by the City Council.
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