NY City Council Approves $88 Billion City Budget With Cuts to NYPD But Protests Continue

A week after a “defund NYPD” protest became a full-blown occupation outside City Hall, New York City officials have agreed on a $88.1 billion proposed budget that includes deep cuts to the police department and other city agencies, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday, but protesters say it’s not enough.

“We have reached an agreement with City Council,” de Blasio said. “We have worked around the clock.”

The City Council voted to approve the budget later Tuesday. However, there was opposition from both sides to the budget, with some saying the cuts were too much, while others said they did not go far enough.

“This budget is not perfect. It is painful, it is imperfect, and it falls far short of much more that we wanted to accomplish,” said Bronx Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson, who vote in favor of the budget. “But given the horrific financial climate, no money from Albany, no money from the federal government, a loss of revenue, the thousands of New Yorkers who have died from COVID-19, we had to make tough decisions.”

According to the mayor, the city cut the budget from its initial $95.3 billion proposal as it struggled to balance funds amid a huge revenue deficit triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Nine billion dollars evaporated in the span of just months,” de Blasio said. “That’s what we had to deal with here and it was a challenge.”

Due to the billions of dollars that were cut in savings, de Blasio said Tuesday that the city will work with labor unions to find ways to make up for those cuts and avoid layoffs come October.

According to de Blasio, the budget focuses on key values: health, safety, food and shelter.

The budget calls for the expansion of NYC Care to Manhattan and Queens ($37.5 million) in an effort to guarantee healthcare in every borough. The budget will also allocate $113 million for specialized COVID-19 clinic for the hardest hit communities in Bushwick, Jackson Heights and Tremont. Additionally, a $450 million effort is also planned for GetFoodNYC to ensure no New Yorker goes hungry, along with more than $33 million to fight food insecurity.

Schools were largely protected from the massive budget cuts, and nearly $116 million was able to be saved for the summer youth employment program, which the mayor said will ensure programming for more than 100,000 young people. Another $8.6 million went to housing programs.

The $88.1 million budget includes $1 billion in cuts and reduces expenses to the NYPD while maintaining patrol strength and street safety.

RandyMarsh

Article URL : https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/agreement-reached-on-proposed-nyc-budget-with-deep-cuts-vote-expected-later-today/2492035/