NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio’s New Budget Increases Spending

Up to 12 weeks could be taken when combined with regular sick and vacation time.

Last year, the city pumped up struggling schools’ budgets.

“Through the hard work of NYC & Company, and their support of the City’s various attractions – from restaurants to the performing arts and more – 2015 marked a new milestone for NYC tourism”.

Staten Island elected officials are looking for more borough investment in Mayor Bill de Blasio’s $82.1 billion spending plan.

“However, with the continuing pressure on the global economy and the strengthening dollar, we will all need to work even harder in 2016 to sustain our competitive edge”, said Dixon.

“Our budget will help lift up the next generation”, de Blasio said Thursday, “through a number of investments that will bring our “Equity and Excellence” agenda to our schools”.

Mr. Mulgrew said the topic was moot in the past because the city was not open to the discussion. The City Council, which is overwhelmingly Democratic, will soon commence hearings and make its own recommendations. The preliminary budget includes more than $1.1 billion in savings this fiscal year and next, over half of that coming from agency cuts.

“I am taking the governor at his word, and I will hold him to that word”, the mayor said.

But despite the city’s strong economy, de Blasio also preached fiscal caution in case of any upcoming economic downturn.

The mayor will propose a final budget in the spring. That includes $8 million in fiscal 2017 for a program dubbed “Shelter Repair Squad 2.0”, aimed at fixing what critics have deemed deplorable conditions in the city’s crowded shelter system, $12.3 million to move New Yorkers out of controversial three-quarter housing to permanent homes; $4 million to prevent homelessness by helping people stay in their apartments; $16.9 million for shelter programming created to help 10,000 clients find jobs; and $12.5 million to operate the first phase of Mr.de Blasio’s plan to build 15,000 new supportive housing units in the city. From there, Mr.de Blasio will submit an executive budget proposal, which must be approved by the City Council by July 1.

Even the larger-ticket items, such as $929.4 million in education spending, are relatively small when compared with the city’s overall budget. The jail at Rikers Island will get a $100 million increase for anti-violence initiatives and staff training. When the governor unveiled his state budget plan last week, he proposed shifting Medicaid costs back to the city and forcing it to pay more for the City University of NY, which in total could add $1 billion to the city’s bottom line.

“And who’s been benefiting from our wage growth?” the mayor added, pointing to a slide.

The possible spending increases were not accounted for in the preliminary budget.

On it was a bar chart showing that the real average income of higher-income families had grown far faster than that of lower-income families.