Despite strong economy, de Blasio unveils cautious budget

The review will likely consider ways to consolidate multiple services in fewer buildings and to entice more New Yorkers with non-Medicaid insurance to rely on HHC, which operates a large network of public hospitals, clinics and others medical service providers in New York City.

But despite the massive cleanup effort, Mayor Bill de Blasio is urging New Yorkers to stay off the streets as much as possible. The ban included Long Island highways.

“I think right now I would assume school on Monday”, de Blasio said, as he issued another reminder that this storm is serious.

Blizzard conditions are expected in the city, with the city’s Department of Sanitation deploying 579 salt spreaders Friday evening, de Blasio said. “If you see someone in distress – if you see a homeless person in distress, for example, on the streets, call 911 immediately so we can do something about it”. His plan added $640 million to his November estimate of next year’s revenue, providing $59.9 billion in total, excluding state and federal aid.

The mayor also announced a $53.7 million plan to combat homelessness, including shelter fix, stable housing solutions for 3/4 housing situations, job search assistance for over 10,000 individuals, and new supportive housing units.

“This budget builds on the strong economic foundation we’ve created, reaffirming our commitment to responsible government that meets challenges head on”, said de Blasio.

The new policy does not extend to unionized city employees, since paid leave must be negotiated under collective-bargaining rules.

The proposal, for the 2017 fiscal year that starts on July 1, would increase the city’s budget by $410 million over this year’s adjusted budget, which had grown to $81.70 billion as of January.

The city is bracing from between 12 to 18 inches of snow, the mayor said at a news conference.

And speaking of mass transit, both men indicated today that they expected the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to remain up and running during the storm-unlike a year ago, when Mr. Cuomo ordered the system shut down with little notice to Mr.de Blasio ahead of a blizzard that never quite materialized.

“I’m buying the last two”, he said.

Governor Cuomo also directed the state Emergency Operations Center to activate in New York City and Hauppauge to monitor the storm and coordinate resource deployment.