Gothamist, Elizabeth Kim, April 4, 2023
Mayor Eric Adams is once again ordering New York City agencies to cut their budgets in the coming years, marking one of several belt-tightening measures under Adams that have drawn criticism for their impact on critical services from public schools to libraries.
The latest round of cuts, first reported by the Daily News, come one day after the City Council issued a rebuke of the mayor’s nearly $103 billion proposed budget for failing to invest in key programs for the most vulnerable New Yorkers.
Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Councilmember Justin Brannan, who chairs the finance committee, described the mayor’s plan in a statement as “a demonstration in excess that risks taking the city down a harmful, destabilizing path.”
Most city agencies must submit to 4% cuts in fiscal year 2024 and future years, according to a letter from Jacques Jiha, the city’s budget director, that sent to agency heads on Tuesday.
The two exceptions — the city’s education department and CUNY — will be subject to a 3% cut “to minimize disruption to schools and classrooms,” Jiha wrote.
Agency heads were further instructed to avoid layoffs and “avoid meaningfully impacting services where possible.”
Read More: Gothamist