$101 billion budget outlines the new Council’s vision to invest in communities, schools, and youth, securing record funding for key programs while increasing Council’s budgetary powers
City Hall, NY – Speaker Adrienne E. Adams, Finance Committee Chair Justin Brannan and Members of the New York City Council today voted to adopt the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 budget. This first budget under Speaker Adams and a new Council class reflects the Council’s commitment and vision to increase its budgetary power to hold agencies accountable, while securing a Council record of funding priorities during city budget negotiations to invest in communities for key programs and services.
The adopted FY 2023 budget includes many of the Council priorities to invest in communities to make New Yorkers safer. These include expansions of key youth programs, increased city funding for schools, expansion of housing access programs, a property tax rebate for working and middle class homeowners, funding for parks and sanitation services, and investments in community safety programs. This includes the creation of a new Speaker’s initiative, the Community Safety and Victim Services Initiative. These priorities were outlined in the Council’s Fiscal Year 2023 Preliminary Budget Response.
The Council also ensured fiscal responsibility by curbing the growth of wasteful criminal justice system spending. It largely held the New York Police Department (NYPD) budget flat compared to the FY 2022 adopted budget by finding savings of $65 million from the executive budget ($5.59B) to the adopted budget ($5.53B). The minimal year-over-year increased expenditure was driven by non-discretionary commitments from existing labor agreements. The Council also eliminated the Executive Budget’s proposal to increase the Department of Correction (DOC) headcount by 578 positions at a time when agency staff are chronically absent and conditions have worsened at Rikers Island, with a federal judge threatening to place it in receivership.
The Council secured 18 new units of appropriation (U/As) in its negotiation, historic for the Council in budget negotiations. It negotiated the creation of new U/As for the NYPD for the first time in Council history, establishing six new units (a nearly 50% increase to 20 U/As) that will provide the ability to ensure better transparency and accountability for the NYPD budget. It also doubled the number of U/As for DOC, from four to eight. The establishment of new U/As represents the Council expanding the use of its budgetary powers in a new way that facilitates better control and oversight of agency spending. The budget agreement also includes 60 terms and conditions, a record-breaking number for city budgets, that will require transparency and oversight into public safety, education, human services, and more.
“This Council secured historic reforms, bringing greater transparency to ensure communities are being met with the services they deserve,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “By stepping into our budgetary powers to hold agencies accountable and strengthening oversight, we will uplift the priorities of New Yorkers and advance an equitable recovery for all. We will continue our work as a Council to ensure this budget realizes our shared vision of a safer, healthier, and stronger city. I thank Chair Brannan, our Budget Negotiating Team, and all Council Members who engaged in this process, as well as Mayor Adams and his administration for their partnership.”
“This budget is a down payment on New York City’s comeback – not the way it was, but the way it should be,” said Council Member Justin Brannan, Chair of the Council’s Finance Committee. “From day one, we said our recovery would require real and meaningful investments in every community. We knew we couldn’t cut our way to prosperity, so we doubled down on what matters. We are a city of communities and, now more than ever, hardworking New Yorkers from Soundview to SoHo, from Dyckman Street to Dyker Heights wanna know their elected officials are working overtime to make their lives better. The City Council heard this clarion call and fought hard to deliver a prompt budget with both record investments and record reserves – a budget that puts money directly into our communities and back into the pockets of working families. I’m proud of my colleagues and the dedicated finance team who spent countless hours, late nights, and weekends working behind the scenes on this council’s first budget. I thank Speaker Adams for fostering an incredibly transparent and collaborative negotiation process and Mayor Adams and his team for recognizing our shared priorities of a stronger, safer, fairer, and more prosperous city for all.”
The FY 2023 adopted budget includes:
INCREASING BUDGET ACCOUNTABILITY & TRANSPARENCY
The FY 2023 adopted budget includes 18 new Units of Appropriation (U/A) that have been prioritized by the Council, a historic amount to be added as part of budget negotiations. Highlights include:
PRIORITIZING HEALTH, SAFETY & HUMAN SERVICES
INVESTING IN EDUCATION AND YOUTH
ADDRESSING HOMELESSNESS & INCREASING ACCESS TO HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
ACCESS TO BENEFIT PROGRAMS & SERVICES TO SUPPORT COMMUNITIES
MAKING NEW YORK GREENER & CLEANER
ADDRESSING AGENCY OPERATIONS & GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY
“Creating and protecting affordable housing opportunities has always been a top priority for this Council and this budget addresses just that,” said Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala. “From expanding CityFHEPS to funding for drop-in centers, safe haven beds, and stabilization beds, I’m proud of this budget that will help New Yorkers provide them with key services that are critical to addressing homelessness and affordable housing. I especially want to thank the Speaker and my Council colleagues, for coming together to adopt a budget that serves all New Yorkers.”
“I’m very proud to join Mayor Adams, Speaker Adams, Chair Brannan, and my colleagues to announce a historic FY23 budget for New York City,” said Majority Leader Keith Powers. “After two tremendously difficult years, this budget puts our city on the path to recovery, while prioritizing essential quality of life issues and uplifting our most vulnerable residents. While this budget makes important investments across all 5 boroughs, the work never stops—and I’m committed to continuing to advocate for the needs of our city and local communities.”
“This budget signals New York’s reemergence from the dark days of the COVID-19 pandemic by fortifying our healthcare systems, revitalizing our small businesses, supporting our local CBOs and non-profits, and centering the priorities of all New Yorkers,” said Majority Whip Selvena N. Brooks-Powers. “I am especially proud this Council was able to deliver record funding towards safer streets, fully funding City FHEPS, and $90 million towards property tax relief for our small homeowners. These significant investments realign our commitment to recovery, and I congratulate Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams for her tireless leadership, as well as Mayor Adams and my esteemed colleagues for their commitment to prioritizing the needs of New Yorkers.”
“I applaud Speaker Adrienne Adams and Mayor Eric Adams for the collaborative approach that got us a budget that will benefit New Yorkers across the city,” said Council Member Gale A. Brewer. “Despite the tough times we are facing, we’ve taken this unique opportunity to make investments that create generational change. I’m proud to have been a member of the negotiation team that made this budget possible.”
“As Council Members, one of our greatest responsibilities is negotiating and approving a budget that speaks to needs of our communities,” stated Council Member Rafael Salamanca. “Working with Speaker Adams and my colleagues on the Council’s Budget Negotiation Team, the Council secured increased funding for the Department of Parks to maintain our world-class parks system, and Department of Sanitation to ensure more frequent trash pick-up and cleanings. Critical to the youth of New York City, particularly in the South Bronx, we also fought for the baselining of almost $80 million for the Summer Youth Employment Program, funding that will create over 100,000 employment slots for our youngest New Yorkers. Within the 17th Council District, I secured over $20 million in local funding that will facilitate everything from increased food pantry services, domestic violence programming, state-of-the-art school classrooms, 100% affordable housing and new playgrounds.”
“This budget makes historic investments on issues important to my constituents, such as increased funding for sanitation services,” said Council Member Erik Bottcher. “I want to thank Speaker Adams, Finance Chair Brannan, and the Council’s budget negotiating term for securing wins like restoring corner litter basket service to above pre-pandemic levels.”
“Today’s budget vote marks a historic shift for our city in a multitude of ways. I applaud Speaker Adams and her leadership team for listening to and advocating for the needs of the diverse communities represented by this new City Council,” said Council Member Carmen De La Rosa. “We advanced many of our community’s priorities in this budget and are proud to have fought for equity including; unprecedented transparency measures in the NYPD, a record number of Summer Youth Employment positions, increased funding for essential sanitation services, housing, and homeless assistance, and the inclusion and investment in immigrant New Yorkers.”
“The Council worked incredibly hard to come to a budget that prioritizes the needs of every New Yorker. We were able to add a historic $1.1 billion from the Mayor’s preliminary budget, and those dollars will be going to critical services,” says Council Member Eric Dinowitz. “In particular, a $4.4 million fund for the CUNY Reconnect pilot program will help working-age adults to complete their degrees and will serve 10,000 students in its first year. The Council is also prioritizing protecting marginalized communities through programs that secure access to benefits and services to support anyone who has experienced atrocious hate incidents. Expanding resources our city needs is an important milestone and we need to keep working hard to end hate crimes in our city and to secure resources that our local agencies and schools require.”
“As a new member of the New York City Council and the Budget Negotiating Team, I am proud of the work that was accomplished to complete the FY 23 budget,” said Council Member Amanda Farías. “Thanks to the leadership of our Speaker Adrienne Adams and the tireless work of the Council’s Finance Division we have delivered a budget that addresses the needs of our communities and the City’s economic recovery. This year’s budget delivers a number of major wins for some of the most difficult challenges facing our City. This is especially true with respect to housing with increased funding levels to rental assistance programs and property tax rebates for homeowners. The Council has restored cuts to both sanitation and parks in order to keep our communities and green spaces clean and maintained. We have funded 100,000 jobs for our youth through the SYEP program to help our kids see their potential by providing work opportunities. While there are many things to be celebrated in this budget, there is always more work to be done and additional funding that is needed. The budget we are passing today serves as a framework and I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Council, the Mayor, and our partners at the state and federal level to provide more for our communities in the coming months. We have a long way to go as we strive for a full recovery in all five boroughs and to get every New Yorker back to work in well paying and protective jobs. I will continue fighting for our workers, families, and communities to receive the investments they deserve.”
“Budget negotiations are always complicated, and often end with a tough compromise, but it is commendable just how much of the Council’s budget response was implemented,” said Council Member Ari Kagan. “I strongly support significant investments in public safety, sanitation, Earned Income Tax Credit, childcare, property tax rebates, and such a sizable rainy day fund. Especially appreciated is the additional funding allocated to all council members to fight the wave of gun violence that has been plaguing our communities. I applaud Speaker Adrienne Adams and the Mayor Eric Adams on this budget.”
“This is a budget of which we can be proud, one that balances public safety and public good, our youth and our seniors, and long-time residents with new immigrants,” said Council Member Linda Lee. “As Chair of the Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addictions, I’ve worked to ensure that this budget addresses the ongoing mental health crisis in this City through major investments in our behavioral health system. In particular, this budget funds $19.3 million for mental health support and outreach for homeless New Yorkers, $53.3 million to expand the B-HEARD program and provide behavioral health responses to mental health emergencies, $5 million for school-based mental health services, $3.4 million for geriatric mental health, and long-overdue pay parity for special education Pre-K and Day Care providers. While budgets are moral documents, they are also the product of long and hard negotiation, careful thought, and sometimes difficult tradeoffs. I want to thank Speaker Adams, Chair Brannan, Deputy Speaker Ayala, and all of their teams in leading us through this process and delivering a historic 90% of Council asks in this agreed upon budget. I look forward to working with my colleagues, Speaker Adams, and Mayor Adams to deliver on the promise this budget represents all New Yorkers.”
“The record budget passed by the council, Speaker Adrienne Adams, and Mayor Eric Adams is a deal our city can celebrate,” said Council Member Farah Louis. “This year’s budget is a reflection of the priorities of the people. It provides additional resources for childcare and public safety programs, invests in affordable housing, prioritizes clean streets and parks, and supports the community programs students in our district rely on most. The budget provides support to prospective homeowners, offering a starting point for people from all generations to establish permanent roots in their communities. I am excited to see the programs my colleagues and I championed – from public safety to health and mental health programming to childcare vouchers – all included in this package. These are critical first steps to rebuilding our communities and helping our neighbors and small businesses recover from the pandemic, and I hope to see the City flourish in the coming year with the resources we proudly helped secure.”
“The City Council prioritized an equitable recovery for all New Yorkers by funding fair wages for human service workers, small businesses, education, childcare, affordable housing and safer, cleaner streets and more for New York City,” said Council Member Julie Menin. “I thank Speaker Adams and my fellow Council Members for developing a budget that will help all New Yorkers recover from the pandemic and move our city forward.”
“The City budget we are passing today tackles so many issues that affect New Yorkers everyday lives,” said Council Memer Francisco Moya. “We have increased the litter basket collection to clean up our streets, invested in a massive CityFHEPS voucher increase to keep families in their homes, increased the number of SYEP slots to give opportunities for our youth, and locked in additional funds for Fair Fares to help working New Yorkers get where they need to go. I thank Speaker Adams for her leadership in fighting for her members’ priorities and Mayor Adams for working hand in hand with our body to accomplish our budgetary goals.”
“Even though this is my first budget as a Member of the City Council, I quickly learned there is no such thing as a perfect budget, and equity would not be achieved in a single budget,” said Council Member Mercedes Narcisse. “However, I am very proud to be part of the Budget Negotiation Team, and vote to pass my first city budget as a member of the Council. I’m sure all my colleagues have items they would have like to see included or more funding provided to some initiatives. We didn’t get it all, but we scored major victories and made big investments in our communities. We expanded access to crucial physical and mental health care programs, and by promoting community-based safety solutions we will help deter crime and violence and make our neighborhoods stronger and safer.”
“This budget focuses on equity in investments and services that are vital to ensuring all New Yorkers can benefit from the systems put in place to serve them,” said Council Member Kevin C. Riley. “While there is still a long way to go to completely resolving injustices that directly affect the quality of life and opportunities for New York City communities of color, our collaborative work in this Council has awarded record breaking growth in funding that supports some of our most vulnerable New Yorkers. Prioritizing $10 million in funding for affordable childcare services, investing $79 million into our youth for critical employment and developmental opportunities, as well as securing $90 million in property tax rebates for working and middle-class homeowners are just some of the monumental achievements in this budget. I will continue to remain dedicated to partnering to ensure the needs of all New Yorkers are taken care of.”
“The Coronavirus exposed the glaring inequities that exist within our city, and this budget creates a robust pathway to address the way we approach h3ealthcare, housing, public safety and nearly every other aspect of how City government interfaces with our lives,” said Council Member Lynn Schulman. “As a new Member of a historic Council, led by a majority female body, I am proud of a budget that prioritizes such vital issues as childcare, education, cleaner streets, youth programs, parks, tax relief for homeowners, and so many other initiatives. Thank you to Mayor Eric Adams, Speaker Adrienne Adams, and all my colleagues on the Council who helped make this possible. Together, we will make our City thrive as we recover from COVID-19.”
“The budget is taking a holistic approach to healing New York City. We’re holding agencies accountable and we’re delivering for communities seen and unseen,” said Council Member Marjorie Velázquez. “This budget makes historic investments in homeownership, childcare, and education. With huge funding increases to the Department of Sanitation and Parks Department, our neighborhoods will be able to breathe a little easier. When I took office I said that one of our top priorities coming out of COVID should be Mental Health. This budget delivers on that promise with historic funding of Mental Health programs that will help our City continue to heal. We knew this year’s budget was going to be a challenge but I am very proud of the work that my colleagues and I were able to deliver. I want to thank Speaker Adrienne Adams, Mayor Eric Adams, and all the staff that made this possible.”
“The City budget is not just about numbers on paper—it tells who we are as a city. As Chair of the Civil and Human Rights Committee, I strongly advocated for the Source of Income Unit at CCHR to be funded and I am glad to see it in the budget. This year, we celebrate our many wins for the City and our districts, and I’m excited to be a part of this diverse body,” said Council Member Nantasha Williams. “As the first female elected in the 27th Council District, I’m deeply honored to be passing my first budget under the leadership of the first Black Woman Speaker, Adrienne Adams. This budget is a reflection of the Council’s commitment to ensuring that all New Yorkers have the opportunity to thrive.”
“As Contracts Committee chair, the $60 Million Cost of Living Adjustments for human service providers is an overdue victory for the nonprofits that kept our neighbors safe, fed, and housed during the pandemic, but also a move towards equity for the women and people of color who make up a majority of this workforce,” said Council Member Julie Won. “We need to make sure that the people who fight hardest to keep our seniors healthy, our communities strong, and our streets safe are paid the money they deserve. Similarly, the $20+ million for Adult Literacy and $8.6 million Language Access expansion are only a small glimpse of our efforts to take steps towards equity for our immigrant New Yorkers. Growing up, I translated school notices, health bills, and legal notices in our mailbox. If my parents had access to low-cost/free adult literacy classes, their life would have been different. Adult literacy— is for my mama who still reads every night to learn English. This budget in its entirety prioritizes funding a city that values the people and the workers who serve our city for a truly equitable recovery for all.”
Pursuant to the State Open Meetings Law, as amended by Part WW of chapter 56 of the Laws of 2022, and New York City Council Resolution No. 204, adopted on June 2, 2022, and as authorized by such law and resolution by the continuing state disaster emergency declared by Governor Hochul, last renewed on May 15, 2022, and the local state of emergency declared by former Mayor De Blasio, last renewed by Mayor Adams on June 5, 2022, Speaker Adrienne Adams made a determination that, due to the risk to Members of the Council and the general public posed by COVID-19, the in-person participation requirements of the State Open Meetings Law are hereby suspended for all hearings on June 9, 2022, and for the hearings of the Committee on Land Use and its Subcommittees on June 14, 2022.
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