The mayor’s first budget proposal called for across-the-board cuts to most city agencies, as well as a reduction in the city’s work force.
Mayor Eric Adams released a $98.5 billion spending plan on Wednesday that called for broad cuts to most New York City agencies and a gradual reduction in a municipal work force that had risen to its highest level ever under the mayor’s predecessor, Bill de Blasio.
Mr. Adams said his budget proposal, which is $4 billion less than the city’s current financial plan, fulfilled his campaign vow to find savings and make government more efficient.
Mr. Adams, a former police captain who took office in January, made no mention of how much he planned to spend on the police budget in his prepared remarks or a news release. In a news conference after his presentation, he said that police funding would remain flat.
The mayor’s conservative approach comes even as the city shows signs of economic recovery: After months of a prolonged pandemic-fueled economic decline, Mr. Adams said that the city projected that it would receive $1.6 billion more tax revenue in the current fiscal year than originally forecast. Higher property tax values contributed to a $726 million increase in revenue for the next fiscal year.
“This wise management of our resources is allowing us to make historic investments in equity, in justice and in safety,” Mr. Adams, a Democrat, said in a speech at City Hall.
His budget included funding for a summer youth program to provide 100,000 jobs, transit discounts for low-income New Yorkers and the expansion of a tax credit for poor New Yorkers — something Mr. Adams promised to do on the campaign trail.
He also pledged to reduce the city work force by more than 10,000 workers, and asked nearly every city agency to cut its budget by 3 percent.
Earlier in the week, Mr. Adams announced $79 million for the summer jobs program, alongside the City Council speaker, Adrienne Adams. He said making sure young people have jobs would keep them busy and help reduce crime.
“Show me where you put your money, that’s where your priorities are,” Mr. Adams said at a news conference on Tuesday. “We’re opening the doors of opportunity for our sons and daughters of this city that have historically witnessed the doors being shut in their faces.”
Mr. Adams also announced $75 million to continue a program for poor New Yorkers to have half-price MetroCards — a sum that was less than Ms. Adams, the speaker, had called for, but more than the city had been spending. About 260,000 people have enrolled in the program, which subsidizes subway and bus fares for New Yorkers whose income falls below the federal poverty line.
His budget showed conflicting signs about the city’s recovery from the pandemic. Some tax revenues were higher than expected, including personal income taxes and property tax values. But Mr. Adams said he had to close a nearly $3 billion budget gap that he blamed in part on economic setbacks from the arrival of the Omicron variant and doubts over workers’ ability to return to offices.
In the coming months, Mr. Adams must negotiate the budget with the City Council, which has many new members. The mayor and the Council typically reach a final budget agreement before July 1.
