Results tagged “nycbudgetcrisis”

Senator Charles Schumer was sounding like a savior today for two agencies recently experiencing major budget woes: the Department of Education and the MTA. Schumer indicated that $1.8 billion of the stimulus bill that arrived in the Senate today should be heading toward city schools saying, "If they were to use that money to prevent massive layoffs of teachers, that would be the intention of what the money is for and that's a good thing." The mayor did not take any stimulus money toward education for granted in last Friday's "Doomsday budget." Schumer also proposed an amendment to the $819 billion stimulus package, calling for money going toward transit to nearly double the allocated amount to around $15 billion. While that money could not go toward the MTA's budget deficit that will likely lead to a fare increase, it could be used towards maintenance and new projects like the Second Avenue Subway.

       

Call it "Gloomy." Call it a "Bad-News Budget." After initial word that 23,000 city jobs would be cut and the sales tax might go up, Mayor Bloomberg detailed how he plans to close the $4 billion budget gap the city faces next fiscal year. As the NY Times reports, there are four steps: "Reducing expenses by roughly $1 billion; receiving $1 billion from the federal government through more generous Medicaid reimbursements; securing $1 billion from unions and the state through pension reforms, health care contributions and other sources; and raising $894 million from an increase in the sales tax to 8.625 percent from 8.375 percent."

Yesterday Queens Borough President Helen Marshall moved forward with a plan for a $20 million glass atrium for the rear courtyard of Queens Borough Hall. Her office says that it will provide space for meetings and community programs and alleviate lines of couples waiting to get married in the building's cramped wedding office. Naturally, some people are not thrilled with this, specifically on the same day that the mayor announced 23,000 possible job cuts in his doomsday budget. Political analyst Doug Muzzio told the Post, "It becomes one of those glass houses that people will throw stones at. Is this the best use of public money in terms of job generation? The answer is undoubtedly no." The paper also points out that the recent renovation of the Manhattan Marriage Bureau that just was unveiled only cost $12.5 million.