Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday defended his proposed $111.6 billion budget, saying it is a sound plan as "all of us are dealing with the financial crisis."
The mayor revealed his budget plan Wednesday, which is $2 billion more than his original projection in January, saying the adjustment was supported by better-than-expected tax revenue and a $586 million cut in migrant-related spending.
Adams still needs to negotiate a final budget with the City Council before the July 1 deadline.
“The speaker and I, we were able to get two handshakes on two budgets. We're gonna do it again on the third budget,” Adams said during a "Mornings On 1" interview.
When asked about future funding priorities, particularly regarding library operations on Sundays, Adams said the city is still facing financial challenges.
“All of us are dealing with the financial crisis—not only the asylum seeker issue, but also, we had to be sure about paying outstanding union contracts and other issues that cause some real financial concerns. This is part of the budget process. We're looking forward to sitting down with the speaker and her team,” he said. “I'm a strong believer in libraries. I used them often as a child, and we're going to come to a middle ground and understanding on how to move forward on this.”
The budget proposal earmarks more funding for law enforcement, including money to bring back police academy classes this year —something Adams noted was a priority to help drive down crime.
“We know that the presence of a uniformed personnel can make the city not only be safe based on the stats, but feel safe as well. And that's why I'm happy that we got our July and October classes back in to get our numbers up to what it should be,” he said.