Politics & Government

Sandy Takes Big Bite Out of 2014 City Budget

Budget includes $250 million for Hurricane Sandy repairs.

This article was written by Matt Hampton.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg was joined by a phalanx of city council members on Sunday to announce an agreement on the Fiscal Year 2014 city budget.

The on-time budget addresses a number of city issues, including a lack of funding for some agencies as a result of federal cuts, and Hurricane Sandy relief, repair and emergency funding. 

"As cities and states across the nation experienced large-scale layoffs and severe service cutbacks, our own fiscal discipline and pro-growth economic strategies prevented that from happening here and helped pull New York through those difficult times — most recently, coming out of the recession faster than any other place in the nation," Bloomberg said in a statement.

Some of the budget's highlights include:

  • $250 million for infrastructure improvements outlined in Bloomberg's recently announced climate change resiliency plan.
  • $58 million for NYCHA, which, like many city agencies is facing increased expenses as a result of Hurricane Sandy.
  • Debt service payments to help close future budget gaps.
“While the Council and the Administration came into this budget with different priorities, we both had a willingness to negotiate in good faith and in the end, arrived at a budget without the bickering and confrontation that is unfortunately too often associated with government," City Council Speaker Christine Quinn added. "By working together, we’ve ensured that libraries and pools will stay open, parks will be maintained, and preserved both vital childcare seats and after school programs that middle class families depend on."

The budget pushes a $2 billion gap into Fiscal Year 2015, which will be a problem for New York City's next mayor to deal with, naturally.


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