Statement from NYC Comptroller Brad Lander on New York City’s FY 2023 Executive Budget

 Following the release of Mayor Eric Adams’ FY 2023 Executive Budget, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander issued the following statement:

“The Fiscal Year 2023 budget is our chance to set New York City on a path towards an inclusive and resilient recovery. The Mayor’s Executive Budget includes several important steps forward on transportation, parks, and safe shelter to bring our city back stronger. But more work remains to achieve a budget that learns from this crisis to be more prepared for the ones to come.

“First, the City needs to spend its remaining federal COVID funds effectively, starting with the money allocated for our children’s academic, social, and emotional wellness. The Department of Education has billions of dollars intended for student recovery that remain unspent, and this budget does not include a clear action plan for how to make the best use of these funds. In addition, with unemployment among Black and Latino New Yorkers still higher than twice the national average, more of this finite federal funding should be targeted at stimulating our economic recovery.

“The increased commitments to Safe Havens and stabilization beds are a critical step, but a significant share of these rooms must be private—and must function as a step toward permanent housing—if we are to truly address the needs of unsheltered New Yorkers. Confronting our interconnected homelessness and housing challenges will require significantly more funding for permanent affordable and supportive housing.

“Despite better-than-projected city tax revenue, this budget only adds drops to the Rainy-Day Fund bucket we will need to face future storms.

“Meanwhile, the plan proceeds to hire 500 new Corrections officers without making urgent reforms to the staffing management failures that have left our jails in crisis with nearly a fifth of officers calling out sick each week.

“I look forward to reviewing the executive budget proposals closely, and ensuring that our public funds, including one-time federal stimulus dollars, are used effectively to secure a safe and sustainable future for every New Yorker.”