Mayor Eric Adams has presented a $111.6 billion executive budget for fiscal year 2025, proposing to restore funding for schools while increasing the number of police officers on city streets. The plan allocates billions for the ongoing migrant crisis and addresses the city’s budget challenges. However, it falls short of addressing cuts to libraries and faces criticism for projecting unnecessary spending cuts in the past.
Mayor Eric Adams’ proposed budget for the 2025 fiscal year does not fully restore millions of dollars in funding previously cut from the city’s public library systems. This raises concerns about further service reductions and closures at libraries across the five boroughs. Despite a $2.2 billion increase in overall spending, the executive budget plan does not reverse the $58.3 million reduction that has already been implemented or proposed for the library systems. The budget cuts have forced libraries to eliminate Sunday services and delay the opening of new branches. Council Democrats have identified $6.1 billion in unrealized revenue and funding, which they argue could be used to restore the library funding and avoid other cuts.
