REMARKS
Council Member Robert Holden on allocating budget for veteran services in NYC
0:46:36
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140 sec
Council Member Robert Holden advocates for a budget allocation for veteran services in NYC during a city council meeting.
- Proposes a member item initiative for veterans, arguing each council member should receive funding for veteran services in their budget.
- Suggests the allocated funds could support various veteran service organizations, including providing capital for necessary repairs.
- Calls for a change in penalizing veteran service organizations with fines from the Department of Buildings, advocating for a grace period to correct issues.
- Expresses intent to discuss support for the initiative with the mayor and highlights a related bill aiming to help veteran service organizations address violations.
Robert Holden
0:46:36
And on that subject, Council member.
0:46:38
We're trying as a committee to try to get a member item initiative for veterans.
0:46:45
That means whatever the amount, it could be 10000, it could be 50,000, but each council member gets right now.
0:46:53
We get money for various populations in our district.
0:46:59
And and around the city.
0:47:02
Immigrants, we get pot a pot of money there for immigrant services.
0:47:08
Obviously, we get money for for our schools.
0:47:12
What we should get in my I would start at 50,000.
0:47:16
We should get $50,000 in our budget for veteran services.
0:47:23
That's a no brainer in my book.
0:47:24
And I think most of the committee, I think everyone here agrees that that should be and and and the money could be used for various things.
0:47:33
So we're going to talk to the mayor about helping out with that area.
0:47:37
At least put to if it is brought up in the budget that the mayor supports that.
0:47:41
So let's say veteran service organizations, they would get money to help even with and I'm hoping that it could even go for capital.
0:47:49
But that that's important to to fix some of the veteran service organizations that are suffering now.
0:47:58
Even to go so far, and we do have bills on this, by the way, for actually helping them, when they get, let's say, a fine from the DOB Department of Buildings, that we give them a period to correct the situation rather than a fine because that's like sometimes a nail in the coffin for some of these veteran service organizations.
0:48:21
They're just staying, you know, with their trying to say with their heads above water at this point.
0:48:25
And now we're we're penalizing them for some violation obscure violation in Department of Buildings.
0:48:31
But why what's the advantage of do we need the money for from our better services organizations know.
0:48:38
And we shouldn't expect that.
0:48:39
We should actually correct the situation, help them to correct it, walk them through it, and give them more time.
0:48:46
That bill is also lingering, and I hope this committee can hear that in the near future.
0:48:52
We've been joined by counsel of our nurse, I just Well, I