REMARKS
Council member Krishnan addresses parks department budget cuts
6:49:29
·
79 sec
Council Member Shekar Krishnan expresses concern over the $55 million budget cut to the parks department, highlighting the importance of parks for sanitation and public safety. He emphasizes the contradiction between Mayor Adams' campaign promise to increase the parks budget to 1% and the current budget cuts.
- Krishnan stresses the crucial role of parks in achieving clean streets and keeping New Yorkers safe
- He points out that the parks department is facing a $55 million PEG (Program to Eliminate the Gap)
- Krishnan notes that there were no restorations for parks in the executive budget, despite the council's budget response
Shekar Krishnan
6:49:29
I just had a few, questions, in particular about our parks department.
6:49:33
I'm gonna take a step back for a second.
6:49:35
You know, this is an administration that prioritizes sanitation, that prioritizes public safety, and I'm sure you'd agree, you know, as we've discussed before, how our parks play a crucial role in achieving clean, streets in our city, clean spaces, as well as keeping New Yorkers safe.
6:49:54
Our parks as as as essential public spaces need to be cleaned.
6:49:58
The trash needs to be picked up.
6:50:00
The bathrooms need to be cleaned, and the overgrown trees need to be maintained both in our parks and on our sidewalks and our streets.
6:50:07
But the parks department's facing a $55,000,000 peg, and we had, included
Jacques Jiha
6:50:14
A $55?
Shekar Krishnan
6:50:15
$55,000,000 peg.
6:50:16
And we had included, and, again, from the from a mayor who had explicitly campaigned on increasing our parks budget to 1%.
6:50:25
We've been seeing the last 2 years steady cuts of the parks department.
6:50:28
Now, in our budget response, we had laid out a few different items, as far as restoring cuts, and there were no restorations in the executive budget.
6:50:40
In fact, the only increase with the parks department was for several a handful.
6:50:44
I think it was probably about 3 to 5 exterminators in the borough of Brooklyn.
