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Q&A
State funding for asylum seeker response and potential budget shortfalls
1:26:16
ยท
94 sec
Council Member Ayala questions the inclusion of $2.7 billion in state funding for asylum seeker response in the preliminary plan, given that the governor did not include this in her executive budget. Director Jiha discusses the ongoing efforts to secure funding from the state.
- The city continues to work with the state and seeks advocacy from the City Council in Albany
- Conversations with the state are ongoing, despite the governor's statement about cost-sharing
- In a worst-case scenario, the city would need to explore all options to close the potential billion-dollar gap
- The administration is pushing for resources from Albany, which may come in forms other than direct asylum seeker funding
Diana Ayala
1:26:16
For the preliminary plan, it includes 1,000,000,000 of state funding for the asylum seeker response efforts in both fiscal year '20 '6 and '27 and 350,000,000 in both fiscal years twenty eight and '29.
1:26:29
The governor did not include this 2,700,000,000.0 in her executive budget, and she said that the cost sharing between the city and the state would not continue.
1:26:37
Do you plan to replace the state funding?
1:26:38
Was city funding in the executive budget?
Jacques Jiha
1:26:41
We continue to work with the state, and we work on your advocacy in Albany as well to to help us because these are you know, we have, like, seven weeks to come up with a billion dollars, you can imagine.
1:26:54
We, you know, as I said, while we're struggling with everything else, we're trying to protect programs.
1:27:00
We're trying to find a billion dollars to close the gap at the same time.
1:27:03
So we continue to work with the state.
1:27:04
You know, we have conversation.
1:27:06
Until the budget is enacted, we don't know what's going to happen.
1:27:09
But again, as I said, we welcome your advocacy in Albany.
Diana Ayala
1:27:13
Yeah.
1:27:13
We we we advocated as well.
1:27:15
But would you say that the conversation is still ongoing with the state?
Jacques Jiha
1:27:19
Conversation is still ongoing with the state.
Diana Ayala
1:27:20
Okay.
1:27:23
Worst case scenario, what how do we fill that gap?
Jacques Jiha
1:27:27
Well, we're gonna have to again, as I said, looking at all the options that we have at our disposal to see what we can do to close the gap.
1:27:34
But again, we're keeping our finger course and we're working we're pushing really hard on Albany to get resources.
1:27:41
It may not be money is fungible from our perspective.
1:27:44
It may not be asylum seek resources, but if we could other resources.
1:27:49
So we're working with the state to see what can be done.
Diana Ayala
1:27:51
Okay.