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QUESTION
What is the administration's vision for New York City and how do proposed budget cuts align with this vision?
2:55:27
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NYC Mayor's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director addresses the administration's vision for a safe, clean city, but concerns are raised about budget cuts' impact on essential services.
- The administration's vision focuses on safety, cleanliness, family support, and education.
- Budget cuts discussed include $60 million to school meals, $170 million to early childhood education, and $20 million to parks, potentially undermining the vision.
- Council Member Shekar Krishnan highlights the adverse effects of these cuts on school lunches, early childhood education availability, and parks maintenance.
- Krishnan argues these budgetary decisions make the city less affordable for working families, with essential services at risk, challenging the administration's vision.
Shekar Krishnan
2:55:27
Thank you so much.
2:55:28
Speaker Adams, Chair, Brandon.
2:55:29
Good afternoon.
2:55:30
Noon.
2:55:30
I'm Mister Budget Director and OMV team, and I should see you all.
2:55:33
Thank you for your testimony today.
2:55:35
Just taking a step back, my question is, what is this administration's vision for the city.
2:55:42
I don't mean just the economic approach.
2:55:44
I see the approach here.
2:55:45
Mhmm.
2:55:45
But what conversations have you had with the mayor And what is the vision of this administration for New York City?
Jacques Jiha
2:55:54
They may have made it clear on many occasions.
Shekar Krishnan
2:55:58
Kenny Amazon.
Jacques Jiha
2:55:59
The the mayor has made it clear on many occasion about his vision for the city.
2:56:04
He wants a safe, clean, city where you could waste a family work and without any fear and have a good education system.
2:56:15
Where the kids could go to school.
2:56:17
I mean, he has been declared on many occasions about his vision for New York City and his budget.
2:56:25
Also reflect.
2:56:27
Okay.
2:56:27
His visions.
2:56:29
That's the reason why you hear people talk about we do cuts generalized quads.
2:56:37
We review every single one of the submissions by agencies.
2:56:42
We see where we are in term of our needs for resources and address appropriately.
2:56:47
If we realize an agency cannot meet the tech target, and they don't have the resources, we basically exempt them.
2:56:55
So this is, you know, we've been extremely careful as I was talking about tuning.
2:57:00
We've been extremely careful, okay, in terms of the changes that we made.
2:57:07
As I said in my testimony, 95% of the savings that we took had no impact whatsoever.
Rita Joseph
2:57:16
Okay.
Jacques Jiha
2:57:16
Okay, on services in New York City.
2:57:18
We you don't have to take my word for it.
2:57:21
Okay?
2:57:21
You could go to any one of the independent monitors.
2:57:25
Okay?
2:57:25
So there is a small portion that's impacted, and it's a job to work around them to see what can be do to do assessment of these things.
2:57:34
To see what can be partially or fully visible, as I said, if the resources are there.
2:57:39
But the mayor resources are aligned with his visions.
Shekar Krishnan
2:57:45
So let's look at that for a second.
2:57:47
So summarizing your point, vision being for the mayor, stated vision is a safe city that supports working families.
2:57:54
Are you aware that there's a $60,000,000 cut to school meals in our public schools
Jacques Jiha
2:57:59
I just I just disclosed it.
Shekar Krishnan
2:58:02
It's not a cut.
2:58:02
Let's rephrase.
2:58:03
Are you aware that school lunch menus are being cut and schools are running out of food.
Jacques Jiha
2:58:08
No.
2:58:08
It's not true.
2:58:09
As in here, let
Rita Joseph
2:58:10
me just
Jacques Jiha
2:58:10
let me just sit to you.
2:58:11
Let let me let me just let me give you the facts again.
Shekar Krishnan
2:58:13
Right.
2:58:13
Sure.
2:58:13
But, yes or no,
Jacques Jiha
2:58:14
I can tell you where you're gonna talk to our opinion, but you're not on top of your facts.
Shekar Krishnan
2:58:17
Sure.
2:58:18
But it's
Jacques Jiha
2:58:18
yes.
2:58:19
Let me give you the facts.
Rita Joseph
2:58:20
Go
Jacques Jiha
2:58:20
ahead.
2:58:20
We swap federal tax dollars.
2:58:23
Okay?
2:58:24
For city tax hours.
2:58:26
Okay?
2:58:26
That's 1.
2:58:27
2, we invested significantly in food cafeteria.
2:58:31
And as a result of the investment.
2:58:34
Okay.
2:58:35
More kids are coming to the cafeteria because they nicer.
2:58:38
They're hanging out in the cafeteria.
2:58:40
They're eating more.
Shekar Krishnan
2:58:41
I But let
Jacques Jiha
2:58:41
me Because they're eating more.
2:58:43
Okay.
2:58:44
Basically, because they're eating more, this the the DOE, okay, We question It's a bucket.
Shekar Krishnan
2:58:50
I'm I'm on a clock.
2:58:51
So I've gotta I've gotta jump in.
2:58:52
I understand the math, but I'll tell you where the math isn't mathing.
2:58:55
They're children like my own, in my son's school, my both my kids' schools that are running out of food at lunch.
2:59:01
My children and the others in the school, and many others across the city, that aren't eating lunch, that are borrowing lunch from their friends because the school lunch menus are being cut.
2:59:10
So however whatever math and whatever budget metrics I didn't use.
Jacques Jiha
2:59:14
I didn't The point
Shekar Krishnan
2:59:15
is I'm sorry, Mitch.
2:59:16
Budget.
2:59:16
The point is that school lunch menus are being cut.
2:59:19
That's the understand reality.
2:59:20
My second question is,
Jacques Jiha
2:59:21
listen to me.
2:59:22
When you know each you.
2:59:23
We can it's not it's not
Rita Joseph
2:59:25
not
Jacques Jiha
2:59:25
not
Shekar Krishnan
2:59:32
My second question is, are you aware there's a $170,000,000 cut to early childhood education?
Jacques Jiha
2:59:38
Because we had 37,000 empty seats that we're paying for.
2:59:46
This is a program that is funded by federal tax laws.
2:59:49
I'm gonna about I'm
Shekar Krishnan
2:59:50
gonna jump in the other point.
2:59:51
So I think it'll be
Jacques Jiha
2:59:52
6000 empty seats that the seats
Preston Niblack
2:59:54
I'm sorry,
Shekar Krishnan
2:59:54
Mister Budget Director.
2:59:55
I've I've gotta keep moving.
2:59:56
I'm gonna look at the numbers, and I'm gonna show you the impact.
2:59:58
$170,000,000 cut for early childhood education.
3:00:02
Finally, you're also aware there's a $20,000,000 cut to our parks department.
3:00:06
Right?
3:00:06
Including 111 positions $11,000,000 for collectively swim programs, tree maintenance programs, and trail programs.
3:00:14
You're aware of that cut to the parks department budget.
3:00:16
Yes.
3:00:17
Cut.
3:00:17
So looking at all those, let me tell you the impact, but the dollar amounts aside.
3:00:22
As I mentioned before, schools where lunch menus are being cut.
3:00:26
No.
3:00:26
And running out of running out of food.
3:00:28
No.
3:00:29
Early childhood education, there are thousands of parents who desperately hoping.
3:00:34
To qualify for a 3 k lottery.
Jacques Jiha
3:00:35
Anyone who want the seat can get a seat.
Shekar Krishnan
3:00:38
And finally, with these cuts, There are parks across the city that won't receive cleaning services.
3:00:44
That's just the fact.
3:00:46
There are swim programs that won't be running because of it.
3:00:50
So parks won't be cleaned, playgrounds won't be cleaned, trees won't be maintained, and children won't learn how to swim while we have a lifeguard crisis in this city.
3:00:59
So I don't know what the actual vision of this administration is looking at all these pegs and cuts and haphazard restorations.
3:01:07
But what I will say is the way the administration's approach and the impact of its budget approach is that the city is getting unaffordable for working families, that the support pillars, that working families, older adults, and immigrants depend on, are being cut, and working families are being pushed out of the city.
3:01:28
And so I think the real question the administration should ask itself is what is the vision for this city?
3:01:36
What is their vision for this city?
3:01:38
And quite frankly, right now what we're looking at is one that the numbers aside, the on the ground reality, the stories that we all hear from constituents day in day out, whatever the vision may be, It is one that is in fact, in reality, leaving out working families.
3:01:55
Thank you.