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REMARKS
Council Member Carlina Rivera's opening remarks on library funding and budget priorities
0:03:08
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4 min
Council Member Carlina Rivera opens the hearing on cultural affairs, libraries, and international intergroup relations. She discusses the proposed budget for the city's three library systems, highlighting the funding gaps in both expense and capital needs. Rivera expresses disappointment with the administration's budget proposal and emphasizes the council's commitment to supporting libraries.
- Rivera outlines the specific unmet expense needs of $44.8 million and unmet capital needs of $345 million for fiscal year 2026.
- She stresses the importance of libraries in providing essential services to diverse communities across New York City.
- The council member calls for transparency, accountability, and alignment with council priorities in the final adopted budget.
Carlina Rivera
0:03:08
Thank you so much.
0:03:09
Thank you Chair Brandon.
0:03:10
Appreciate you very much.
0:03:13
Good morning.
0:03:13
Welcome to the hearing for cultural affairs, libraries, and international intergroup relations.
0:03:19
I'm council member Carlina Rivera, I'm chair of the committee.
0:03:22
Today we will begin with a hearing on the city's three library systems, followed by a hearing on cultural affairs.
0:03:28
And finally the committee will hear public testimony related to these two hearings.
0:03:34
With that I would like to welcome you to our library's hearing.
0:03:37
I know many of you have seen before.
0:03:39
This morning we'll be discussing the fiscal twenty twenty six executive expense and capital budget for the systems.
0:03:45
For fiscal twenty twenty six the administration is proposing $496,800,000 subsidy for the systems.
0:03:53
The fiscal twenty twenty six executive capital commitment plan which covers fiscal years twenty twenty five to 2029 includes 1,100,000,000.0 for the library systems.
0:04:04
In the council's budget response, the council called on the administration to allocate in baseline an additional 62,500,000.0 for the city's three library systems starting in fiscal twenty twenty six.
0:04:17
The funding would provide 44,800,000.0 for the library's systems unmet expense needs for fiscal twenty twenty six baseline the 15,700,000.0 which the council has provided annually for the systems and provide $2,000,000 to expand seven day library service to 10 additional branches citywide.
0:04:38
I am disappointed to see that the administration only included a small portion of this in the executive plan.
0:04:44
The system still have a combined unmet expense need of 44,800,000.0 in fiscal twenty twenty six for increased costs related to uncovered wage growth and health insurance, liability insurance, rents, additional staffing needs, capital in eligible IT, and deferred maintenance expenses, new and expanded locations and programs, building maintenance contracts, and supplies among other expenses I'm sure.
0:05:16
Additional funds are needed to help maintain our city's libraries and it is also our obligation.
0:05:22
The systems also have an unmet capital need estimated to be $345,000,000 in fiscal twenty twenty six alone for comprehensive renovation of branches, critical maintenance, technology upgrades, resiliency and accessibility, and project shortfalls.
0:05:37
This investment in physical infrastructure is crucial to bridge the funding gap for the system's ongoing infrastructure needs.
0:05:45
And while this funding would meet the library system's current capital needs, it does not account for the many millions of dollars of future capital needs.
0:05:54
In order to provide for these needs, the council called for a meaningful inclusion of library capital needs in the ten year plan with the addition of 1,200,000,000 over the next ten years.
0:06:05
While this plan does not include this additional funding, we hope to work with the administration to find a way that the capital needs of the systems can be met.
0:06:14
The council will continue to champion libraries as a funding priority.
0:06:19
Libraries have an essential presence in every neighborhood of New York, providing indispensable services in a safe and reliable space for youth, older adults, immigrants, and all other New Yorkers, whether it's a baby at story time or a student logging on to finish homework, a new New Yorker learning English, or a senior finding connection in a book club, the impact of the public library system reaches far beyond their walls, providing vital programs that strengthen our city's future.
0:06:50
And it is essential that the budget that we adopt this year be transparent, accountable, and reflective of the priorities and interests of the council and all of the people that we represent.
0:07:01
I look forward to an active engagement with the administration over the next few weeks to ensure the fiscal twenty twenty six adopted budget meets the goals the council has set out.
0:07:13
Thank you all again for being here.
0:07:14
I would like to also recognize the staff including financial analyst Sandra Gray, committee counsel Christina Yelamati, legislative policy analyst Regina Paul, and of course my own staff.
0:07:25
Thank you very much.