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Q&A
Council member inquires about capital budget shortfalls for library projects
1:37:37
·
159 sec
Council Member Nantasha M. Williams expresses frustration about recurring budget shortfalls in library capital projects and asks for an explanation of the process. Dennis Walcott, President and CEO of Queens Public Library, responds by explaining the challenges and strategies used to address these shortfalls.
- Walcott acknowledges that budget shortfalls may occur again this year
- He highlights the importance of the city council's unrestricted money in plugging funding gaps
- Walcott provides examples of ongoing capital initiatives in Williams' district, emphasizing their efforts to minimize additional funding requests
Nantasha M. Williams
1:37:37
Thank you.
1:37:38
I just had a question about the capital budget.
1:37:41
I know you mentioned a lot of the issues that you have with these projects, I think almost every year I put money in and as you know comes back around that there's a budget shortfall and then we have to try to find additional funds.
1:37:57
You could just explain again that process and how we could try to avoid that because it is a little frustrating to make a priority to put in funds one year and then find out that the project is suddenly not fully funded, it's just a frustrating dynamic for us with such limited capital funds to spread around and if we say we're gonna commit to this one year and then next year we make other commitments and then have to move lines around because we get a notification from the system that you know a particular project is underfunded and I think this has happened to me probably almost every budget cycle where a project that I thought was fully funded is suddenly not funded.
Dennis Walcott
1:38:39
So I'll take that first if I may.
1:38:42
One, it may happen to you again this year, so just to give you a heads up.
1:38:46
I know, but I've given you a heads up, But that's where the city council's unrestricted money has been extremely helpful to all of us as far as plugging those holes as well.
1:38:59
And so you have not really heard the same amount of coming back to you for additional funds at least on the Queen's side because of the use of prioritizing and really taking a look at where shortfalls may take place and the excellent unrestricted money that the city council has provided that allows us to plug that.
1:39:20
And your district in particular council member, as I look at the list of libraries that you cover, every library in your district has a capital initiative taking place.
1:39:30
Cambria Heights with roof resiliency, South Jamaica with total overhaul, South Hollis as well.
1:39:38
And then Central, thanks to you and the speaker and other council members.
1:39:42
The renovation of the auditorium at Central And St.
1:39:46
Albans has a project.
1:39:47
So we're very conscious of that and we've tried to minimize coming back to you for additional money because of shortfalls.
1:39:54
But it goes back to what we talked about earlier as far as the complexity of if we don't have the money as Tony and Linda have indicated as far as the total capital plan, especially a ten year capital plan, then we meet those shortfalls by either coming back to you or using the unrestricted money that you have set aside from the council itself in the overall budget.