Three Things to Watch For in de Blasio’s Budget

Before Mayor Bill de Blasio heads to Washington, D.C. to unveil his progressive response to the GOP’s Contract with America, he has a commitment to tend to at New York City Hall. 

The mayor’s executive budget will amount to a more routine, localized contract than the 13-point national platform he will use to prod presidential candidates toward the left. But the fiscal plan may also provide some insight into how he will aproach the national stage—one of three unanswered questions we’ll be watching for as de Blasio delivers his budget address: 

Will de Blasio preview more of his national agenda in the city? 

The mayor’s so-called progressive agenda reportedly includes raising the minimum wage, which he has pushed for on his home turf, and expanding government-funded pre-kindergarten, which he rolled out in New York City last year. His platform also will also include paid time off for working parents, which could dovetail with the city’s new mandate that private companies provide paid sick leave for workers—or could indicate a foray into policies requiring paid leave for those tending to newborns, elderly relatives or other personal needs. With the mayor making numerous national media appearances to promote affordability for the country's working class, the budget could serve as an opportunity to add some hard numbers and policies to his stump speech and keep the spotlight on his agenda ahead of next week’s rally in Washington. 

How will the mayor handle conflicting visions for the NYPD?

For the second year in a row, the City Council has called for funding to hire 1,000 additional police officers. But this year the climate has changed: A wave of protests swept through New York City and across the country when an officer involved in the death of Eric Garner in Staten Island was not indicted by a grand jury. Shortly after the verdict, two police officers in Brooklyn were murdered by a man claiming to seek revenge for Garner's death. A police union president accused de Blasio of having blood on his hands and cops turned their back on the mayor at the fallen officers' wake.

The tensions may have eased, but any observer can see the dynamics around criminal justice reform have changed. Advocates are upset with the City Council's request for additional officers, but lawmakers have not backed off of the push for more officers, leaving the mayor in a somewhat precarious position.

“The proposals this Council made in our budget response are even more pressing given the events of the past few weeks,” said City Council Public Safety Committee Chairwoman Vanessa Gibson in a statement. “If the executive budget does not include any of our public safety initiatives such as increasing the headcount of school crossing guards, civilianizing 200 positions at the NYPD, or raising the NYPD headcount, I will fight even harder in the next round of hearings."  

How de Blasio will address the CIty Council’s request is something to watch for. Will he honor it, seek some middle ground, or ignore it all together?

What will happen with money freed up for NYCHA?

The mayor has committed to waive the New York City Housing Authority's annual $30 million payment in lieu of property taxes for four years, but NYCHA has long come under fire for poor management, particularly its alleged misuse of discretionary funds for security camera installation and other development-by-development projects. Although current chair Shola Olatoye has worked to combat the NYCHA's bad reputation, she has also had to fend off questions about why the authority's staff auctioned off unused furniture and supplies.

It will be worth watching to see if de Blasio has a plan for how the freed-up $30 million will be spent. And if he doesn't, others have suggestions: City Councilman Ritchie Torres, who chairs the Committee on Public Housing, said he would like to see the savings serve as a funding stream for NYCHA’s senior and community centers, so that the city could “end the budget dance once and for all.”

“There should be a permanent funding source for senior centers and community centers in public housing and the PILOT exemption frees up dollars for those purposes,” Torres said.

We know de Blasio has publicly committed to matching the state's $100 million capital investment in NYCHA, but that money is a one-shot to provide improvements and not a recurring source of funds. In the case of the state money, Gov. Andrew Cuomo specifically circumvented NYCHA's management by giving the cash to the state Division of Housing and Community Renewal to administer. 

Keep an eye out to see if de Blasio does something similar, potentially earmarking new NYCHA funds to specific areas.