Budget restores and invest over $1 billion for full library service, cultural institutions, education programs, and parks; advances comprehensive plan and funding to fix early childhood education system; and adds $2 billion to create and preserve more affordable homes

City Hall, NY – Speaker Adrienne Adams, Finance Committee Chair Justin Brannan, and Members of the New York City Council voted today to adopt the $112.4 billion budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. The FY 2025 budget restores and funds over $1 billion of the Council’s priorities following the Mayor’s Executive Budget, including for full library service, cultural institutions, school and student support programs, and a comprehensive plan to fund and fix the early childhood education (ECE) system. The ECE plan would provide funding to add seats and childcare vouchers for children without them, advance operational solutions to problems in the system that can fill vacant 3-K and Pre-K seats and strengthen it. The budget also secured the addition of $2 billion in capital funding over the next two years to support the creation and preservation of more affordable housing.  

The FY 2025 budget underscores the Council’s commitment to securing key restorations to preserve essential services that New Yorkers rely on and that allow for a safe and healthy City. The Council and the Administration were able to deliver a budget that preserves many critical programs and makes key investments, including replacing hundreds of millions of dollars in expiring federal stimulus funds.

“The Council is proud to adopt a city budget that restores and invests funding in New Yorkers’ priorities and the services that advance a healthier and safer city,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “These investments in affordable housing and homeownership, early childhood education and CUNY, libraries and cultural institutions, parks and sanitation, senior services and youth programs, mental health and public safety programs support our residents in every community. Despite the challenges, the Council has never wavered from our commitment to investing in solutions, and we will continue to push the City to meet the scale of our challenges. I thank my colleagues in the Council for our collective work to secure the resources our communities deserve and deliver on the priorities of New Yorkers.”

“Reports of New York City’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. But making sure New York City remains the Capital of the World is hard work and doesn’t happen on its own. That’s why what we invest in for the next 12 months matters,” said Council Member Justin Brannan, Chair of the Committee on Finance. “The city budget is arguably the most important document we produce every year. More than simply a financial plan and a list of expenditures, it is our city’s statement of values. It shows the rest of the world what the greatest city on the planet cares about. All throughout this year’s budget process, the Council was laser-focused on our shared priorities and confidence that we had the revenue needed to restore harmful cuts. Indeed, New York City’s post-pandemic economy has proved durable and resilient, buoyed by working and middle class New Yorkers – the very people we must invest in now. With an additional $2 billion secured through negotiations since the first draft, the FY25 adopted budget delivers on everything from early childhood education, our libraries, arts & cultural institutions to further addressing our city’s housing crisis, making investments in mental health programs and expanding Fair Fares so New Yorkers struggling to get by won’t need to choose between a MetroCard and a meal. This is a budget worthy of New Yorkers’ support.”

“From the very start of negotiations, the needs of New Yorkers and the challenges we are facing as a city has been top of mind for the Council,” said Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala. “We aimed to reach a budget that restores the Mayor’s cuts and invests in the essential services and supports New Yorkers of all ages need to thrive. From affordable housing and libraries to food pantries and capital funding for NYCHA developments, this budget deal is a testament to the Council’s commitment to deliver for New Yorkers.”

“I am proud to have been a part of the Council’s unwavering commitment to restoring and securing funding for essential services that make our city vibrant and livable for years to come,” said Majority Leader Amanda Farías. “The Council understood the stakes for New Yorkers. We have successfully prioritized and fought for the restoration and investment of over $2 billion since the Mayor’s Preliminary Budget and over $1 billion since the Executive Budget. This funding supports affordable housing, libraries, parks, early childhood education, student support programs, CUNY, senior services, mental healthcare, community safety, and more. Our priorities were not crafted in isolation but in tandem with the voices of our communities. Without the Council’s intervention and fight, this budget would not have put them first. That’s why I am proud of this Council and proud to vote yes.”

“Today’s deal is the result of months of steadfast advocacy by the Council to protect the City’s ability to deliver essential services,” said Majority Whip Selvena N. Brooks-Powers. “While the budget does not include every line item we sought, the Council fought successfully for restoration of funding that New Yorkers rely on every day, including for our libraries, schools, and childcare. It also includes a critical expansion of the Fair Fares program – adding over $10 million in baselined funding – and critical funding for a sorely needed Trauma Center in the Rockaways. More work lies ahead, but I am proud of the work of this Council to get us to this point, and I thank the Speaker for her strong leadership and unwavering commitment to the people of New York.”

The Council was successful in securing restorations and investments of many priorities in a balanced FY 2025 budget, because of higher revenue projections and available resources that are consistent with the Council’s Executive Budget forecast. The FY 2025 budget also secures 65 Terms & Conditions and 11 Units of Appropriations to improve transparency of agency programs and functions.

Highlights of Council priorities added to the FY 2025 budget through negotiations include:

Increasing Budget Accountability and Transparency

Units of Appropriation:

The FY 2025 budget adopted 11 new Units of Appropriation (U/A) that were prioritized by the Council, including:

  • One (1) in the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) – Promise NYC
  • One (1) in the Department for the Aging (DFTA) – Home Delivery Meals
  • One (1) in the Department of Corrections (DOC) – Training
  • Two (2) in the Department of Education (DOE) – Division of Instructional and Information Technology
  • Two (2) in the Department of Parks and Recreation – Parks Enforcement Patrol
  • Four (4) in the New York Police Department – Chief of Department, Detective Bureau

The FY 2025 budget also takes steps to increase budget transparency by aligning 4 existing units of appropriation with agency functions. This is an important step in recognizing that units of appropriation are intended to be the building blocks of agency budgets and that they support distinct agency functions.

Terms and Conditions:

The FY 2025 budget adopted a record 65 Terms and Conditions, requirements that advance budget transparency. They include expanding the FY24 budget reporting on asylum response efforts as well as new Terms and Conditions reporting on critical issues such as:

  • Early Childhood Education
  • Carter Cases
  • NYPD Strategic Response Group (SRG) deployment
  • Unlicensed cannabis summonses and fines
  • DYCD Crisis Management Systems (CMS) programs

A Strong Foundation for Housing New Yorkers

  • $2 billion in new capital investments for affordable housing creation and preservation through the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and NYCHA
  • Full $6.8 million restoration for security guards at NYCHA senior buildings
  • $4.2 million to support Department of City Planning PEG reversal and capital funding to enable neighborhood rezonings

Investments & Solutions to Fix Early Childhood Education System – $293 million

  • The city’s early childhood education system has faced many operational challenges that have left the system underserving families. Its 3-K and Pre-K programs have recently consisted of thousands of vacant seats, while many families who apply do not receive seats, demonstrating an ineffective management of the resources to reach children and families. There has been insufficient outreach and marketing to ensure families are aware of their ECE options, pay disparities for staff at community-based organization (CBO) providers, overdue contract payments to CBO providers, and insufficient enrollment and contracting flexibility that allows programs to meet families’ needs.
  • The Council recognized the need to secure funding for the early childhood education system that was missing in the Mayor’s Executive Budget and to negotiate for a comprehensive approach to fix the system’s challenges that leave it underutilized and some families without access.    
  • To effectively tackle current deficiencies in the early childhood education system, the Council reached a comprehensive agreement to immediately fund seats for families still awaiting 3-K placements or on waiting lists for preschool special education, and to implement other reforms that address problems in the system so families can access seats. These include:
    • 3-K and Pre-K Seats: $112 million – $92 million to replace expiring federal stimulus funds and $20 million to add seats to ensure placements for families who did not receive placements for next school year;
    • Extended Day/Extended Year Seats: $40 million to convert over 4,000 school-day/school-year seats to full-day/full-year seats ($15 million baselined in FY 24 plus $25 million added in new funding at adoption);
    • Marketing and Outreach: Added $5 million to reestablish expanded marketing and outreach efforts for 3-K that make families aware of their ECE options, so the number of applications for seats no longer falls short of the number of budgeted seats;
    • Pre-School Special Education: Added $111 million, including $55 million to add seats and services for children on the waitlist;
    • Promise NYC Program: Added $25 million to maintain and expand access to the only childcare program for undocumented families that are ineligible for other programs.
  • The agreement also establishes a working group to enact reforms that can fix and strengthen the ECE system for expansion and universal utilization by working on solutions to: fill vacant seats; ensure the geographic location and types of seats meet families’ needs and reach their children; and improve the enrollment process, outreach, and on-time provider payments. The Council’s goal is to increase utilization, solve operational challenges, and advance the system towards true universal access based on enrollment rather than simply budgeted seats.

Schools and Student Support Programs – $400.2 million

  • Holding School Budgets Harmless: $75 million
  • Summer Rising Restoration: $19.6 million
  • School Food Staffing: $20 million
  • Teacher Recruitment: $10 million
  • Full restoration of funding for Community Schools: $70 million, including $56 million in the Executive Budget and $14 million at Adoption
  • School Based Social Workers, School Psychologists, Family Workers Stimulus Cliff Restorations: $74 million
  • Learning to Work: $31 million
  • Ensuring placement of Certified Art Teachers in schools ($41 million) and Arts Education ($4 million)
  • Shelter-Based Community Coordinators for Students in Temporary Housing: $17 million restoration
  • Restorative Justice: $12 million restoration
  • Mental Health Continuum: $5 million restoration
  • Digital Learning, Computer for All, Tutoring, Civics for All, Parent and Immigrant Family Engagement, Outward Bound Crew Model: $21.6 million

City University of New York Programs & System – $64.2 million

  • Operational Support Restoration: $15 million
  • CUNY Reconnect: $5.9 million
  • CUNY Accelerate, Complete, and Engage (ACE): $10.1 million total ($1 million as outlined in the Executive Budget, and an additional $9.1 million at adoption
  • CUNY ASAP for All: $4.5 million
  • CUNY Social Work Fellows: $500,000

Health and Community Safety – $65.1 million

  • Recidivism Reduction and Reentry Programs Restoration: $14.8 million
  • Jail Population Review Teams: $10 million
  • Civilian Complaint Review Board Baselined Enhancement: $2.1 million
  • Justice Involved Supportive Housing: $6.4 million
  • Trauma Recovery Centers Enhancement: $4.8 million
  • Mental Health Clubhouses: $2 million
  • Capital Funding for New Trauma Center in the Rockaways: $25 million
  • HIV/AIDS Services Baselined Restoration: $5.4 million
  • Community-Based Solutions for Violence Interruption: $8.6 million

Institutional Pillars of NYC Neighborhoods – $173.8 million

  • $60.6 million full restoration of cultural institutions funding with $7.6 million restoration in Executive Budget and $53 million restored ($13 million baselined) at adoption
  • $58.3 million to fully restore library funding, with $42.6 million baselined, for full service that is no longer repeatedly at risk year-to-year in future budgets
  • Sanitation Litter Basket Pickup: $25 million restoration and enhancement
  • $6.2 million restoration of Community Composting Program
  • $15 million to enhance and restore funding for Second Shift maintenance and cleaning positions at hot spots in city parks
  • Restoring $8.7 million to support Urban Park Rangers, Tree Stump Removal, and Green Thumb Restoration

Opportunity Programs and Essential Services – $1.428 billion

  • Expanding Fair Fares to More Low-Income New Yorkers: $10.7 million to increase eligibility from 120% to 145% of the Federal Poverty Level, and an additional $2 million dedicated to outreach and education to increase utilization
  • Restoration of Community Food Connection Program: $31.9 million
  • Immigration Legal Services Enhancement Restoration: $4.4 million
  • CityFHEPS: $614.9 million, with $540.3 million baselined beginning in FY26
  • Restoration of Adult Literacy Programs: $10 million
  • Community Interpreter Bank and Language Services Worker Cooperatives Restoration: $3.8 million
  • Human Services Workers Cost of Living Adjustments: $740.6 million over four years
  • Shelter to Housing Action Plan: $10.1 million
  • Runaway and Homeless Youth Housing Navigators: $1.6 million

“I am so proud of the New Yorkers who fought hard to secure support for arts organizations, cultural institutions, and our public libraries as we work together to build a stronger, safer, and more vibrant city,” said Council Member Carlina Rivera. “Libraries and our cultural organizations are valuable institutions that provide diverse performances, renowned theater, language classes, access to technology, career and financial services, and countless other experiences and opportunities. These entities support families across the boroughs, host visitors from around the world, and generate billions of dollars in economic activity. Together we achieved a budget that invests in vital services equitably across the city.”

“I want to thank Speaker Adams and Chair Brannan for their strong leadership as we negotiated the Fiscal Year ’25 with the Mayor,” said Council Member Sandra Ung. “I’m proud that we’ve passed a budget that prioritizes investments in our communities, from restoring cuts to our libraries to enhancing funding for sanitation. This budget also delivers resources for our city’s growing AAPI community and provides our communities with enhanced language access services.”

“This budget continues the promise of putting working-class New Yorkers first,” said Council Member Rita Joseph. “A holistic and comprehensive approach by prioritizing our city’s pillars centered around education, health, older adults, cultural institutions, parks, and more. I am incredibly proud of how we delivered for our youngest New Yorkers; securing over $418 million in education to invest in our schools and students ensuring programs like community schools, mental health, arts education, and more thrive. This budget is a significant step forward for the residents of my district and all New Yorkers and I remain committed to improving the quality of life and investing in our city’s future.”

“I thank Speaker Adams, Finance Chair Brannan, and the budget team for their dedication,” said Council Member Mercedes Narcisse. “This budget makes crucial investments in healthcare and mental health, which are vital for our community’s well-being. Ensuring accessible and affordable mental health services will make a significant difference for individuals and families in my district and across New York City. We also celebrate the support for our libraries, parks, and sanitation, enhancing the quality of life of all New Yorkers.”

“The budget being passed today is very robust,” said Council Member Lynn Schulman. “For Fiscal Year ’25, the New York City Council has significantly restored and enhanced initiatives beyond expectations, for libraries; culture and art; education; healthcare including HIV/AIDS funding; Seniors; Sanitation, including composting; Parks; and so much more to enhance the lives of all New Yorkers and build for the future.”

“We are never going to slash and burn our way to a green city. The only way to get there is by doubling down on the solutions proven to work—adding more rodent-proof litter baskets; increasing the frequency and efficiency of trash pick-ups; and uplifting community-based climate action groups like our community composting programs, which divert organic waste from landfills and teach hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers how to build sustainable habits in their day to day lives. That is exactly what this Council did in this budget,” said Council Member Shaun Abreu. “Today, we celebrate these wins. Tomorrow, we continue the work toward a cleaner, safer, climate-resilient city.”

“Today’s adoption of the City’s budget marks a historic day for New York City, and a particularly historic day for the constituents of the 42nd Council District,” said Council Member Chris Banks. “For the first time in over two decades, the Council Member representing this district will vote in support of a budget that brings unprecedented fiscal support to our community that will help to combat food insecurity, reinforce the importance of protecting our seniors, particularly those living in NYCHA Senior Housing, make investments in the education of our youth, make investments in our community’s healthcare infrastructure, protect our City’s environment, and so much more. While we must continue to fight for more funding for NYCHA and the protection of Section-9, I am proud to have brought so many never-before-seen resources to the constituents of my community. I am truly humbled and thankful for the trust and responsibility that has been bestowed upon me, and I look forward to continue fighting to bring even more resources to our community in the future.”

“The FY25 budget will restore much needed funding for HIV/AIDS prevention, libraries, cultural institutions, sanitation services, mental health, housing, education, and more,” said Council Member Erik Bottcher. “Thank you to Speaker Adrienne Adams, Finance Chair Justin Brannan and the Budget Negotiation Team for their leadership on this budget.”

“The Speaker and Budget Negotiations Team are the true heroes behind various budget restoration efforts to vital services like education including early childhood education and special education, childcare, libraries, housing, and cultural institutions,” said Council Member Carmen De La Rosa. “The Progressive Caucus prioritized and celebrates the $2B in capital investment made towards truly affordable housing in our city, and will continue to work to ensure Neighborhood Pillars and Open Doors receive investments in subsequent budgets so that everyday New Yorkers can find an affordable home or remain in the ones they already have with dignity. As we pass this budget know that the Progressive Caucus will not let up as modifications are made throughout the year; we are listening and will continue to elevate the needs of our communities at City Hall.”

“Despite facing unprecedented fiscal challenges, the New York City Council has passed a budget that prioritizes the needs of New Yorkers,” said Council Member James Gennaro. “With our continued advocacy, and under the Speaker’s leadership, we have restored all funding for essential services, including our libraries and cultural institutions. That is much to be proud of. I’d like to thank Speaker Adrienne Adams and my colleagues in the Council for all their hard work in getting this year’s budget passed.”

“The final budget agreement reflects the strategic commitment to childcare that is a step towards our vision for a future where every child in New York City receives equitable care,” said Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez. “We will not forget that it was the austerity measures that threatened those already struggling the most, and it was the City Council that ensured thousands of more families will have access to this critical care – signaling our unwavering dedication to building a city where childcare is not just a service but a cornerstone of economic stability.”

“This council, after months of hearings, testimony, and negotiations, has successfully reached an agreement Mayor Eric Adams to restore funding for our libraries, cultural institutions, early childhood education, and more, to ensure funding is allocated to the services that our districts need most,” said Council Member Farah N. Louis. “I applaud Speaker Adams and Finance Chair Brannan for their leadership in securing this budget and am proud to vote towards passing this budget today.”

“Today’s budget adoption restores critical funding to our public libraries, composting programs and adds $2 billion dollars in desperately needed new funding for affordable housing,” said Council Member Julie Menin. “Last year, our City Council made New York City the first city in the nation to have an Office of Healthcare Accountability and by providing an initial $2 million dollars in vital funding, this will help the city better manage & reduce healthcare costs. This office can revolutionize healthcare in New York City by bringing transparency to prices and empowering New Yorkers with the information they deserve. We must protect patients from unfair hospital pricing practices and I thank Speaker Adrienne Adams and the Council leadership team for fighting to fund the Office of Healthcare Accountability.”

“Since the beginning of this budget season, the Progressive Caucus has been visibly out front fighting against this Mayor’s austerity budget,” said Council Member Sandy Nurse. “To be clear, it was the Mayor who tried to take away opportunities for New Yorkers, and it was the Council and this Caucus, who fought to successfully restore and even increase investments in education, housing development, immigration services, alternatives to incarceration, and more. While I am proud of these wins, I’m disappointed at yet another year of deceit and political gamesmanship by the Mayor. This caucus will continue leading on these issues while fighting for the investments we deserve.”

“I’m grateful to the leadership of Speaker Adams and Chair Brannan for leading the Council through this budget process as a unified body and ensuring we prevented the very worst cuts,” said Council Member Lincoln Restler. “We secured meaningful investments for affordable housing, seven day library service, and in our neighborhood schools — and we will keep fighting to hold the Mayor accountable and deliver for New Yorkers.”

“After months of hard work and negotiation, I am happy that this Council has reached an agreement with Mayor Adams on the FY25 budget,” said Council Member Yusef Salaam. “I am proud that this budget will include the restorations to libraries, cultural institutions, early childhood education, student support programs and parks that this Council has fought for. I want to thank Speaker Adams and Chair Brannan for their leadership throughout this budget process and I am excited for its passage.” 

“At a time when New York City is in a housing crisis, childcare costs are skyrocketing, and the cost of living has continued to soar, we in the Council, under the leadership of Speaker Adrienne Adams, remained steadfast in fighting the Mayor’s devastating proposed cuts to our libraries, early childcare and education programs, CUNY and lack of intent to invest meaningfully in housing,” said Council Member Pierina Sanchez. “That is why as Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings, I am especially proud we secured an additional, historic $2B investment over the next two years for the construction and preservation of affordable housing, with deeper investments in low-income housing than we’ve seen in any recent budget. As our housing voucher disagreements rage on with the Mayor, I’m also proud that a $500 million in City FHEPs was baselined, meaning we will not have to fight for this investment year after year. The budget is a moral document exhibiting the priorities of our city, and while this kind of budget negotiation, focused on restoring devastating cuts instead of investing in new programs, is not the kind New Yorkers need, I am proud of the Council’s tenacity in clawing back unnecessarily austere measures, and investing in New Yorkers.”

“Today was a victory for improving the quality of life for each and every New Yorker,” said Council Member Susan Zhuang. “Thanks to Speaker Adams and the Council finance team, the Council was able to secure $10,000,000 in funding for South Brooklyn Health’s maternity ward, fund permanently affordable housing and mitigate the housing crisis in our city, support our schools, fully fund our parks, and uplift our seniors. This historic budget will help every New Yorker thrive.”

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