{"id":2615,"date":"2024-05-21T09:36:45","date_gmt":"2024-05-21T13:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/press\/?p=2615"},"modified":"2024-05-21T09:36:45","modified_gmt":"2024-05-21T13:36:45","slug":"nyc-council-calls-for-full-restorations-to-libraries-for-7-day-service-and-cultural-organizations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/press\/2024\/05\/21\/2615\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC Council Calls for Full Restorations to Libraries for 7-Day Service and Cultural Organizations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mayor\u2019s FY25 Executive Budget failed to restore repeated cuts to city\u2019s institutional pillars<\/em><\/p>\n

City Hall, NY<\/strong> \u2013 Ahead of the City Council\u2019s Executive Budget hearing by the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations, with the Committee on Finance, the Council called for full restorations of the mayor\u2019s cuts to the city\u2019s cultural institutions and three public library systems.<\/p>\n

Cultural institutions are integral to the economy and enrichment of the city, providing access to diverse programs for children, families, and communities. The cultural and creative economy generates $110 billion in economic activity for our city. Yet, cultural institutions have been forced to absorb significant cuts over fiscal years 2024 and 2025 by the mayor\u2019s administration. The Council identified the need to restore $75.6 million in its Preliminary Budget Response, but the Mayor\u2019s Executive Budget only included $15 million. To ensure our city remains the world\u2019s cultural capital and continues to thrive, the city budget must fully restore funding to these organizations and programs.<\/p>\n

Similarly, libraries across the city have been severely impacted by the mayor\u2019s budget cuts and face a shortfall of $58.3 million as a result. Libraries provide vitally important programs to New Yorkers of all ages in every neighborhood, like adult education classes, homework help for students, literacy and reading programs for young children, technology classes, and workforce development services. New Yorkers across the city have felt the impact of reduced services at all three library systems, including the loss of Sunday service, due to the mayor\u2019s November cuts.  <\/p>\n

The Council has been a consistent supporter of cultural institutions and libraries, and will continue to prioritize them in the budget. The Council\u2019s Preliminary Budget Response<\/a> released in April outlined their funding needs. They include:<\/p>\n

Supporting New York City\u2019s Arts and Cultural Organizations<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Council has called for the restoration of $75.6 million to cultural institutions, including baselining the $40 million allocated in Fiscal Year 2024 for Cultural Institution Groups (CIGs), across-the-board grant increases for all Cultural Development Fund (CDF) recipients, and support many of the City\u2019s artists, as well as the $20.1 million Fiscal 2024 cut and the $15.5 million Fiscal 2025 cut. In the Executive Budget, the Administration made partial restorations to its November and January cuts to arts and cultural organizations of $15 million.<\/p>\n

Restoring 7-Day Service for the Brooklyn, Queens and New York Public Libraries<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Council has called on the Administration to allocate an additional $58.3 million to the City\u2019s three library systems to restore its series of funding cuts, avoid reduced hours and programming, and reinstate Sunday library service. This funding would restore the baseline cut of $22.1 million to libraries\u2019 budgets, reinstate the one-shot funding of $20.5 million from Fiscal 2024, and cover the $15.7 million subsidy provided through City Council discretionary funding at budget adoption last June. These commitments would make the Fiscal 2025 budget for libraries commensurate with the adopted Fiscal 2024 funding level.<\/p>\n

Libraries have an essential presence in every neighborhood of New York, providing indispensable services in a safe and reliable space for youth, seniors, immigrants, and other New Yorkers. Along with the increased cost of programing and circulations, the systems have also experienced a rise in the cost of materials, staff, and operating expenses. These additional funds are needed to help maintain our City\u2019s libraries. The City\u2019s libraries strengthen community engagement, and this funding would ensure they do not have to continue with reduced hours, collections, services, or staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cCultural institutions and libraries are pillars of our city’s neighborhoods that the City Council has been a steadfast champion for supporting in the city budget,\u201d said Speaker Adrienne Adams<\/strong>. \u201cThe cultural and creative economy generates $110 billion in economic activity for our city. Libraries are among our most precious public resources, serving as community information hubs that provide programs and services for New Yorkers of all ages. The only way to remain the cultural capital of the world and to restore adequate library service to neighborhoods is for the City to invest in these beloved institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSupport for arts organizations, cultural institutions, and our public libraries is more important than ever as we work together to build a stronger, safer, and more vibrant city,\u201d said Council Member Carlina Rivera, Chair of the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations.<\/strong> \u201cNew York is one of a kind and a beacon for expression and creativity. 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 and generate billions of dollars in economic activity. I remain committed to working alongside Speaker Adrienne Adams and in coalition with colleagues to fight for a balanced and equitable budget.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI was incredibly lucky to learn to play a few chords on the guitar as part of my public-school education,\u201d said Council Member Justin Brannan, Chair of the Committee on Finance.<\/strong> \u201cThanks to the City of New York, those few chords allowed me to travel the world, playing music and learning invaluable things about life and our human society along the way. All that is to say, I know arts, music, and culture are not \u201cextra.\u201d They are a deep part of our everyday experiences, baseline to what it is to be human. From our libraries to our museums to the bright lights of Broadway, our Council will always fight for the institutions that safeguard our culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCulture is the fabric of New York City. The work of our cultural institutions ranges from education to programming for older adults and audiences with disabilities, to workforce development, to community composting,\u201d said Coco Killingsworth, Chair of the Cultural Institutions Group.<\/strong> \u201cWhile we are grateful for the partial restorations to culture in the Mayor\u2019s Executive Budget, we still have a long way to go to reach a level that is sustainable for our small, medium, and large cultural institutions. We are thankful for the Council\u2019s steadfast support for our cultural community and hope to see $53M restored and baselined in Fiscal 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNYC’s culture is in crisis. This year’s budget cuts have had a devastating impact on the sector, which was already reeling from rising costs, audiences still not back to 2019 levels, and a retreat from culture funding by foundations,\u201d said Lucy Sexton, Executive Director of New Yorkers for<\/strong> Culture and Arts<\/strong>. \u201cWe are seeing closures, layoffs, reduced hours, and less shows and classes being offered. This is especially damaging for organizations in low wealth communities without a pool of private donors or deep pockets. That means that our communities are less vibrant, our youth and seniors less engaged, and our arts workers less employed. The city must reverse the cuts and invest in a thriving, joyous, and prosperous city.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s clear that New Yorkers love and need their libraries,\u201d said Anthony W. Marx, President of<\/strong> The New York Public Library<\/strong>. \u201cYet here we are once again, tin cups in hand outside City Hall, pleading to have our funding restored. This budget dance is exhausting, and horrifically unfair to the patrons who rely on the vital services we provide in every corner of this city. Enough with the games \u2013 our funding should be restored and baselined.\u201d<\/p>\n

“This is the greatest city in the world, and New Yorkers should have the greatest public libraries, with weekend service, diverse programs, and robust access to books and other resources,\u201d said Dennis M. Walcott, President and CEO of Queens<\/strong> Public Library.<\/strong> \u201cThrough the City Council\u2019s tremendous advocacy, our ongoing partnership with the Administration, and the outpouring of support from the public, we remain hopeful we can find a way to fully fund libraries and prevent the dire consequences of the cuts from becoming a reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom increased visits to new card applications, demand for library service continues to grow,\u201d said Linda E. Johnson, President and CEO of Brooklyn Public Library<\/strong>. \u201cWe should be delighted, but instead we may be forced to further reduce hours and programming, potentially losing yet another day of service just when our patrons need us most. Our City leaders know how much New Yorkers depend on their libraries, and we are hopeful that together, they will come to our aid and fully restore library funding.\u201d<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mayor\u2019s FY25 Executive Budget failed to restore repeated cuts to city\u2019s institutional pillars<\/em><\/p>\n

City Hall, NY<\/strong> \u2013 Ahead of the City Council\u2019s Executive Budget hearing by the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Intergroup Relations, with the Committee on Finance, the Council called for full restorations of the mayor\u2019s cuts to the city\u2019s cultural institutions and three public library systems.<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

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