Friday, February 3, 2012

NYC Comptroller Liu and Council Member Annabel Palma Opine on Mayor's 2013 Preliminary Budget

Two elected officials sent comments related to Mayor Bloomberg's 2013 proposed budget. Here is what they had to say.


Gregory

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Statement by Council Member Annabel Palma

In Response to the Mayor’s Fiscal 2013 Preliminary Budget

The Fiscal 2013 Preliminary Budget released this afternoon is responsible in that it does not increase taxes or include cuts to uniformed services. In spite of the many positive components of this proposed budget, however, I do have some serious concerns regarding previously proposed cuts for Fiscal 2012 which were restored by the City Council, only to reappear in this Preliminary Budget.

Areas of serious concern include both $5 million in cuts to HASA for HIV/AIDS- related services and nearly $50 million in cuts to ACS’ child care budget, as neither were baselined for Fiscal 2013. DHS’s plan to save $9 million as a result of the implementation of its shared living plan for homeless families with children is also very troublesome. I fully expect these decisions to adversely impact low-income New Yorkers who rely on these programs, making it imperative that we responsibly and effectively address these issues.

I look forward to working with the Administration to address these and other concerns in the Fiscal 2013 Preliminary Budget and am hopeful that we will find a long-term solution that will adequately fund these vital programs.



LIU STATEMENT ON MAYOR’S PRELIMINARY BUDGET

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NEW YORK, NY – City Comptroller John C. Liu statement on the Mayor’s FY 2013 Preliminary Budget:

“We commend the Mayor on a balanced budget that avoids layoffs in this difficult environment. However, the use of short-term financial maneuvers doesn’t reduce real cost but simply defers costs to future administrations. My office will issue our full analysis in the coming weeks.”

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