A stench has been lifted from Queens, literally. As the budget wrangling reached its final weeks, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced, on June 4, the restoration of $90.2 million in city services that were slated for cuts. Most important to Queens, he returned $11 million to the Department of Sanitation to maintain the boroughs twice-weekly garbage pick-ups.The mayor cited matching funds from the state and federal government and the citys own belt-tightening the past year and a half as the impetus.
"It is because of these contributions, which every New Yorker has made during these challenging times, that I can announce we will continue to deliver many of the services New Yorkers care deeply about and depend on so we can preserve the quality of life in this great city." said Bloomberg during a press conference at City Hall.
Some of the restorations include $8 million for child education, $12.5 million for park maintenance, $7.6 million for public libraries and $12.5 million for summer youth jobs. However, some programs and services that have been or are scheduled for cuts, like the Queens Zoo in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and Engine 261 in Long Island City, received no money.
Queens councilmembers praised the mayors budget reversal but felt it left some important programs on the chopping block.
"Its our obligation to make the city safe, keep streets clean and make schools better," said Councilman Eric Gioia, outlining the main priorities of the mayor and the City Council. He noted that the restorations were a "step in the right direction," but, he added, "Bloomberg did not go anywhere near far enough." Gioia says restoring twice-weekly pick-ups was the bare minimum to keep streets clean, but he thinks much more could be done. He is also still pressing the mayor for firehouse restorations.
"Out of a total of the $350 million in cuts we opposed, we got $90 million back," said Councilman David Weprin. "Now there is $260 that we still strongly object to."
Since cuts to the borough presidents discretionary funds were only partially replenished, Weprin stated that the citys most vulnerable would still suffer pared programs. Although the mayor will return $4.1 million to maintain the operation and services at senior centers and $1.6 million to fund nine information and referral contracts in the Department for the Aging, the elderly will not receive weekend meals.
Weprin also disapproved that $9.7 million was restored to cultural institutions but the Queens Zoo remained slashed. He added that the youth summer employment program did not regain its full funding.
"I think its a good start, considering the budget cuts hurt the outerboroughs disproportionately," said Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr. But, the councilman from Astoria, who watched Engine Company 261 close a couple weeks ago, added, "It doesnt go far enough, it still doesnt open up the firehouses." The restorations include $8 million for a fifth firefighter in selected engine companies, but it does not reverse the five firehouse closures of May 26.
The councilman also remarked that even with the $2 million in funding restored to the Queens Public Library, it was not enough to guarantee it would be open five days a week. "Queens has the largest percentage of library users, and still it doesnt get the most funding," added Vallone.
Vallone also added that college students attending CUNY were getting a raw deal, pointing out that the Vallone Scholarship, named after his father who also served in the City Council, was still gone. The program paid half the tuition of students attending city-funded schools who maintained a B average or better.
Bloombergs announcement of the restoration came as he and councilmembers entered the final weeks of their budget negotiations and the fiscal years end. According to Chris Coffey, a spokesman for the mayor, determining which programs and services to restore was a tough decision, but the mayor made medical and safety services his top priority.
Many involved in city politics speculated the $90.2 million in restored funds, which will trigger $74.4 million in state and federal matching funds, was a political maneuver to parry some of the criticism the mayor has received lately from councilmembers, constituents and the press. Bloomberg has recently taken heat over the cuts, from Council Speaker Gifford Miller. And, although his administration denies any jump in ticketing, the press has spotlighted lately some of the more outlandish violations issued by police. For example, a pregnant woman received a citation last week for sitting on subway steps.
Coffey countered that the restorations were not politically motivated. "There was an opportunity for the mayor, with the state and federal funds, to restore cuts," said Coffey. He added that Miller was asked by the mayor to make the announcement jointly with him, but the Council speaker declined.
"Hes legitimately responding to Council and constituent concerns," said Weprin. The councilman noted that the mayor and his deputies have been attending many committee meetings and panels on the budget, and they are starting to listen. He also gave credit to the numerous budget protests on the steps of City Hall,which helped change Bloombergs mind.
Mayor Bloomberg began sharpening his budget axe last fall, when it became apparent that the city would face its biggest deficit in years. To reconcile the citys $3.8 billion 2004 budget gap, the former CEO spared no agency or program from his hews. In mid-April, he laid out a relief package that included a combination of cuts, city sales tax increases and state aid. He also offered an alternative "doomsday budget," an austere plan that would have drastically cut services, including the closure of 40 firehouses, 14,500 city employee lay-offs and the thinning of the police force. In order to avert these hard measures, in early May, the City Council voted in favor of a $2.7-billion relief package that, along with the states own sales tax increase, temporarily raises the citys overall sales tax from 8.25 percent to 8.63 percent. The city will also receive state aid from a new sunset surcharge tax on income.
Even with these relief measures, Bloombergs budget proposal hit Queens with many service cuts. Until this week, libraries were slated to close and garbage pick-up were to be reduced to once a week in the upcoming fiscal year. The largest boroughs zoo, which costs the city $3.5 million to operate, will still shut its gates at the end of June, joining Engine Co. 261, as one more victim of the budget woes.
