By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

DC 37 and local leaders delivered compelling testimony to the City Council in March’s preliminary hearings on the mayor’s proposed 2004-5 budget.

Union leaders questioned proposed solutions to the city’s fiscal woes and fought Medicaid cuts, contracting out and layoffs at the School Construction Authority, privatization of city tow pounds and cuts in library services while they argued for hiring more School Crossing Guards. As municipal employees are forced to do more with even less, union allies at the City Council are working to restore about $292 million to fund vital services that city employees provide.

Although DC 37’s White Paper analyses have exposed millions of dollars of waste in city agencies, Associate Director Oliver Gray told the council’s Finance Committee, the mayor still expects to close his $2 billion budget gap on the backs of DC 37 members.

“Our staff does an incredible job with minimal funding, but we need more money to continue to do the work you and the public expect,” Eileen Muller, president of Brooklyn Library Guild Local 1482, told a council hearing.

Queens Library Guild Local 1321 President John Socha said, “English-as-a-second-language courses are overcrowded, the library’s Internet access computers are overused, and the budget is a staggering $13 million less than the 2001 budget.”

Locals blast Medicaid cuts
Presidents Carmen Charles of Local 420, Gloria Acevedo of Local 436, Darryl Ramsey of Local 768 and 1st Vice President Ralph Palladino of Local 1549, who represent public health and hospital employees, testified against proposed city and state Medicaid cuts of $1.5 billion.

“These cuts threaten patients’ right to adequate care regardless of their ability to pay or immigration status,” Ms Charles said. Children, the disabled and the Health and Hospitals Corp. would be hit hard.

Local 1549 President Eddie Rod-riguez and Local 983 Vice President Walter Drummond argued against closing the Police Dept. tow pounds, handing the operations to private companies and selling the valuable waterfront real estate to rich developers to build more luxury housing.

“Members at the tow pounds generate millions of dollars for the city,” said Mr. Drummond. Relocating the pounds would reduce revenues, while privatizing the tow service would open the door to corruption, he explained. Mr. Rodriguez questioned how relocation would affect communities citywide.

The City Council reported in March that substantially more revenue is available than the mayor had indicated, and DC 37 believes funding is adequate for the Council to restore the full $292 million to the budget.