Public Employee Press

New budget responds to union pressure

Fifteen days before deadline, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn agreed on a $59 billion budget that will protect and create new jobs as it funds six-day service at libraries, creates new clinics and puts a half billion dollars in the Retirees Heath Care Trust Fund.

Addressing many of the issues DC 37 leaders presented at City Council hearings in the months and weeks before the June 30 deadline, the mayor and the Council agreed to a budget that provides much-needed funding for health clinics, day care and library services in fiscal year 2008, which begins July 1.

The fiscal plan uses part of its $4.4 billion surplus to tuck away some $2.3 billion to pay down the deficits projected for 2009 and 2010. It would eliminate the sales tax on clothing, reduce property taxes 7 percent and continue the $400 homeowners tax rebate that the state Legislature has authorized for the next three years.

The budget provides almost $20 million to the Health and Hospitals Corp. to fund HIV testing, existing children’s and family health clinics, and substance abuse, mental health, mental retardation and developmental disabilities programs. The City Council has also provided funding to create 10 new modern health care clinics by 2012 in communities with the greatest need.

The three library systems received more than $40 million to keep facilities open six days a week, which will lead to hiring more librarians and staff, plus over $15 million in restorations of Programs to Eliminate the Gap cuts. The Queens and Brooklyn systems received about $4 million each, New York got close to $6 million, and the research library, just over $1 million. Furthermore, the Council added $900,000 for library after-school programs.

The number of all-day pre-kindergarten slots increased and $1.9 million was restored to the budget to fund public summer school nurses. Almost $5 million was restored to fund programs that reduce infant mortality.

The City University of New York will receive $14.6 million for personnel and supplies at community colleges.

The Civilian Complaint Review Board was allocated $820,000 to hire 18 more investigators and pay overtime costs to help alleviate its case backlog.

Cultural institutions will collectively receive more than $5 million and the City Council restored an additional $4 million for security enhancements.

DC 37 and the New York Union Childcare Coalition scored a victory by getting the City Council to pass an $875,000 initiative, sponsored by Council member Bill de Blasio, for a two-year study of productivity, retention, morale and types of child-care that includes a small number of child care subsidies for DC 37 members.