Garodnick Hails Budget Deal That Saves Teachers, Fire Companies

Council Member Garodnick hailed the passage of the City budget, which saved 4,100 teachers whose jobs were on the line, kept fire companies from closing, and restored critical funds to senior centers, child care, cultural institutions and libraries.

"This is a remarkable outcome, considering how dire the Mayor's proposals were and how challenging the City's finances are," Council Member Garodnick said. "The prospect of laying off teachers en masse and closing 20 fire companies shows you that we are facing extraordinarily difficult times."

He added, however: "The budget will still result in the layoffs of 1,000 City employees, and next year's outlook still has our expenses outpacing our revenues, meaning that we have a structural deficit – perhaps as large as $5 billion – that will need to be closed."