More than one social service agency is closing doors or shutting programs because of the financial uncertainty created by the city’s annual ritual of proposed cuts and last-minute restorations.
Libraries perform a critical role in workforce development for low-income New Yorkers. But budget cuts have so curtailed service that Detroit’s libraries are now open more than New York’s.
A trip to six Brooklyn branch libraries in low-income neighborhoods found that many classic novels are not on the shelves. As budgets tighten and many readers go digital, do these missing titles represent A Brave New World or Darkness at Noon?
New York City is creating jobs at a faster pace than the rest of the country, but also seeing its unemployment rate rise—and not because new job seekers are flooding the market. What explains the disconnect?
Once again, they’re rallying in Brooklyn (and elsewhere) against budget reductions from Washington and City Hall. But after years of austerity, advocates say the annual ritual of protests against proposed cuts has taken on a more urgent tone.
Delegates in Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito’s district had to get savvy about how to get the maximum out of their million. So they expanded the scope of potential projects and limited the number they’d consider.
Citizen budget delegates in City Councilman Eric Ulrich’s district focused on two neglected neighborhoods—including one where a wall between the city and the sea has become a subject for debate.
A pilot effort is under way in four City Council districts to give constituents some say in which capital projects are funded. Amid successes and snags, there are signs the initiative is getting citizens more engaged in government.
Solar panels. Security cameras. A new church roof. There was no shortage of ideas for citizen budget delegates to consider in Councilman Jumaane Williams’ district. But not all of them could work.
In Councilman Brad Lander’s district, citizen budget delegates learned quickly how expensive simple projects can be. But they also found much could be accomplished without spending a dime.
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