NYC Library cuts restored, Mayor defends fiscal management

INWOOD, MANHATTAN (PIX11) -- After months of protest and public pressure, full funding to the City’s network of public libraries has been restored. The three systems had been operating without Sunday hours for months. On Monday, Mayor Eric Adams, who initially said the cuts were necessary, celebrated the restoration of some $58 million to bring [...]

INWOOD, MANHATTAN (PIX11) -- After months of protest and public pressure, full funding to the City’s network of public libraries has been restored.

The three systems had been operating without Sunday hours for months.

On Monday, Mayor Eric Adams, who initially said the cuts were necessary, celebrated the restoration of some $58 million to bring back seven-day service.

Library officials across the Brooklyn, Queens, and New York systems said bigger branches would have full service restored by mid-July, but it will take several more weeks to staff up smaller branches.

Adams continues to defend the deeply unpopular and now officially reversed cut. It was one of several he announced a year ago when he told New Yorkers, the city was in dire financial straits due to the migrant crisis, expiring federal aid, and new public union contracts.

However, the cuts were slowly walked back over time— culminating with last week's $112 billion budget officially restoring everything from library service to NYPD academy classes and sanitation services.

The Mayor called his decisions to cut and then restore once costs were brought under control and tax revenues improved “smart fiscal management” pointing to bond rating agencies upgrading New York as proof.

“We were able to find $7 billion in savings,” Adams said. “No layoffs, no increase in taxes, then we sat down with the City Council, and said let’s look at the top priorities and libraries were on top of that.”

For all the wrangling, libraries may have come out ahead in the long run.  In the budget, libraries had their funding was base-lined— financial speak for the funding will not go down next year.

“If we’re going to back up every year, we can’t invest we can’t hire we can’t provide New Yorkers what they need,” said Anthony Marx, President of the New York Public Library.

The New York City Council has long questioned the cuts made by the Adams Administration— still, Councilwoman Carlina Rivera struck a hopeful note Monday with libraries on the path back to seven-day service.

“There’s money in the budget to produce something that’s balanced and responsible, we knew that was possible,” she said. “We knew that eventually the Mayor got there, too, and we’re hoping we can start off on a better foot next year.”