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“The Council’s response to the Mayor’s FY27 Preliminary Budget recognizes, in part, the importance of better managing City resources and improving collection of fines and revenue, particularly from corporate actors and delinquent landlords. However, it does not fully grapple with the scale of the challenge ahead, which cannot be addressed without new, recurring state revenue, including taxing the ultra-wealthy."

Yesterday evening, the People’s Budget coalition—alongside more than 40 grassroots organizations, labor partners, and community leaders—launched the “Make ’Em Pay” campaign, a citywide effort to hold corporate bad actors accountable and recover hundreds of millions of dollars in unpaid fines and penalties owed to New York City. The launch event, held in Lower Manhattan, brought together over 100 advocates, workers, tenants, and elected officials to call for stronger enforcement and accountability measures as part of the City’s FY27 budget process.

As we continue our preliminary FY27 budget analysis, we are disappointed to see that library spending has been cut by $29 million in the Mayor’s preliminary budget proposal. Additionally, key educational programs such as restorative justice and Learn To Work programs have not been included in this budget. We recognize the city’s legal obligation to balance the budget and the difficult choices that come with that responsibility. Those choices, however, must not come at the expense of New Yorkers.

We can’t fund care without Albany but the City needs to do better with the tools and powers it has. We are encouraged by the Mayor’s investments in the Department of Finance and Law Department, as outlined in the People’s Plan’s “Make ‘Em Pay” proposal. Those staff should be directed to make big landlords and corporate bad actors pay up the $1+ billion they owe the city. We encourage the Administration to staff up agencies that enforce the law against corporate bad actors and bring in millions of dollars in corporate penalties and revenue to the city.

Mayor Mamdani’s decision to designate agency-level chief savings officers reflects the seriousness of the city’s fiscal situation and a commitment to transparency after years of mismanagement at City Hall. Asking agencies to closely examine operations and report back on efficiencies — rather than defaulting to across-the-board PEGs — is a meaningful shift toward accountability and understanding how public dollars are actually being spent. Efficiencies, however, cannot come at the expense of New Yorkers’ basic needs.

On the city-level, as partners in this work, we look forward to working with the Mayor and City Council to ensure New York City resources the agencies and the offices in city government that enforce the city law and make corporate bad actors pay what they owe—unlocking up to $2 billion in revenue currently being left on the table.

Our response to a final vote on June 30th, 2025 on the New York City Fiscal Year 2026 budget - more than $500M in NYC's budget for affordable futures and public safety! Click here to learn more.

This morning, 80 students from Leaders High School gathered on the steps of the Tweed Courthouse to demand that Mayor Eric Adams reverse harmful budget cuts to critical public services. The rally is part of the FY26 People’s Budget Campaign led by The People’s Plan, calling for a just and equitable city budget that centers communities instead of special interests.