April 1, 2026 — “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.

While the Council puts forward a set of City-based actions (including re-estimates, vacancies accruals, some increased fines and penalties, and optimistic revenue projections), the response does not emphasize that New York City’s budget gap cannot be closed through efficiencies or collections alone. On the state side, the response centers on cost-sharing reforms, without advancing the scale of new revenue needed, including taxing the rich.

With the State budget delayed and no commitment from the Governor, City leaders must be aligned and clear: New York City needs new, recurring state revenue from taxing corporations and the ultra-wealthy. The Council should have stated this need more directly in its central budget publication.

Unlike past preliminary responses that put forward cohesive spending priorities, this response focuses solely on outlining an “alternative budget path” while deferring clear programmatic priorities until after the State budget is finalized. As a result, New Yorkers are left without a clear understanding of what the Council is fighting to fund until late in the process. We need greater clarity on the Council’s revenue and spending priorities at this stage of the process.

We look forward to working with both the Mayor and the Council to ensure that the FY27 budget lays out a comprehensive path for long-term fiscal stability and fully funds the essential services New Yorkers rely on.”