Good afternoon Chair Rivera, and congratulations on leading this very important committee in the new term. I am here on behalf of Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso to call upon the administration to restore cuts to our libraries and cultural institutions.
The administration’s budget projections, cuts, and restorations have been unpredictable and lacking in transparency. Yet recent analysis from the Independent Budget Office predicts a $3.3 billion surplus for FY 2025, and the administration itself now says that its projections are rosier than expected. Yet rather than restoring cuts to our libraries and cultural institutions, they instead chose to uphold cuts to the libraries and double down on cuts to cultural organizations, forcing both to make difficult choices about cuts to staff, programming, operating hours, and more.
Mayor Adams recently called libraries “a lifeline to countless communities and the great equalizer.” On this, Borough President Reynoso agrees – libraries provide critical services for youth, older adults, immigrants, the formerly incarcerated, and really everyone who wants to expand their mind and learn new skills. Mid-year budget cuts are already having a huge impact, with the loss of Sunday service citywide, yet the administration did not include the libraries in its January restorations. Given the new budget projections, the administration must restore funding to the libraries to reinstate Sunday service and support for critical programs.
Similarly critical are our cultural institutions, which faced sharp cuts both in November and January. The cuts have the most outsized impact on small non-profits and organizations run by and serving people of color, which are often called upon to serve their communities in myriad ways other than just arts programming. It also impacts the anchor institutions of the CIG, cutting into programming that serves communities citywide, especially our youth. Organizations say that these cuts have already resulted or will result in cuts to after-school and youth workforce programs, programs for the elderly, jobs for full-time staff and teaching artists, festivals and celebrations, and even closures or suspension of programs.
Put simply, these cuts are bad for the City’s bottom line. A letter from the CIG to the mayor asserts that for every $1 of City funding, the institutions leverage at least $3 in philanthropic contributions. And as you, Chair Rivera, pointed out in a recent op-ed, cultural activities are an important economic driver for the city, generating $22 billion annually, a 99:1 return on what the City spends. Borough President Ryenoso urges the Council to work proactively to restore cuts to the Cultural Development Fund and the CIGs, and to explore once again significantly supplementing DCLA’s budget in recognition of the difficult years cultural organizations have faced recovering from the pandemic.
Finally, I want to address DCLA’s capital budget. Borough President Reynoso has testified about this twice before, but the problem remains – DCLA does not facilitate property acquisition with its capital dollars, making it very difficult for small cultural organizations to find and secure permanent homes. Being at the mercy of a private landlord in our competitive real estate market can make long-term planning difficult. These groups should be focusing on their work, not worrying about losing their space. The BP has substantial capital resources to allocate to Brooklyn and wants to use them to help groups find permanent spaces, yet remains frustrated that he cannot extend this resource to cultural organizations due to this unnecessary limitation. He encourages the Council and administration to work together to address this in FY25.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak today. Borough President Reynoso looks forward to working with the Council to support our libraries and cultural institutions as they continue to bounce back from the very difficult pandemic times and thrive into the future.
