Budget Relies on Albany, Wash. DC
“We have a potential for significant cuts because of the State budget and we don’t’ have the ability to close them.”Mayor Mike Spano
By Dan Murphy
Mayor Mike Spano gave a Facebook Live briefing this week to update the people of Yonkers on the Coronavirus and the City budget. Spano said that overall, Yonkers has 6484 cases, which has since risen to 6600. And while Yonkers has the most COVID-19 cases in Westchester, Spano pointed out that “we are the largest City in Westchester an the most densely populated City in Westchester. The percentage of our population that has tested positive (3.2%) is less than other cities in the county.”
Spano showed several charts which showed a continued decline over the past week, which shows a decline in the number of cases and a similar number of cases first reported on March 18. Those numbers reflect the numbers statewide, and are a good sign that Yonkers has seen the worse of the Coronavirus and has turned a corner and can now think about and discuss reopening the City and the schools.
Both Yonkers hospitals, St. John’s and St. Joseph’s, now have available beds for patients, another positive sign that the worst is over. Spano showed a map of the City which showed the “Hot Spots” of large numbers of cases, which focused on Southwest Yonkers. The Mayor stressed the importance of staying safe, getting tested and complying with social distancing guidelines for members of that community. Elsewhere across the City, the COVID-19 numbers are low.
Yonkers Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada also provided an update. Schools remain closed for the rest of this academic year, but students continue to learn from home. More than 100,000 meals have been provided to students so far, and will continue through the summer. Feeding Westchester is now providing food to the YPS on a weekly basis, which will be handed out at YPS Grab and Go sites.
Quezada said that the district is designing a re-entry plan “to see what September will look like.” Later, the Superintendent said that the decision to open schools in September will be up to the Governor, and the State Department of Education will also provide guidance on how to do so. “The safety of our community, staff, unions and families will be first,” said Quezada.
Many questions remain, not only in the YPS, but across the state, about how schools will open, and how students will be able to comply with social distancing on a bus and in a classroom. Another question from a resident, whether the YPS will test every student and staff member before coming into school, was a good question, said Quezada, but one that will b answered by the State Education Department soon.
Spano then commented on the upcoming Yonkers budget, which remains unresolved. That is because Governor Andrew Cuomo has warned of a 20% cut to funding for Yonkers and the YPS if NY state doesn’t get a bailout from Washington DC. And in Washington, the debate over whether to provide that funding to New York continues, with the House of Representative passing a $3 Trillion bailout -stimulus that includes billions for NY State.
But that bill has not gone to the US Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has stated before that there will be no “Blue State Bailouts,” and President Donald Trump has also said that he does not support COVID relief directly to New York government.
“The virus has definitely played a role in our budget, and in every shortfall imaginable, including your paychecks,” said Spano. “We have a potential for significant cuts because of the State budget and we don’t’ have the ability to close them.”
What Spano meant that devastating cuts will have to be made to both the YPS and City government to close what could be $80 Million in less State Aid to Yonkers. The Mayor presented a budget to the City Council last month that has a 2% property tax increase, and has a $21 budget gap in the YPS.
But that budget relies on Yonkers receiving State Aid that may not be there. At least another week is needed to find out what happens in Albany, and Washington. “This is a fluid state budget, its not done and a lot has to happen between now and June 1,” said Spano.
