“Although the economy has been strong, it is slowing down,” he said.
After his first year as mayor, Mr Adams argued he was starting to make progress on public safety by reducing the number of shootings and murders. But major crimes jumped 22% last year.
City officials said funding for the police department would remain largely stable, and Mr. Adams defended his support for the agency, which typically has an annual budget of $10 billion.
“I’m not going to sacrifice public safety,” he told reporters, adding that New Yorkers “feel safe when they see that blue uniform.”
A shortage of staff within the municipal administration has slowed the work of essential organizations. The city continues to bleed staff, with its current workforce of 301,000, down from 304,096 at the end of June, according to figures provided by the Citizens Budget Commission.
Affordable housing production cannot keep up with demand or production levels from previous years, and the city has failed to meet its legal goals of building bus lanes and bike lanes. Human resources administration is struggling to process food stamp payments in a timely manner, according to a recent report in City Limits.
Mr Lander warned on Thursday that cuts to vacant jobs in the city could hurt key services, and he said the budget was neither ambitious nor targeted.
“This budget meanders with little direction,” he said.
Despite criticism from council members, Mr Adams said he wanted to work with Ms Adams, the council chair, and called her a friend.
