A new police station, more ambulances, a new drug addiction program and additional funding for city homeless services plans are among the highlights of Mayor de Blasio's $82.2 billion executive budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
The budget, which was announced Tuesday afternoon, also includes $2.3 billion in savings, according to the mayor's administration. The savings represent the largest spending reduction program in the city over the last five years.
But there will be plenty of spending in the upcoming fiscal year. Chief among the investments is a new 116th NYPD precinct covering the neighborhoods of Laurelton, Rosedale, Brookville and Springfield Gardens.
The mayor's administration said that the planned precinct will allow for faster response times in the borough and will improve crime-fighting efforts.
Residents in Rosedale said they're glad the city is investing in their neighborhood. Restaurant owner Annette Runcie said she thinks that the new precinct could be a key ingredient in making the neighborhood more desirable.
"I can't tell you how excited I am," she said. "This news had come at a really good time."
Another restaurant owner, Lesa Willie, agrees.
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"As a resident and business owner, it's important," she said. "Without their presence, believe it or not, we don't feel safe."
De Blasio's executive budget has several other expenditures aimed at making the city safer. 50 more ambulance tours will be added in Queens and the Bronx, and $5.5 million will be added to the budget for a new program to combat and treat drug addiction.
Another $66 million is being budgeted for the city's homeless services plans, and there's another $8.7 million in plan to triple the number of intensive-care mental health units at Rikers Island.
To see the full 2017 budget, click here.
