Mayor Zohran Mamdani rode into office on a wave of progressive promises, including pledges to boost funding for parks and public libraries.
But his first major spending plan falls short on both fronts, raising early questions about when — or whether — those campaign commitments will materialize.
The preliminary budget released Tuesday keeps funding for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation essentially flat, at roughly half the 1% of the total budget Mamdani had pledged.
At the same time, spending for the city’s library systems comes in below the 0.5% benchmark advocates sought and Mamdani endorsed on the campaign trail, landing at about 0.39% of the budget instead.
Library funding has long been subject to what advocates describe as a recurring “budget dance,” with mayors proposing cuts or inadequate increases before restorations are negotiated later.
Mamdani had pledged to break that cycle, including reiterating his support for the 0.5% target at a December appearance at a New York Public Library branch.
For parks, the gap is even more pronounced.
The financial plan shows parks funding hovering around 0.5% of total city spending through fiscal year 2030, almost exactly where it has been in recent years.
Still, most major park advocates are not publicly criticizing the mayor, and some say they remain hopeful he will ultimately deliver. The final spending plan must be approved by the City Council by the start of the fiscal year July 1.
“We recognize this is an early step in a challenging budget year, and we appreciate the mayor’s ambitious vision for our city,” said Heather Lubov, executive director of the City Parks Foundation.
She noted the mayor has vowed to boost the Parks Department budget and added that the activists look forward to working with his administration and the City Council “to achieve that goal.”
Representatives for the mayor did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
In fiscal year 2026, the Parks Department would receive about $709.9 million out of a $124.6 billion budget, or 0.57%, according to the preliminary budget. By 2030, parks funding drops to roughly $653.6 million against a projected $142.1 billion city budget, or about 0.46%.
Reaching the 1% target would require hundreds of millions more annually.
The gap grows from roughly $536 million in 2026 to nearly $767 million by 2030, according to figures from the city’s preliminary financial plan.
During the campaign, Mamdani repeatedly invoked the 1% goal as both a policy commitment and a symbol, arguing that parks, long treated as an afterthought inside the sprawling city budget, deserved parity with other core services.
He framed the proposal as a matter of equity and public health, saying neighborhoods should not have to rely on private conservancies to maintain basic conditions.
More recently, last month he touted the city’s parks when announcing Tricia Shimamura as his commissioner to lead the green space agency.
“In a city where almost everything costs something, our parks are not only a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle,” Mamdani told reporters. “They are also the rare corner of our city that are truly accessible and affordable to each and every person who calls the city home.”
