On Thursday, after relentless effort, Councilman Kalman Yeger secured critical funding in the city’s budget for our community, in partnership with his colleagues in the City Council and Mayor Bill de Blasio. The funding will support important priorities throughout Midwood, Borough Park and Bensonhurst.

A tireless advocate for the non-profit organizations that meet serious needs in his district, Councilman Yeger is proud that $450,000 in funding will be provided for HASC’s new Rambam Health Center. Councilman Yeger also allocated funding for two key projects at OHEL’s new Midwood Campus, totaling over $700,000. In addition, Councilman Yeger fought to ensure that Maimonides Medical Center will receive $1.6 million from the city to cover two new projects: upgraded operating room tables and new MRI equipment.

“I am so proud that our efforts paid off,” said Councilman Yeger. “With the help of Mayor de Blasio and my colleagues in the City Council, some of our wonderful community institutions will receive much-needed help to expand services in our community. These institutions are the lifeline of our community. Without them, we wouldn’t be the neighborhood we strive to be.”

Councilman Yeger also allocated funding for improvements in critical community resources to keep us safe, including $150,000 for additional NYPD cameras to be placed at neighborhood locations that the NYPD deems high priority, and $375,000 for upgrades to FDNY’s Engine 330, Ladder 172 located at 23rd Avenue and 65th Street.

Continuing the tradition of former Councilman David Greenfield, Councilman Yeger ensured that the people of the 44th District had their say in the process, by enabling neighborhood residents to vote on projects in Participatory Budgeting this spring. Several Department of Transportation projects were included in Councilman Yeger’s allocation as a result, including street resurfacing for the worst streets in the district, trench restoration on 16th Avenue, and bus countdown clocks throughout the district, so riders know when the next bus is coming. These measures will improve accessibility and safety, and make commuting easier. Participatory Budgeting voters also favored a $200,000 safety and security enhancement at Midwood Library. Rounding out the quality of life improvements he made in this year’s budget, Councilman Yeger also funded the reconstruction of the perimeter sidewalk at Kolbert Park, keeping children and seniors safe from slips and falls.

However, despite Councilman Yeger’s efforts, the City Council passed bills over his “no” vote, including a resolution to charge a high interest rate of 18 percent for late payment of property taxes. Councilman Yeger also voted against the tax levy portion of this year’s budget, because the city’s promise to correct the unfair tax burden on homeowners has still not been met. Additionally, Councilman Yeger voted against the City Council’s operating budget, which will grow by 27% from the previous fiscal year – from $65 million to more than $81 million, because he considers it unnecessarily bloated. “Someone plans to hire an additional 125 people to do who-knows-what, and we’re getting the bill,” said Councilman Yeger. “I won’t be a party to such obscene spending.”

Councilman Yeger fought hard to expand services through critical Citywide initiatives, including the Elie Wiesel Holocaust Survivors Initiative, which he successfully fought to increase from last year’s $3 million to $3.5 million. This important initiative, created under the leadership of the previous City Council Speaker and Brooklyn Councilman Rafael Espinal, provides a range of social services for Holocaust Survivors living at or below the poverty level. NYC Cleanup, an initiative created through former Councilman Greenfield’s leadership, to keep our streets free of graffiti, litter, and provide supplementary garbage pickup along problem routes across the district, was increased to $11.22 million. Our community will also receive additional sanitation pickups for street baskets on commercial strips, through an agreement with Mayor de Blasio.

In a tremendous victory for those struggling to make ends meet, the City Council and Mayor de Blasio agreed to create “Fair Fares,” a program to bring half-priced MetroCards to low-income New Yorkers. “I’m grateful to Mayor de Blasio for his commitment to Fair Fares, and proud of my colleagues in the Council for leading the way,” said Councilman Yeger. “This incredibly important program will bring new opportunity for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and give much-needed help to those who need it the most. If our city is to be truly fair, Fair Fares is the way to get there. Fair Fares is the result of our two branches of government working in partnership to make a great city even greater.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)