Mayor Eric Adams will unveil his first city budget at Brooklyn’s historic Kings Theatre — where his inauguration had been set to take place before Omicron cases spiked in the city last January, causing its cancellation.
In a statement Monday, Adams announced that he’ll deliver the budget address on April 26 at 1 p.m. detailing the nearly $100 billion spending plan at the Flatbush venue.
“In our first 100 days, my team has taken concrete steps to make New York City safer and more just, drive an inclusive economic recovery, and start building a city that works better for all communities,” said the mayor, who on Sunday tested positive for COVID-19. “But we’re just getting started, and there is much work left to be done.”
The mayor added, “I look forward to addressing New Yorkers and sharing a vision for how we can build on that progress and work together to tackle the most significant challenges of this moment.”
The announcement comes after Adams and two other newly elected citywide officials — Comptroller Brad Lander and Public Advocate Jumaane Williams — announced in December they had opted to cancel the inauguration ceremony due to an increase in coronavirus cases during the winter Omicron-induced wave.
In lieu of the previously scheduled Kings Theatre ceremony — nixed exactly a week after it was announced Dec. 14 — Adams was sworn in as mayor in Times Square shortly after the New Year’s annual ball drop.
It also comes after Adams two months after Adams unveiled his $98.5 billion preliminary budget. The spending plan includes a slight shrinkage of city spending by $200 million that he said will result in more than $2 billion in savings.
During a Feb. 16 speech at City Hall, Adams decried “decades of inefficiency and wasteful spending” in the past and bragged that he’d “taken the very first steps to turn this city around” with his first budget proposal.