Ten New York City public libraries will now be open seven days a week, thanks to $32.7 million in funding included in the city’s fiscal year 2026 budget. On Friday, Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams announced a $115.9 billion budget agreement for FY26. Other key investments include over $70 million for immigration legal services, as well as funding for mental health care, public safety programs, and expanded child care and early childhood education.
Just days before the deadline, the council and Adams administration reached a balanced budget agreement, aided by higher revenue projections and additional resources outlined in the Council’s Executive Budget forecast, according to a press release.
For the city’s three public library systems, the FY26 budget includes $30.7 million in operating support and an additional $2 billion to expand seven-day service to 10 more branches. This funding marks a reversal of Mayor Adams’ FY24 decision to end Sunday service at NYC libraries due to $58 million in budget cuts—cuts that were ultimately restored in June 2024.
According to Gothamist, only 21 libraries of more than 200 branches are open seven days a week.
“At a time when libraries across the country are under threat, New York City has once again safeguarded our vital institutions,” the city’s three library presidents, Linda Johnson of Brooklyn Public Library, Tony Marx, of New York Public Library, and Dennis Walcott of Queens Public Library, said in a statement.
“We are deeply grateful to Mayor Eric Adams for reaffirming his commitment to public libraries and to Speaker Adrienne Adams, a longtime champion of libraries, for increasing library funding and expanding seven-day library service. We thank the entire City Council, in particular Finance Chair Justin Brannan and Libraries Chair Carlina Rivera, for prioritizing libraries in the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget.”
Another key investment includes more than $70 million for immigration legal services amid a nationwide crackdown on immigrants initiated under the Trump administration. Of this, $33.6 million will ensure the continuation of services to protect immigrants from aggressive, anti-immigration policies, while $24.6 million is allocated to the New York Immigrant Family Unity Project.
An additional $16.5 million will fund legal counsel for children in removal proceedings, social services for children appearing in New York Immigration Court’s Juvenile and Surge Dockets, and legal services for “Adults with Children.”
The budget also includes key investments in early childhood education, with $125 million allocated for preschool special education. This includes $55 million baselined for expanding special education Pre-K and $70 million in FY26 for evaluations, services, and classes.
Additionally, $112 million has been baselined to fund 3-K and Pre-K programs, ensuring the city continues to offer a comprehensive early childhood education system. Other investments include $25 million to expand full-day, full-year 3-K seats in high-need communities; $10 million for a pilot program that will offer free child care for children two years old and under; and $5 million for outreach and marketing of the city’s 3-K and Pre-K programs to families.
K–12 programs also received funding boosts, including $154 million for school support services, $41 million for arts education, $23 million for teacher recruitment, $4 million for immigrant family engagement, $2.8 million for LGBTQIA+ inclusive curriculum, and more.
The City University of New York (CUNY) has been allocated $109.5 million, including $7.8 million to expand higher education services and $2 million to reduce financial barriers for students entering the social work field.
The budget also includes $3 billion in capital funding and $1 billion in expense funding to support affordable housing development and preservation, expand homeownership opportunities, prevent homelessness, enhance tenant protections, and strengthen neighborhood infrastructure.
In a win for the mayor, the budget includes funding to launch the new Department of Sustainable Delivery, which will regulate e-bikes. Earlier this month, Mayor Adams proposed a 15-mile-per-hour speed limit for e-bikes—a policy now adopted by Citi Bike, which has capped the speed of its e-bikes at 15 mph.
Speaker Adams celebrated the FY26 budget agreement and praised the council’s work to address the needs of everyday New Yorkers in an official statement.
“The Council is proud to reach an agreement with Mayor Adams to deliver a city budget that takes critical steps forward to invest in the needs of New Yorkers and our city’s neighborhoods. The Fiscal Year 2026 budget will invest in expanded childcare for working families, more 7-day library service, and greater support for older adult services, maternal and mental health care, and proven public safety programs to reduce recidivism and help advance the closure of Rikers.”
She continued: “This budget agreement is the product of the Council’s consistent and relentless budget advocacy, alongside the people of our city and stakeholders, to deepen investments in the health, safety, and prosperity of all New Yorkers.”
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