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The scandalous collapse of conditions at Rikers Island lockup this summer now has a partial price tag of $57 million.
The tally covers contracts for the emergency repairs needed to fix the broken doors in the complex and clean its facilities after a maintenance backlog and a massive staffing shortage combined to create dangerous conditions in which at least 13 inmates died or committed suicide.
Photos and videos obtained by The Post in October showed inmates left packed together for days in one of the island’s main intakes, while Department of Correction officials acknowledged the lockup had more than a thousand broken doors and inmates were often left to their own devices.
The Rikers collapse gave Mayor Bill de Blasio a major black eye and renewed longstanding criticisms about his attentiveness to the day-to-day operations of city government as he contemplate a run for governor.
Hizzoner’s administration revealed the spending figure in a budget update provided to the City Council on Tuesday, which revealed that the Big Apple’s is set to spend $102.8 billion in its 2022 budget — well above the $98.7 billion initially approved by the Council in June.
The Correction Department’s projected spending also grew, from $1.18 to $1.24 billion.
The spending surge is financed in large part by a massive infusion of stimulus funds from the federal government.
Overall, the November budget update shows that the Big Apple’s expected budget deficit next year has shrunk to $2.9 billion from $4.1 billion.
But, that tally does not include $500 million in still-to-be-negotiated concessions from the city’s labor unions nor does it set aside money for the next round of contract talks with the city’s workforce.
“The gaps appear manageable, but with the next round of collective bargaining unfunded, the budget’s reliance on non-recurring federal and City funds to pay for ongoing programs, and the slow economic recovery, Mayor-elect Adams should actively manage these gaps starting on day one,” warned Andrew Rein, the head of the Citizens Budget Commission, in a statement.
It’s only the second time ever that annual city spending will have exceeded $100 billion mark for the 12 month budget period, which runs from July to June every year.
This year’s spending will only have been eclipsed by the $103.1 billion spent between July 2020 and June 2021 as the city battled back against the initial coronavirus outbreak.
De Blasio offered a rosy assessment of the final November budget re-estimation issued by his soon-to-end administration in a statement from City Hall.
“The November Plan recognizes crucial help from the federal government which has allowed New York City to rebound strong and invest in our future, from fighting COVID-19 to climate change,” he said.
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