On Sunday, the City quietly released their budget plans, likely hoping that the release over the weekend wouldn’t garner much attention or notice.

Well, we certainly noticed. The budget plan, which aims to reduce an estimated $2.5 billion budget gap for fiscal year 2014, begins by slashing 2,000 city workers, though police officers, firefighters, and teachers will be exempt from the cuts in hopes of continuing Hurricane Sandy’s recovery efforts that are still very much needed across the region.

Additionally, the budget plan aims to cut staff from the NYC Department of Health’s HIV programs, though an official number of staff to be cut wasn’t released. Opponents of the budget plan warn that these specific cuts to the NYCDOM will severely affect the quality and quantity of services for people living with HIV/AIDS, and may lead to devastating delays in staff’s ability to notify sexual partners of PLWA. Once again, the city aims to balance the budget on the backs of the city’s most vulnerable, including those living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic conditions.

Other cost saving measures include a price increase to school lunches, raising parking rates/fees, and eliminating health and vision screenings for kindergartners and first-graders.

You can see the full list of budget cuts here.

Stay tuned for more updates.

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