Res. No. 653-A

Resolution calling upon the Mayor and the State to negotiate and reach a firm agreement with respect to the Summer Youth Employment Program in advance of the budget process so that youth participate in the SYEP at maximum possible enrollment levels, keeping in mind that as recently as two summers ago there was sufficient funding for the employment of 37,869 young people; and further calling upon the Mayor to include requisite funding in the Preliminary and Executive Budget proposals, in order to ensure the timely and effective implementation of the SYEP.

By Council Members Fidler, Baez, Barron, Clarke, Dilan, Foster, Gennaro, Gentile, Gerson, Jackson, James, Koppell, Liu, Martinez, Nelson, Quinn, Recchia, Rivera, Sanders, Seabrook, Stewart, Vann, Weprin, Felder, DeBlasio, Brewer, Comrie and The Public Advocate (Ms. Gotbaum)

                     Whereas, According to the Request for Proposals (the “RFP”) for the Summer Youth Employment Program (“SYEP”) issued on January 5, 2004, the purpose of the SYEP is to provide New York City youth, ages 14 to 21, with summer employment and educational experiences; and

Whereas, With the elimination of Federal funding for a stand-alone summer youth employment program, the importance attached to the reliability of State and City funding for the SYEP has dramatically increased; and

Whereas, Although New York State’s budget is supposed to be enacted on April 1 of each year, the State’s budget has been delayed in each of the past twenty years; and

Whereas, The latest New York State budget was not agreed to until August 2004, over one month after the start of the SYEP; and

Whereas, The failure to have a timely State budget makes it difficult for New York City providers to establish their budgets and plan SYEP initiatives in a system where participant applications are returned no later than June 15 and youth are assigned to jobs beginning in the first week in July; and

Whereas, Pursuant to the New York City Charter, the City budget should be finalized and passed before July 1 of every year, only a few days before youth begin working as participants in the SYEP; and

Whereas, The full cost of the SYEP is not baselined in the City budget, and the Mayor has consistently failed to recognize funding for the SYEP in the Mayor’s Preliminary Budget, forcing the Council to negotiate such funding in the budget; and

Whereas, The failure to baseline SYEP funds and the Mayor’s persistent efforts to cut such funds means that participating programs find it difficult to properly budget and plan their programs; and

Whereas, Fiscal Year 2002 SYEP funding resulted in the creation of 43,377 jobs and was the largest post Job Training Partnership Act allocation of monies for this important program;

Whereas, Subsequent to Fiscal Year 2002, the total combined funding for SYEP began to diminish; and

Whereas, In Fiscal Years 2003, 2004 and 2005, the SYEP received less funding in each and every ensuing year, respectively; and

Whereas, Such funding levels enabled 36,100, 37,869 and 34,389 youth, respectively, to participate in the SYEP, representing a significant drop in the number of youth employed through the SYEP since Fiscal Year 2002; and

Whereas, The SYEP provides youth with a meaningful summer work experience, and many jobs performed by youth are essential to the economic prosperity of both their family and community and result in an almost immediate return of the dollars spent in our local communities; now, therefore, be it

                     Resolved, that the Council of the City of New York calls upon the Mayor and the State to negotiate and reach a firm agreement with respect to the Summer Youth Employment Program in advance of the budget process so that youth participate in the SYEP at the maximum possible enrollment levels, keeping in mind that as recently as two summers ago there was sufficient funding for the employment of 37,869 young people; and further calls upon the Mayor to include requisite funding in the Preliminary and Executive Budget proposals, in order to ensure the timely and effective implementation of the SYEP.

1/12/05

LP

#1813, #1814