Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Relations · Mar 18, 2026
Wednesdayat least 6 h 24 min6 officials identified67 public speakersRoll call: 6 present, 1 excused (clerk)Video: YouTube, 2 recordings
The committee opened its fiscal year 2027 preliminary budget hearing, starting with testimony from the city’s three public library systems.
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Recordings · 2 recordingsShowHide
What happened
Each sentence checked against the transcript.
- The committee opened its fiscal year 2027 preliminary budget hearing, starting with testimony from the city’s three public library systems.9:51rec. 2
- The chair asked the library systems about the $491.4 million library preliminary budget, a reduction of $31.7 million from the fiscal 2026 adopted budget.41:19rec. 2
- A deputy commissioner testified that the fiscal 2027 preliminary budget allocates $215.6 million in city funds to the Department of Cultural Affairs.2:00:58rec. 2
- The chair asked about the department’s $215.9 million preliminary budget, a reduction of $83.7 million from the fiscal 2026 adopted budget.2:12:26rec. 2
Who spoke
6 officials identified · talk time, most first.
- Nantasha M. WilliamsChair · District 27 · 38 minFirst speaks at 9:51rec. 2
- Althea V. StevensDistrict 16 · 8.2 minFirst speaks at 2:44:24rec. 2
- Virginia MaloneyDistrict 4 · 3.9 minFirst speaks at 1:18:48rec. 2
- Farah N. LouisDistrict 45 · 1.7 minFirst speaks at 2:53:17rec. 2
- Crystal HudsonDistrict 35 · 1.4 minFirst speaks at 1:07:51rec. 2
- Sandra UngDistrict 20 · 1.1 minFirst speaks at 2:17:20rec. 2
Roll call: 6 present, 1 excused, 0 absent. From the clerkPublic comment: 67 speakers.
How we count
Each summary sentence is checked against the transcript before it is published; in a blind check, 144 of 150 sentences were right. A voice gets an official’s name only when two AI readers and a code check agree, so the minutes undercount and are not attendance. Officials only: members of the public are counted, never named, shown or quoted, and full transcripts aren’t published because they can carry their names. More on how we know
Cite this page
Hamlet, “Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries and International Relations, Mar 18, 2026: New York.” https://cities.myhamlet.com/nyc/cultural-affairs-libraries-and-international-relations/meetings/2026-03-18. Data as of Oct 9, 2026 (version d14b03c); meeting of Mar 18, 2026.