The Preliminary Budget closes the $2.88 billion budget gap projected in November, on the strength of an expected $2.77 billion surplus in FY 2022, derived primarily from $1.60 billion in additional tax revenues and savings of $866 million from the Program to Eliminate the Gap (PEG).
On December 1, 2021, New York City’s unrestricted cash balance reached a seasonal low of $1.338 billion, compared to $2.143 billion in FY21 and $1.769 billion in FY20.
At the end of 2Q22, the City recorded an unrestricted cash balance of $6.513 billion. Typically, the lowest daily cash balance of a fiscal year occurs during the second quarter.
The U.S. economy continued to rebound in the first three quarters of 2021 after the dramatic economic contraction and rebound of 2020, growing at a rate of 5.7 percent. Growth early in the year was boosted by the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, passed into law in March.
The City began 1Q22 with $8.469 billion in cash-on-hand, compared to $6.627 billion opening balance last year. Total receipts in the quarter rose 9.3%, while expenditures increased 10.8%. Overall, cash receipts exceeded cash expenditures by $333 million in 1Q22.