The legislation mandates that households receiving city rental assistance contribute no more than 30 percent of their income to rent. It reverses an earlier move by the Adams administration to increase that amount for a subset of CityFHEPS voucher holders, an effort to manage costs of the $1.2 billion program.

The bill’s sponsor, Councilmember Diana Ayala, with Council Speaker Adrienne Adams at Thursday’s stated meeting. (John McCarten/NYC Council Media Unit)

The New York City Council last week overrode Mayor Eric Adams’ veto of a bill that would cap rent contributions for households receiving city rental assistance—reversing an earlier move by the administration to increase that amount for a subset of voucher holders, in an effort to rein in spending.

The legislation, passed by the Council in early October and vetoed by Adams a month later, mandates that New Yorkers receiving subsidies under the City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) program contribute no more than 30 percent of their income to rent. The vouchers, which help more than 60,000 low-income and formerly homeless households afford housing, cover the remainder.

The bill sought to overturn a rule the city implemented in September that increased the monthly rent contribution to 40 percent for a subset of CityFHEPS voucher holders—those with earned income who are receiving the subsidy for their sixth year (with exemptions for households on Supplemental Security Income, or with members older than 60).

Advocates and progressive lawmakers denounced the shift, saying it would put those impacted (about 3,100 households, officials said) at increased risk for eviction.

“New Yorkers are already facing significant economic strains and struggling to pay their rent,” Councilmember Diana Ayala, who sponsored the bill, said during a Council hearing in September. The 40 percent contribution, she added, is “a huge financial burden on families that are already stressed out.”

“It is a backward step when it comes to providing New Yorkers with what they need to survive in this city,” Ayala said.

Adams administration officials say the rent increase impacts only a small portion, about 5 percent, of the 60,000 households participating in CityFHEPS, and cited the shift as one lever to help manage costs for the program, which have increased five-fold since 2020.

The city spent $1.25 billion on CityFHEPS in the most recent fiscal year that ended in June, and with more than 136,000 participants, it is now the second largest rental subsidy program in the country, according to the city’s Department of Social Services (DSS).

By comparison, the New York State legislature allocated just $50 million this fiscal year for the launch of a statewide rental voucher program (an effort Gov. Kathy Hochul long resisted, citing concerns about the longterm costs).

“It is important we continue to think about responsible financial management so that CityFHEPS can continue to serve as a lifeline going forward,” DSS said in written testimony to councilmembers in September.

More than 37,500 people used CityFHEPS to move from the shelter system to permanent housing in the most recent fiscal year, a record high, according to the agency.

But homelessness advocates argue the savings the city would yield by increasing rents for a portion of participants—an estimated $11 million a year—will be outweighed by the hardship it could cause.

“We have New Yorkers struggling right now,” said Diana Ramos, a member of the Safety Net Activists and a CityFHEPS voucher holder (though she wasn’t impacted by the rule change). “Housing people is cheaper than leaving someone to rot in the shelter.”

Ayala’s bill is expected to take effect in 90 days.

This is the second major dustup between Adams and the City Council over CityFHEPS. In 2023, the mayor vetoed a package of bills to expand eligibility for the program, raising the income threshold and allowing people facing eviction to apply.

The Council also overrode that mayoral veto, but City Hall refused to carry out the legislation, as City Limits was first to report at the time. The two sides have been battling it out in court ever since.

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who takes office Jan. 1, pledged to implement the Council’s expansion bills, and previously criticized Mayor Adams for fighting them.

“What a ridiculous waste of time during a housing crisis,” he wrote in a social media post in July.

To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org

Want to republish this story? Find City Limits’ reprint policy here.

The post NYC Council Overrides Mayor’s Veto of Bill Capping Rents for Voucher Holders appeared first on City Limits.

ORLANDO — Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings have come and gone and on Wednesday, Twins officials packed up to leave the Florida sunshine for the Minnesota snow after what general manager Jeremy Zoll described as “a productive few days.”

The Twins landed the No. 3 pick in the 2026 draft — they had the second-best odds to end up with the first pick but could have slipped all the way to No. 8 in the lottery— made a selection in the Rule 5 draft and a subsequent trade, and laid down some groundwork as they try to retool their roster for next season.

“We felt really good to have the conversations we did and build on the initial conversations from the (general manager) meetings to now,” Zoll said. Added clarity gleaned this week, he added, would allow the Twins to “advance the ball in some conversations.”

When the offseason began, there were questions about the Twins’ plans to enhance their roster, and whether that would include retaining or trading star pitchers Pablo López and Joe Ryan, and all-star center fielder Byron Buxton. Team leaders said this week all three would remain on the team while Zoll and team president Derek Falvey add pieces to the roster.

The Twins had a chance Wednesday to add another potential reliever to the mix after clearing a roster spot by placing outfielder Carson McCusker on unconditional waivers (he is headed to Asia to continue his playing career). Instead, the team selected catcher Daniel Susac from the Athletics in the Rule 5.

Susac was promptly traded to the San Francisco Giants for 17-year-old catcher Miguel Carabello, who hit .264 with a .874 OPS in 41 games in the Dominican Summer League last year. They also received cash considerations in the trade.

“We looked at all the available guys, worked through some different options, had some really good conversations on how it might all fit together,” Zoll said. “As we evaluated different opportunities, the ability to make a trade here and acquire someone at the lower levels, (someone) that we think could really grow into something, felt like a more appealing opportunity as we tried to assess best ways to attack our 40 man and plan for building out the rest of the bullpen and the roster.”

Picking a reliever in the Rule 5 draft would have required the Twins to keep him on the active roster all season, something which inhibits flexibility. Instead, the Twins will use other avenues to build out their bullpen, a top priority after five relievers were shipped away at last season’s trade deadline.

“I think it was a productive few days for us,” said Zoll, who also mentioned the team’s desire to add “another bat or two with some thump” this offseason.

“There’s still a lot of feeling-out to be done. There’s still a lot of gauging of markets to try to understand when things may or not move,” Zoll said. He added that recent free-agent player movement — Kyle Schwarber staying Philadelphia, Pete Alonso’s move to Baltimore — “usually creates some trickle down impact on the market.”

GRAFTON, W.Va. (AP) — A West Virginia National Guard member who was fatally shot last month in the nation’s capital was laid to rest with full military honors in a private ceremony.

Spc. Sarah Beckstrom’s funeral took place Tuesday at the West Virginia National Cemetery in Grafton, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said in a statement.

“The ceremony was deeply moving and reflected the strength, grace, and love of a remarkable young woman and the family and friends who surrounded her,” Morrisey said.

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Beckstrom graduated with honors from Webster County High School in 2023 and joined the National Guard several weeks later. She served in the 863rd Military Police Company.

Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe were ambushed as they patrolled a subway station three blocks from the White House on Nov. 26. She died the next day.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who was also shot during the confrontation, has been charged with murder. He pleaded not guilty.

Morrisey has said Wolfe, who remains in a hospital in Washington, is slowly healing and his family expects he will be in acute care for another few weeks.

The St. Paul City Council plans to ask the state board that sets standards for officers and licenses them to “conduct a thorough investigation” of officers’ use of force during a recent federal immigration operation.

A resolution to be introduced at the council’s Wednesday afternoon meeting also says the council will conduct an analysis, including a public discussion, of the city’s ordinance adopted in 2004 “that establishes a clear line of separation between the actions of local law enforcement and those of federal immigration authorities.”

Finally, the council will direct the city’s Office of Financial Services to audit all St. Paul police costs for personnel, equipment and supplies during the Nov. 25 ICE action in Payne-Phalen, says the resolution, which is subject to change at the council meeting.

Community members: Officers used force on people protesting, observing

The council action is happening because community members reported they witnessed St. Paul officers “using force on residents who were exercising their First Amendment rights to observe and protest an action undertaken by federal agents from Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”),” the resolution says.

On the morning of Nov. 25, federal deportation officers were conducting an operation in St. Paul to arrest an undocumented person who’d previously been removed from the United States and who had re-entered unlawfully, according to a probable cause statement signed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation officer and filed with a criminal complaint in federal court.

ICE ultimately arrested two men in the 600 block of East Rose Avenue. One is charged in federal court with assaulting and impeding a federal officer by allegedly striking the officer’s vehicle with his own, and improper entry to the U.S. He has entered a plea of not guilty.

The St. Paul Police Department has said in a statement that they were called to assist when “the federal perimeter was broken by protesters. The street was compromised with foot and vehicle traffic, and a dangerous situation was unfolding.”

Police Chief Axel Henry said “reports came out that people were starting to arm themselves with rocks and sticks. … I asked additional officers to come to the scene to make the scene safe for both those who were there to protest those events and for the agents themselves.”

Plan to ask POST Board for investigation

Communities United Against Police Brutality says St. Paul officers violated department policies on police interactions during First Amendment-protected activities, to include protests, including by spraying people in the face with pepper spray when they were not violating the law and shooting pepper ball and other munitions “indiscriminately into the crowd.”

The city council resolution says they will work with the Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training “to conduct a thorough investigation into SPPD’s use of force.”

The POST Board’s website says they are “limited to addressing officer behavior that violates the standards of conduct for peace officers outlined” in Minnesota rules.

Police Chief Henry has said the department is conducting “a full review of the department’s response,” which includes “viewing hundreds of hours of body camera footage, as well as footage being shared by community members.”

Council plans analysis of separation ordinance

The council resolution says the events of Nov. 25 “have created public doubt surrounding the integrity of the city’s separation ordinance and the conduct of SPPD officers.”

That’s prompting the council to say it will conduct an analysis of the city’s separation ordinance “and other legal limitations on city law enforcement as well as on the operations of federal immigration enforcement officers acting within the city of St. Paul.”

The council plans to vote on the resolution Wednesday afternoon. The actions in the resolution will “be initiated immediately following its adoption,” the resolution says.

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