Mayor Bill de Blasio unveils city budget; plan includes new police precinct in Queens

NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled his fiscal 2017 budget plan Tuesday afternoon.

The proposal totals $82 billion and includes several new initiatives, including a new police precinct in southeastern Queens.

The new 116th Precinct would take some of the pressure off the sprawling 105th Precinct.

"One of the biggest, most spread out police precincts in the city is the 105 precinct," said the mayor. "For decades there's been a desire to create a new precinct to allow for faster and better response in the neighborhood.

The new precinct will cost $70 million and would serve communities in Laurelton, Rosedale, Brookville and Springfield Gardens.

"Our investment in a new 116th precinct will address community needs, help reduce response times, and bring an additional police presence to the fast-growing neighborhoods in southeast Queens," said the mayor.

"The 105 Precinct is one of the largest in terms of geographical size. In recent years the Department has established a local substation in order to facilitate police service and response in the southern section of the precinct," said NYPD Commissioner William Bratton "By creating a separate command within this area, the NYPD will be able to provide more localized service to the community."

The budget plan also includes:

--$5 million to fund 50 new ambulance tours. FDNY will be able to staff the ambulances starting in January.

--$21 million to purchase new smaller, specialized snow removal equipment to make it easier to plow small streets, crosswalks and bus stops.

--$244 million to replace the Queensboro Bridge roadway.

--A $50 million public indoor swimming pool on Staten Island. Staten Island has eight public outdoor swimming pools.

The city will overhaul its public-hospital system to stem the hospital system's losses, which are projected to increase to about $1.8 billion in 2020.

The overhaul will focus more on outpatient centers and less on emergency rooms.

"Over the past 13 years, 18 private hospitals have closed throughout New York City," Mayor de Blasio said. "This plan will not close any more hospitals or layoff any workers, but expand comprehensive health care,