Tuesday, Feb. 3, marked the thirty fourth day of Zohran Mamdani’s time period as mayor. New York News is following Mamdani round his first 100 days in workplace as we intently monitor his progress on fulfilling marketing campaign guarantees, appointing key leaders to authorities posts, and managing town’s funds. Right here’s a abstract of what the mayor did right this moment.
As New Yorkers enter tax season with federal free-filing choices shrinking, Metropolis Corridor on Tuesday paired a renewed push for its long-running Free Tax Prep program with a stepped-up crackdown on tax preparers who overcharge or disguise charges.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani mentioned his administration hopes to considerably increase participation, arguing that final 12 months’s 110,000 filers characterize solely a fraction of these eligible.
“Nearly half of all New Yorkers qualify for this program,” Mamdani mentioned at a press convention at Gouverneur Well being in Decrease Manhattan. “That means there are still far too many people across the five boroughs who haven’t heard about it or don’t believe it’s actually free.”
NYC Free Tax Prep is on the market to anybody who lives or works within the metropolis and earned as much as $97,000 as a household or $68,000 as a person or couple with out dependents in 2025.
This system provides in-person and digital tax preparation, drop-off providers, and assisted self-filing, all offered by IRS-certified Volunteer Earnings Tax Help (VITA) and Tax Counseling for the Aged (TCE) preparers.
Final 12 months, in line with metropolis officers, this system saved New Yorkers $38.2 million in submitting charges — a mean of $346 per return.
“In a city where a dignified life is already hard enough to afford,” Mamdani mentioned, “a few added dollars can make all the difference.”
The push comes at a time when the federal authorities has eradicated the IRS Direct File choice, rising reliance on non-public tax preparation providers that usually cost lots of of {dollars} per return.
“Every year, the typical New Yorker pays about $377 just to file their taxes,” mentioned Division of Shopper and Employee Safety Commissioner Sam Levine. “That fee is its own kind of tax — a shadow tax — cutting into what is often the biggest paycheck of the year.”
Levine mentioned town is aiming to develop the Free Tax Prep program “significantly” this 12 months, saving New Yorkers tens of tens of millions extra in charges whereas guaranteeing filers nonetheless obtain skilled help.
Affordability: Junk Charges
Alongside the outreach effort, DCWP introduced an aggressive enforcement marketing campaign concentrating on paid tax preparers who overcharge shoppers or use misleading practices. Commissioner mentioned the crackdown builds on Mamdani’s government order concentrating on junk charges citywide, making use of the administration’s affordability agenda to tax preparers who overcharge or disguise charges
Levine mentioned inspectors might be deployed citywide to test compliance, and the company will challenge warning letters reminding preparers of town’s ban on unlawful charges and hidden costs.
He mentioned that New Yorkers who use paid providers are inspired to ask for town’s Shopper Invoice of Rights Concerning Tax Preparers and report suspected violations.
“We’re not going after honest accountants who play by the rules,” Mamdani mentioned. “We’re going after the predatory practices that turn tax season into a time of fear and confusion for working New Yorkers.”
Levine added that one of the simplest ways for shoppers to keep away from being overcharged is to make use of town’s free providers every time doable.
NYC Free Tax Prep contains specialised help for freelancers, supply staff, gig staff, and small enterprise homeowners — teams that usually face increased prices and complexity when submitting. Eligible self-employed New Yorkers can obtain assist with Schedule C filings, record-keeping, and different tax necessities, in addition to one-on-one consultations and workshops.
Many Free Tax Prep websites are situated inside NYC Well being + Hospitals services and MetroPlusHealth neighborhood workplaces, an method metropolis leaders described as intentional.
Dr. Nichola Davis, NYC Well being + Hospitals’ chief inhabitants well being officer, mentioned monetary stress is a serious driver of poor well being outcomes, together with nervousness, sleeplessness, and elevated danger of coronary heart illness.
“If a patient has to choose between paying for food, medication, or rent, their health is going to suffer,” Davis mentioned. “By providing free tax prep where New Yorkers already receive care, we’re treating financial insecurity as a public health priority.”
The IRS started accepting tax returns on Jan. 26. The submitting deadline is April 15, 2026, although NYC Free Tax Prep operates year-round and might help with prior-year returns.
“This is what affordability looks like in practice,” Levine mentioned. “Fewer junk fees, strong public services, and more money in New Yorkers’ pockets.”
Eligible New Yorkers can discover areas and e book appointments by calling 311 or visiting nyc.gov/taxprep.
Chilly snap: Shelter enlargement
The quantity of people that have died open air through the metropolis’s current stretch of maximum chilly stays at 16, Mayor Mamdani mentioned Tuesday, however he warned the hazard has not handed as one other Arctic entrance is anticipated this weekend. 13 of these deaths have been linked to hypothermia.
As a part of town’s ongoing response to the intense climate, Mamdani introduced the opening of a brand new low-barrier Protected Haven shelter in Decrease Manhattan, operated by nonprofit Breaking Floor, which can present 106 beds for older and medically weak New Yorkers
The ability had been proposed below the earlier administration however was delayed by a neighborhood lawsuit, largely over the constructing’s proximity to Peck Slip College on Pearl Avenue. Lawyer Joseph J. Sullivan, representing PeckSlip Advocates for College Security, instructed New York News that the group had not been formally notified of the opening earlier than Mamdani’s press launch.
He mentioned the announcement was a “big surprise,” noting that town had solely filed an amended fair-share evaluation with the courtroom the day before today and that no official communication had been despatched to the neighborhood or the group. Sullivan indicated that he would want to evaluation the documentation and coordinate together with his shoppers earlier than figuring out the group’s subsequent steps or potential authorized responses.
Sullivan mentioned the group had been monitoring authorized proceedings intently after a August 2025 courtroom resolution that blocked the shelter over security and procedural issues.
Native Council Member Christopher Marte had aligned with native residents, warning then-Mayor Eric Adams that the shelter’s entrance and home windows sit simply ft from the college, creating privateness and security issues. In his April 2025 letter, he additionally highlighted the outside smoking space beneath school rooms, insufficient obstacles at entrances, and the dangers posed if non-clients collect close to the college. New York News has contacted Marte’s workplace for remark.
The Mamdani administration mentioned it had accelerated the websites opening amid the historic chilly snap. In a press release accompanying the shelter announcement, Mamdani added:
“We are deploying every tool at our disposal to keep New Yorkers safe, warm, and indoors. This new facility in Lower Manhattan will help older and our most medically vulnerable New Yorkers get off the street and into stable shelter with the services that they need,” the press launch mentioned.
In keeping with town’s fair-share evaluation filed on Monday, Breaking Floor will present round the clock safety on the proposed Protected Haven at 320 Pearl St., utilizing a contracted safety agency with skilled, licensed guards on responsibility 24 hours a day. Safety employees would management entry to the constructing, confirm residents’ identities utilizing photograph lists and ID playing cards issued at consumption, and conduct respectful searches of belongings on the entrance.
The doc says guards would monitor residents’ actions, reply to emergencies, help employees with disaster intervention, and work to take care of security and order, emphasizing persistence and compassion of their interactions. The plan contains mounted safety posts all through the constructing, a roaming “floater” conducting security checks, and no less than 4 employees members on website always, in step with state laws. A minimum of one employees member per shift could be skilled in first assist and overdose response, with naloxone out there on every flooring. The positioning would even have 24/7 video surveillance protecting inside and exterior areas, together with the courtyard, with footage retained for no less than seven days.
Protected Havens are designed as low-barrier shelters with smaller settings and on-site providers that construct belief, stabilize residents, and assist them transition into everlasting housing. They’re significantly focused to people who could also be immune to different shelter choices.
Breaking Floor President and CEO Brenda Rosen praised the opening, saying, “With more than 35 years of work supporting people experiencing homelessness, we know that low-barrier transitional housing like this can be a critical first step toward stability, health, and hope.”
The brand new Protected Haven joins different metropolis measures to guard residents through the chilly snap, together with expanded single-room-occupancy shelters in Higher Manhattan and deployment of 20 cellular warming models, offering heat, medical care, and transportation to shelters or hospitals.
Since Jan. 19, DSS outreach groups have positioned practically 1,000 homeless New Yorkers into shelters, with employees checking on residents each 4 hours throughout Code Blue. Mamdani reiterated that New Yorkers ought to name 311 in the event that they see somebody in want and famous that shelters have relaxed consumption insurance policies so nobody might be turned away.
On the midday press convention, the mayor additionally highlighted the scope of metropolis operations through the chilly snap. Sanitation staff have cleared greater than 52,000 crosswalks, 11,000 hearth hydrants, and 17,000 bus stops throughout the 5 boroughs.
Mamdani mentioned they’d to this point melted over 150 million kilos of snow and laid greater than 200 million kilos of salt. Recycling pickup is presently someday not on time, he famous.
“Operations continue around the clock,” Mamdani mentioned, praising metropolis staff for his or her efforts to take care of important providers regardless of excessive climate situations.
The mayor’s feedback come as forecasters predict a brand new Arctic entrance over the weekend, probably bringing additional frigid temperatures to town. Officers burdened that Code Blue situations, which increase outreach and shelter availability for folks experiencing homelessness, stay in impact till the climate improves.
“This is not the time for anyone to assume the risk has passed,” Mamdani mentioned. “We urge New Yorkers to check on neighbors, report anyone in need, and follow city guidance to stay safe.”
Metropolis residents are reminded that 311 is the first hotline for reporting folks in danger open air, and shelters stay open throughout the 5 boroughs.
