Browse > Home / News / Council Moves To Share Agencies’ Budget Pains

Council Moves To Share Agencies’ Budget Pains

March 13, 2008

The City Council, in voting yesterday to reduce its budget by 4.3%, is showing solidarity with other city agencies facing budget cuts, Council Speaker Christine Quinn said.

The cuts, which total some $2.3 million, would come from the council’s central office, meaning that individual council members’ budgets will not be affected. The move fulfilled a pledge Ms. Quinn made last month during her State of the City address.

“Literally to the penny, we are leading by example,” Ms. Quinn said yesterday. She added that the council may reduce its budget further if the city’s fiscal outlook worsens. “If we have to make deeper cuts come June to stay in track with those that city agencies are going to absorb, we are prepared to do that,” she said.

The council also voted on two bills relating to electronics recycling. Last month, it passed a comprehensive electronics recycling bill that Mayor Bloomberg had threatened to veto and said he would refuse to enforce if the council were to override his decision. At issue were requirements that electronics manufacturers take back a certain quantity of used products for recycling or face fines from the city, which the mayor said was unconstitutional.

In a compromise agreement with the mayor, the bill was recalled and split into two separate components, which passed yesterday. The mayor can now sign one law creating an electronics recycling program for the city and veto the bill that contains the requirements for manufacturers.

In a statement, Mr. Bloomberg said he and the council “share the same goal of ensuring that thousands of tons of electronic waste are recycled,” and “largely agree” on a recycling plan.

Ms. Quinn praised the agreement but did not rule out taking legal action against the mayor should he refuse to enforce both laws.

“We’ll take it one step at a time,” she said. “After we get past the signing and the vetoing, then we will be able to discuss what the next steps will be after that.”

Source: NY Sun

Related Articles

Written by NY Politics · Filed Under News 

Got something to say?