New York City Mayor Eric Adams tasked agency heads with trimming spending by 15 percent through next spring — but said Albany or Washington could spare the city.
, Mayor Eric Adams warned agency heads they must slash their budgets by 15 percent by next spring to compensate for increasing asylum-seeker costs.
Commissioners will then be on the hook for another 5 percent reduction in January, when the preliminary budget plan comes out, and a third round once the spring budget update is released in April. Agency performance has already been hurt by staffing vacancies that run well into the double digits for some departments — a problem that could only be exacerbated by cutting off new hires.
In addition to outside aid, the economy could also perform better than expected, which would reduce the need for belt-tightening. The City Council’s revenue estimates, for example, are often higher than those from City Hall. The administration is not considering any tax increases, a spokesperson said.City officials were already expecting further cuts before Saturday’s briefing.