Ridge councilmember slams mayor’s overlooking of property taxes in new budget
A handful of city councilmembers – one of Bay Ridge’s own included – have slammed Mayor Bill de Blasio for excluding property-tax relief from his nearly $90 million budget proposal.
The mayor’s 2019 budget – up $4 billion from his proposed spending plan –focuses heavily on education and other projects.
“We are extremely disappointed that in the $89 billion budget Mayor de Blasio unveiled Thursday there is no property tax relief to help seniors, retirees, working and middle class families who are struggling to make ends meet, as their taxes have skyrocketed and their incomes have stagnated,” said Councilmembers Justin Brannan, Steven Matteo, Joseph Borelli, Paul Vallone, Barry Grodenchik and Mark Gjonaj in a joint statement. “There also is no indication of how this administration intends to address the glaring inequities of a property tax system that charges the owner of a modest home in our districts more than the owner of a multi-million dollar brownstone in Park Slope.”