Mayor May Be Leaving Budget Gap with Rising NYPD/FDNY OT

Overtime costs for cops and firefighters are on the rise and City Controller William Thompson doesn't think that the mayor's budget is sufficiently accounting for it. Today Thompson is presenting his report on the budget to City Council and beforehand told reporters, "The city routinely and severely underestimates how much annual overtime will accumulate, and inevitably this widens the budget gap that will need to be closed." Thompson said that the mayor's office is undershooting the OT spending by more than $140 million in a year that saw the city pay out more in overtime than recent ones that saw the blackout, the RNC Convention and sending troops to assist Hurricane Katrina damage respectively. A spokesman for the mayor said that no matter the estimates, the city's budget will be balanced just like any other. Over the weekend, Thompson also compared Mayor Bloomberg's recent comments about the futility of taxing the rich to former President Bush's "trickle-down philosophy."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Billy Parker in News on March 9, 2009 3:07 PM

Comments [rss]

Past Taliban

WE need to roll Saint Patty's, Puerto Rican Day Parade and all the rest into ONE single event. However I suggest we hold that event 57 times a year because I could use the OT.

felixthecat2

Too much overtime and it will only increased due to the freeze hiring. that is why I think they should eliminate parades since the taxpayers don't make money off parades. why pay cops overtime for parade duty, it is a joke. then maybe hired parade workers for 9 dollars a hours or security guards for 9 dollars an hour. this is a waste of resources.