Press Office
Contact: Sharon Lee, (212) 669-3747 November 19, 2010
NEW YORK, NY – New York City Comptroller John C. Liu stated the following in response to questions about the Mayor's proposed layoffs and service cuts:
"Layoffs and cuts to essential city services aren't the only options for closing a daunting $1.6 billion budget gap. Especially now, there must be a concerted effort across city agencies to identify and trim any fat around city contracts. Specifically, agencies should be questioning whether all contracts are truly necessary, and should also be asking for reasonable cost concessions from its major contractors the way even the MTA has recently and successfully done.
"In Fiscal Year 2010, my office identified $157.4 million in potential savings through audits of city agencies alone.
"Working with the Mayor, we will continue to seek additional savings through audits and contract reviews to improve efficiency in city agencies and ensure that each and every dollar available is maximized. In the coming weeks, we will issue our review of the Mayor's budget, including options to consider before resorting to service cuts and layoffs."
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