Council hits Blaz budget as a ‘waste’

MORE THAN two dozen City Council members condemned Mayor de Blasio’s $89.1 billion executive budget in a letter to the mayor Thursday.

Councilman Mark Gjonaj (DBronx) and 26 other pols — a majority of the body — say they want significant changes before they will vote for the spending plan.

“This budget misses the mark, and we will work hard to build support in this chamber to reject it in favor of a common sense budget that reins in spending and waste and reflects the real needs of New Yorkers,” they wrote.

De Blasio and the Council must strike a deal and pass a new city budget by June.

This year’s process has been more contentious than past years of de Blasio’s tenure, with Council members blasting the budget for leaving out their spending proposals like half-price subway fares for the poor, while at the same time accusing the mayor of overspending.

The pols write that New York under the budget proposal would spend $10,400 per resident, compared to $3,200 in Chicago and $2,500 in Los Angeles.

“Yet there’s still no room to fund the programs that are vital to the daily lives of New Yorkers,” the letter said. “Until we see a fiscally responsible spending plan that meets the needs of New Yorkers and invests taxpayer money in a more prudent way, we will not vote to adopt this budget.”

De Blasio’s office defended the budget.

“Increased funding for 1.1 million schoolchildren, defending the city from overseas cyberthreats and combatting the opioid epidemic are New York values. You would think the co-signed Council members who previously supported these efforts would agree,” said De Blasio spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein.